While many fans knew the Illuminati would appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it was a nice surprise to see Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter jump from What If..? into the live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, Hayley Atwell has expressed her disappointment with the cameo, saying she was able to do much more in animation.

The Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness served as a subversion of fan expectations, with many expecting them to be the main villain despite ending up mostly as cannon fodder in the final film. While some fans enjoyed this twist, others left the theater disappointed. This includes Hayley Atwell, whose character Captain Carter made her live-action debut in the film after appearing in What If…?, with the actress saying that it didn’t serve the character very well:

“…She’s like, ‘I could do this all day,’ and then followed by she’s immediately cut in half by a frisbee, and then the audience being like, ‘She can’t do it all day… Apparently, you can’t, so… Yeah, egg on your face.’ And, I’m like, ‘Oh, it doesn’t really serve Peggy very well,” She told the Happy Sad Confused podcast before explaining. “I felt like I had much more to do in the ‘What If…?’ animation series, which was… I mean, any actor will tell you, to be able to go into a booth, and effectively your pajamas, and do an animation is great fun, because you’re just focused on the voices, the instrument. That is your main sort of performative tool. And I love that in that, they’ve been able to give her just more to do as Captain Carter. Captain Britain.”

It’s no secret that characters can do much more in animation than in live-action, if only due to budgetary concerns. It’s unclear if Captain Carter will ever appear in the MCU again outside of What If…? or if Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was only a tease of what was to come in the Multiverse Saga. However, fans can only hope Hayley Atwell enjoys the appearance as much as they do.

Directed by Sam Raimi from a script written by Michael Waldron, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams.

The official synopsis for the Doctor Strange sequel reads as follows: “The MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now available to own on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. It’s also streaming exclusively on Disney Plus.

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