Comic Review – “Captain Carter #1” is a Slightly Slow Start to an Interesting Twist on an Old Story

Marvel fans have been introduced to a lot of great new characters in recent years, whether it be in in the comics or in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The latter gave us a very interesting twist on a beloved character when Marvel’s What If…? introduced us to Captain Carter, a multiversal variant of Peggy Carter who received the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers.

“Captain Carter #1” now expands on that character’s story… sort of. We all know the story of Steve Rogers’ sacrifice and being found in the ice so many years later, but what happened to him immediately after. This new comic gives us a look at how Carter reacclimates herself to the world around her.

Peggy Carter, just like the Steve Rogers of our universe, made the ultimate sacrifice and laid her life down to save those of so many others. Now, 80 years later, her body has been found, perfectly preserved in the ice, and the hero is still very much alive.

But what happens when a Russian research crew finds the body of a British hero who was acting on behalf of the American military? There are a lot of complications in play that are often overlooked in the classic Captain America story, but they are explored here.

Of course, regardless of where she goes, Carter has a lot to get used to in this new world. Technology, music and food are just some of the things that are very different from what she remembers. Unfortunately for here, Hydra is still exactly the same from what she remembers.

The excitement surrounding this character has certainly created a buzz around this comic from fans who want so badly to see her in action. That’s not exactly what this first issue give us in the early going though as it mostly focuses on the political ramifications of her finding and what people would want her to become. However, just when you start to think things are moving to slow, they get a lot more interesting.

What’s so great about this story is that it fills in a gap that was pretty much left for us in Rogers’ story. Rather than being thrown right into the Avengers, this allows for a much more personal story for Carter as she tries to come to terms with the world in which she now lives. And it’s not just the habits of today’s young people she has to get used to. There’s also all the expectations that come with being the world’s first superhero.

There’s a very compelling story almost lying beneath the surface here as well. Right out of the ice, Carter has no shortage of people trying to pull her strings. With three governments fighting to bring her home, it’s clear a lot of people have plans for her. There are a lot of characters introduced in this first issue and it’s difficult to tell exactly who you can trust.

It is interesting though that this appears to be a different version of the character from the one we met in What If…?. You may remember, that character fought an interdimensional creature into a portal in her time and reemerged in ours. The character in this comic though followed the arc of Steve Rogers and found herself frozen for 80 years. Either way, it’s great to learn more about this character and we’ll have to see if there are any more connections to the version we met in the animated series.

You can check out “Captain Carter #1” now.

Mike Mack
Mack is the Editorial Director for Marvel and ESPN content and he has covered comic cons, theme park events, video game showcases and other fun events. He is a fan of theme parks, sports, movies, Marvel Comics and is a self-proclaimed "nerd."