Emily VanCamp Reveals Agent Sharon Carter Almost Had a Cameo pn 'Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.': Could It Still Happen?

Created all the way back in 1966, Sharon Carter was originally envisioned as the sister of Peggy Carter, and a love interest for Captain America. As the years passed, Marvel retconned her history so she became Peggy's great-niece, an idea that fits more effectively with the passage of time. That's the version Marvel brought to the big screen when they introduced Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

It turns out the character — who has since locked lips with Chris Evans's Captain America in 2016's Captain America: Civil War — was one intended to play a much larger role in the wider MCU. Chatting to reporters during the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour 2017, VanCamp revealed that there were actually discussions about transitioning the character over to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. VanCamp stated, “I think it was discussed, but I was working on Revenge at the time.”

But could it ever happen? Is it possible that Sharon Carter could join Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D. team?

VanCamp's character may have appeared in two Marvel blockbusters to date, but it's very unlikely she'll return in the near future. VanCamp still has "no idea" whether or not she'll be called on to film any scenes in Avengers: Infinity War. Given Marvel is believed to have wrapped up production, and is moving on to Avengers 4, we can safely assume Sharon Carter won't crop up in the film.

Meanwhile, fans are expecting these two films to mark the end of Chris Evans's time with Marvel. As he noted earlier this year, his contract is coming to a close.

"My contract is up. I have Avengers three and four. We do three now and four in the latter part of the year and then after that, that is the end of my contract."

Over in the comics, Sharon Carter's character has traditionally been associated with Cap. If Captain America's arc in the MCU is soon to end, we can assume Marvel Studios won't have much interest in VanCamp's Sharon Carter either.

How Could She Be Integrated Into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Of course, the sad truth is that Sharon Carter never did crop up in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. But now that Sharon Carter has no scheduled big-screen appearances that we know of, is it possible Marvel Television could yet introduce her?

Thematically, it would make sense. One of the more subtle continuing themes in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the legacy of Peggy Carter, which has been referenced ever since the first season. Sure, at one point this theme was essentially a way of tying S.H.I.E.L.D. in to its short-lived sister show, but even after Agent Carter was canceled we've continued to get gentle nods to the character. Introducing Peggy Carter's great-niece would certainly be a smart way of continuing that theme in an organic way. It's also worth noting that in the movies, Sharon has essentially been a background character and love interest. S.H.I.E.L.D. has always excelled when it comes to developing its female characters, and you can guarantee that the series would present a more well-rounded Sharon Carter.

Whether Sharon could appear in the series, though, largely depends on two things: what happened to her after Civil War, and what the showrunners have planned for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5. When we last saw Sharon Carter, she'd was serving the CIA over in Berlin's Joint Counter Terrorist Centre. She wound up secretly helping Cap and Falcon retrieve their equipment; while that no doubt sparked an internal investigation, Sharon seems a savvy enough spy to slip through the net. She's likely still working for the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre.

And that offers an intriguing possible tie-in to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Season 4 featured an increasingly prominent role for a terrorist group known as the Watchdogs, a paramilitary group with a lot of cash behind them and some pretty dangerous weapons. Early on, they began detonating electromagnetic pulses in cities across the world, pretending the attacks were conducted by rogue Inhumans in order to whip up hate and prejudice. They're commanded by the Superior, Anton Ivanov, who has become a truly terrifying threat. Ivanov's mind now controls legions of LMDs, and we have no reason to believe he's lost access to the technology to make more. While Season 5 is clearly heading in a cosmic direction, we can also expect Ivanov's story to continue.

This presents a simple way to weave Sharon Carter into the tapestry of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Season 4 ended with S.H.I.E.L.D. in no condition to tackle the growing threat of the Watchdogs, and it would make sense for the remit to be passed to the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre. That would surely be the easiest way to incorporate Sharon Carter into one of the major subplots in Season 5, and her role could then easily be expanded.

Naturally, that's only the most obvious scenario. The reality is that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s writers have always loved smart, complex plots; I'm sure they can think of solutions that are far more creative. Still, it's entirely possible that the character could be transferred over to the TV series. VanCamp no longer has scheduling conflicts, and smart plotting could easily see her introduced in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Personally, it's a twist I'd be delighted to see.

[Source: CBR]