Hayley Atwell Reveals What We Could Have Seen In 'Agent Carter' Season 3: Could It Ever Happen?

Fans were heartbroken last year when ABC canceled Marvel's Agent Carter, the period-piece spy drama that spun out of Captain America: The First Avenger. ABC's reasoning was simple; they wanted to move star #HayleyAtwell out of the genre show and into something a bit more mainstream. The abrupt cancellation meant that Agent Carter ended on an unsatisfying cliffhanger, and the series that promised to show us the origin of S.H.I.E.L.D. never got the chance to do so.

Now, at Heroes and Villains Fan Fest in London, Hayley Atwell has spoken about what she expected from Season 3 and beyond — and gave us some tantalizing hints into the show's future.

What Would Have Happened In Season 3 Of Agent Carter?

As Hayley Atwell noted, Season 2 fleshed out the character of Agent Carter in some fascinating ways. We learned about Agent Carter's late brother, and saw how he had transformed her life; indeed, Atwell seems to think that was setup for a bigger arc, one exploring the impact his ghost has on Carter. In fact, Atwell spoke about how she felt Season 3 could have lifted the lid on Agent Carter a little bit more, giving a chance for viewers to understand how her English upbringing had shaped her.

In Atwell's view, Season 3 would have continued to develop Carter's relationship with the Jarvis family. She saw the relationship between Agent Carter and Jarvis as one of the most interesting aspects of Season 2, with each respecting one another, but also knowing exactly how to push each other's buttons. Atwell told the audience at #HVFF that this is one aspect she'd particularly have loved to explore in Agent Carter Season 3.

Could Agent Carter Season 3 Still Happen?

Hayley Atwell describes the role of Agent Carter as "the gift that keeps on giving." As she points out, when she filmed Captain America: The First Avenger, she never expected to get a phone call asking her to reprise the role! She got to play a slightly older Peggy Carter in a flashback sequence in Ant-Man, and is still in touch with some of the other #Marvel stars. During filming of Captain America: Civil War, she got a text from Chris Evans:

"I'm so sad today. You just died."

Of course, fans are still eager for more Agent Carter. And Atwell did give us reason to hope; discussing the rise of female-led superhero shows, she described it as the result of a conversation between TV execs and fans. Continued support from a loyal fan-base demonstrates that there's still interest in the series, she noted, and it's easy to see Marvel Entertainment misses her; after all, she's reprised the role in the upcoming animated series, Secret Wars (which, alas, is not part of the #MCU).

Animation gives fans new cause to hope for Season 3. Could we see an animated relaunch of Agent Carter? Atwell made it clear she's not aware of any conversations, but stressed that, should Marvel ever give Season 3 a chance, she'd do it like a shot.

Plot Threads Left Dangling

Needless to say, there were many questions about tantalizing plot-threads that are yet to be explored. Who shot Agent Thompson? An amused Atwell explained that network shows like Agent Carter tend to write as they film. As a result, the actors are always on their toes, and never know what's going to happen next. She didn't even know Thompson had been shot until Chad Michael Murray told her he'd just filmed the scene!

Another key plot thread, of course, is the tantalizing question of who Agent Carter will eventually marry. Atwell revealed that, back during filming of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, there was originally a photo showing Peggy Carter, her husband, and her children, which was later edited out. The husband in the shot was, in fact, just an extra; and that extra would have been bound into MCU continuity forever, if the photo had seen the light of day. In story terms, though, Atwell has no idea who Carter's husband was.

As a fan of Agent Carter, I'm definitely rooting for the show to return. Even if the show can only continue in animated form, that's preferable to nothing; there are too many questions left unanswered, and the series still has so much potential. Hayley Atwell made it clear that its down to the fans to show that the need is there; let's do it.