Hayley Atwell's Agent Peggy Carter was such a scene-stealing standout in Captain America: The First Avenger, she went from a supporting character in Captain America's debut film to a One Shot subject to the lead of her own TV show, Agent Carter (not to mention the fact that her cinematic arc was only just wrapped up in Captain America: Civil War). But despite the unwavering likeability of the character and equally consistent charisma of the actress playing her, Agent Carter never caught a stride with audiences, and after an attempted recalibration in the second season still failed to connect, ABC gave the show the ax back in May.

At the time, there were plenty of folks who wondered why Netflix -- the streaming network whose Marvel partnership spawned the Defenders-verse of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist -- didn't resurrect the series.


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Image via ABC

Well, wonder no more. While at the TCA, Netflix boss Ted Sarandos explained the network's decision to pass (via EW).

“We’re looking for truly original brands to own,” he says, “and in that Marvel space we already have [original comic book shows] – so that was mostly why.”

 

“They also have some output deal complexities,” he adds. “So when you pick it up, being able to pick it up globally is difficult even after it’s canceled. Some of those output partners still had it on the air, so they would argue its covered by their output [deals]. Unfortunately, it was a business decision more than a creative one.”

Created by Civil War and Captain America: The Winter Soldier screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the spinoff was Marvel's second venture into the realm of TV after Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Agent Carter took place after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger and Steve Rogers’ disappearance and focused on Carter balancing life as a secret agent in 1940s America, with Dominic Cooper’s Howard Stark and James D’Arcy’s Jarvis joining in the action.


For now, with Atwell already heading up a new series Conviction and Peggy Carter's cinematic narrative laid to rest, it seems we may have seen the last of our intrepid agent, but with Sharon Carter poised to take a bigger role in the MCU, her legacy is sure to live on.

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Image via ABC
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Image via ABC