With Marvel’s 2021 slate over and done with their Disney+ shows have left audiences with a lot of questions. Marvel’s second Disney+ show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier left us with a big loose thread: Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) being the Power Broker.
Sharon Carter: The Lost Years
In Captain America: Civil War, Sharon stole Steve’s shield in then ran after being branded an enemy of the state. We didn’t see Ms. Carter for a while until at the start of Avengers Endgame when we found out Sharon was snapped away by Thanos. In Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we find out what she was up to some of this time and that she’s grown quite cynical as well as a criminal empire in Madripoor dealing stolen art, weapons, and secrets.
The reveal met with surprise and some controversy among fans, but this is an interesting direction Marvel has taken Sharon’s character in. It’s very understandable since everyone, including her country, turned their back on her after Civil War that she would be angry and want to fight back against those she believes hurt her that she would want to be the one in power, not the one who is powerless.
This is good also because Sharon has been sidelined in the movies from the beginning and I’m happy that Marvel is finally giving her a bigger role.
A fox in the henhouse…
The mid-credit scene shows Sharon’s story isn’t over yet. Sharon is given a full pardon by the U.S. Government and offered her old job back at the C.I.A. It seems as though she is still running her operation in Madripoor since she made a phone call telling whoever is on the other end to start “lining up” their buyers. Now that she has access to government secrets, prototype weapons, etc. “there should be something for everyone.” She will be abusing her power as an agent and as the Power Broker which could lead to some serious problems for the heroes of the MCU in the future.
You may be wondering why is Sharon betraying everyone after she has been granted a full pardon? It seems the former Agent 13 has a grudge to hold against the government so she may be selling their secrets to get back at them.
But another popular theory for Sharon’s actions is that she is a Skrull. It would explain why her empire is still going strong in Madripoor after being gone for five years. And with the Disney+ Secret Invasion series coming, it’s clear that no one can be trusted. Skrulls are infiltrating Earth so it would make sense they would replace people who have access to classified information and are in positions of power.
However, if Sharon is a Skrull, there is a possibility she could be dead or missing. A twist like this would feel like a slap in the face to fans who love the character and are excited to see her back just to be plot twisted by Secret Invasion.
Where to next, Ms. Carter?
There are a few upcoming projects that Sharon could possibly have connections to, one being Armor Wars. It’s said that Rhodey (Don Cheadle) will be dealing with Tony Stark’s legacy and technology. In the Armor Wars comics, Tony realizes that his scientific secrets have been stolen by Spymaster and have been sold to Justin Hammer.
With Tony gone and Stark Industries’ future unknown, it would be easy to steal Stark Technology. A lot of Tony’s assets may have been seized by the government after his death. This would give Sharon easy access to his technology and it would be a huge sale on the black market. Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) is also speculated to make an appearance in Armor Wars. The last time we saw him was in the short All Hail the King and he was in jail.
If Sharon and Justin show up in Armor Wars, I hope they go more in-depth about how Sharon became the Power Broker and if there’s more than just her holding a grudge against the government. It would also be interesting to see a working relationship between Sharon and Justin. They have two very different personalities and that could make for some fun moments. It would also be interesting if we find out how Justin is still working from prison or if the events of Endgame have led to his release.
Another potential project Sharon could show up in is the Shang-Chi Disney+ spin-off. A few months ago Deadline confirmed that director Destin Daniel Cretton is already working on a Shang-Chi sequel as well as a spin-off series. Fans are hoping the series could be focused on Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) because the post-credit scene in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is her taking over her father’s organization. Now that she is running the Ten Rings it seems likely that she and Sharon could cross paths one day for business purposes if they haven’t already.
Captain America 4 starring Anthony Mackie has been confirmed to start production this summer and certainly, that’s another place Sharon could pop up next. How will Sam and Bucky react when and if they discover their old ally is now a criminal mastermind that’s betraying the government she once fought to protect? This is another intriguing loose end to be explored later hopefully.
It will be interesting as well to see if Ms. Carter ever regrets her actions, and tries to atone for them, or if she continues to go further and further to the dark side.
Where do you think Sharon Carter will show up next? Where do you think her character arc is headed? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @mycosmiccircus!
