Captain America: Civil War, which was clearly a love story between Captain America and Bucky Barnes, included a tepid kiss between Chris Evans’s Captain America and Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter, because of the patriarchy or something, and nobody is happy. By “nobody,†we mean Hayley Atwell, who played Captain America’s World War II–era paramour Peggy Carter, great aunt of Sharon. And by “not happy,†we mean “said some funny things about that whole vaguely Oedipal moment in a major blockbuster at the Dallas Comic Con Fan Expoâ€:
“Well, first of all she’d be turning over in her grave,†Atwell said, with a grin. “She’d be like ‘no.’ And she’d inject herself with the blue serum and become a supervillain. She’d break out of her coffin and ground [Sharon]. She’d ground her. Then she’d kick Steve’s ass as well.â€
Atwell continued “I just feel that, you know — I wouldn’t want to date my great aunt’s guy. It just feels like it crosses an incestuous boundary. And Peggy just died. That’s even more disrespectful, right? It’s like, ‘don’t touch that. You can’t tap that!’â€
Atwell then said that she thought Peggy would have been fairly protective of Sharon, too, as a close relative. “She’d want the best for her and she’d want her dating a good guy. And now with this whole ‘Hail Hydra†business, I don’t know if Steve’s good enough for her,†she said, referring to the new controversial Cap arc from the comics. “So on all levels, it’s just a big fat no.â€
Atwell’s been on tour after the cancellation of Agent Carter, and has suggested that the series continue on a network other than ABC or with a wrap-up movie. Until then, she’ll pop up on ABC’s Conviction, as an attorney who lives in the ostensible present. Hey, maybe she can go find Captain America to give him that talking to.