Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for episode 3 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Sharon Carter isn’t the agent fans remember.
Actress Emily VanCamp has addressed her former SHIELD spy’s return in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and just what her character, Sharon Carter, is hoping to get out of helping Sam and Bucky.
The return of Sharon Carter
Debuting in Captain America The Winter Soldier, Sharon was an idealistic SHIELD agent aiding Steve fighting Hydra. In Civil War, Sharon turns out to be Peggy Carter’s great-niece and again helps Steve when he goes on the run.
The latest episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier reveals Sharon is now a bitter woman. Having been lost in “The Blip,” Sharon returns to a different world where Steve decided to stay in the past with Peggy.
While in Madripoor with the unlikely aid of Helmut Zemo, Sam and Bucky’s undercover operation at a criminal meeting goes wrong. They end up being saved by Sharon, but it’s not a happy reunion.
The new Sharon Carter in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Sharon is now a criminal handling stolen art, living in a posh mansion and mocking Sam on how “the hero thing is a joke.” She is clearly upset that she gave up her career to help Steve only for it to be for nothing, and while Sam, Bucky, and other Avengers got pardons for their actions, she is still on the run.
Bucky sums up how Sharon “is kind of awful now.”
Speaking to Variety, VanCamp discussed Sharon’s new attitude and how she found it keeping to the character.
What we do know is she sacrificed a tremendous amount for the cause. When she’s on the run, we don’t know where she’s been, but certainly, you can imagine there would be some sort of, you know, I mean — how do I put it? There’s quite a bit more edge to Sharon than we’ve ever seen. She’s not that wide-eyed young agent anymore. She’s a little rough around the edges.
Do we find out exactly what she’s had to do in order to be where she is now and survive? No. But we get a sense that it hasn’t always been easy and that the sacrifices she’s made weren’t always worth it in her mind. That was kind of cool to see that chip on her shoulder that we never really did see before.
VanCamp also noted the backlash to Sharon and Steve sharing a kiss in Civil War with, “I think we all were [surprised]. I mean, we certainly did our best. And I think one of the best things that came out of that scene, to be honest, with this amazing dynamic between Sam and Bucky.”
She added: “You really do get this glimpse into the Falcon and Winter Soldier buddy dynamic. You want to see more of that, and we get to see it, which is fantastic.”
Sharon’s future
The episode has Sharon showing she still has her skills in a fight with enemy soldiers. VanCamp explained how tricky it was balancing the stunt training with filming her Fox medical drama The Resident.
“We went through several different versions of how she fights now versus who she was as an agent. It’s fun to figure out how to give her that raw edge but also show that she’s a trained fighter.”
The actress was naturally mum on hints as to who the mysterious Power Broker could be but did share what she thinks Sharon’s ultimate goal and reason for helping Sam and Bucky is.
She wants to be pardoned. She’s been on the run. Enough is enough. She’s sacrificed enough. And — if I’m talking about reading the scripts in sequence — that’s her main goal, and rightfully so. She comes from this bloodline of agents and has this tremendous love for her life that she had, and now she’s stuck in this sort of pirate land, and doing things that she’s probably not really wanted to do.
So I think that’s her main goal, to get back to some semblance of the life that she had, if that’s even possible. I mean, that was my biggest take. This is her ticket. She sees [Sam and Bucky], and as much as in her mind there are many reasons that she would just want to lash out and ruin their lives, they’re also a ticket for her to get her life back. So that’s an interesting dynamic to see as well.”
Sharon Carter may be harsher for fans, but VanCamp’s words offer hope she may return to the crusading agent she once was.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier streaming new episodes every Friday on Disney+.