Sharon Carter made her debut in the heart of the Silver Age, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #75 in March 1966. She was co-created by the legendary Marvel architects Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, with artist Dick Ayers also contributing. Her creation was a direct product of the era's cultural zeitgeist. The 1960s were dominated by the “spy-fi” genre, popularized by James Bond, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and The Avengers (the British spy series, not the superhero team). S.H.I.E.L.D. was Marvel's answer to this trend, and Sharon Carter, codenamed Agent 13, was conceived as a capable, front-line operative within that world.
Initially, she was introduced as the younger sister of peggy_carter, Captain America's lost love from World War II. This created an immediate and poignant romantic tension, positioning Sharon as a living link to Steve Rogers' past while representing a new future. This familial connection, however, would later be the subject of a significant retcon. As the sliding timescale of the Marvel Universe advanced, it became implausible for Peggy to have a younger sister of Sharon's age. The continuity was later adjusted to establish Sharon as Peggy Carter's grand-niece, a change that has been adopted by most modern interpretations, including the MCU. This alteration preserved the crucial legacy connection while making more logical sense within the ever-expanding timeline.
The origin of Sharon Carter is a tale of legacy, duty, and the immense pressure of living up to a legendary name. While the core elements remain similar across continuities, the specifics of her journey and the ultimate destination of her character diverge dramatically between the comics and the cinematic universe.
In the prime Marvel comic continuity, Sharon Carter grew up idolizing her great-aunt, Peggy Carter, a celebrated hero of the French Resistance and a foundational agent of what would become S.H.I.E.L.D. Inspired by Peggy's stories of adventure and heroism alongside Captain America, Sharon was determined to follow in her footsteps. She joined the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D., and quickly proved herself to be one of its most promising recruits. She excelled in all areas of espionage: infiltration, marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and tactical analysis. Her path inevitably crossed with Steve Rogers. Her uncanny resemblance to Peggy, combined with her own formidable skills and unwavering moral code, drew Captain America to her. They became partners in the field and, eventually, romantically involved. Operating under the codename Agent 13, Sharon fought alongside Captain America against threats like Batroc the Leaper, the subversive organization Hydra, and the machinations of the Red Skull. Their relationship was a cornerstone of Captain America's life in the modern era, grounding him and giving him a profound personal connection outside of the Avengers. Tragedy struck during a mission involving the National Force, a white supremacist group led by the manipulative Doctor Faustus. Sharon was seemingly incinerated by a self-destruct sequence while under Faustus's mental control. Steve Rogers and the world believed her dead for years, a loss that deeply scarred him. However, this was a ruse. S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury had faked her death, sending her on a deep-cover solo mission behind enemy lines. This long, isolating assignment fundamentally changed her. When she finally returned, she was no longer the optimistic agent Steve had known. She was a hardened, cynical, and pragmatic operative, bearing the psychological scars of her solitary war. Her reunion with Steve was fraught with the complexities of her trauma and the time they had lost, but their bond ultimately endured, and they resumed their partnership, now as equals forged in fire. This transformation from idealistic sidekick to a hardened, independent force is the defining arc of her comic book origin.
The MCU introduces Sharon Carter in a more clandestine fashion. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, she is first known only as Kate, Steve Rogers' friendly next-door neighbor who works as a nurse. This persona is a cover for her true identity: Agent 13 of S.H.I.E.L.D., assigned by Nick Fury to protect Captain America. When Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. is revealed and the agency collapses, Sharon proves her loyalty by fighting against Hydra agents, including Brock Rumlow (Crossbones), at the Triskelion.
Following S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fall, she joins the CIA. In Captain America: Civil War, she reconnects with Steve Rogers, revealing that she is Peggy Carter's great-niece. This reveal provides context for her admiration of Captain America and her commitment to his ideals. She proves to be a crucial ally, risking her career and freedom by illegally returning Captain America's shield and the Falcon's wings to aid his fight against the Sokovia Accords. This act of defiance, which she states is what Peggy would have done, culminates in a brief kiss with Steve before he goes on the run.
This is the critical turning point where her MCU origin diverges catastrophically from the comics. For her actions, Sharon is branded an enemy of the state and forced to become a fugitive. Unlike Steve and his team, who had the support of a network of allies, Sharon was seemingly left to fend for herself. As revealed in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, this betrayal and abandonment curdled her idealism into pure cynicism. She relocated to the lawless city-state of Madripoor and, using her skills and contacts, clawed her way to the top of the criminal underworld. She became the Power Broker, a shadowy figure who deals in stolen art, advanced technology, and super-soldiers. By the time she re-enters the lives of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, she is a ruthless, manipulative, and powerful crime lord, a stark and tragic departure from the hero she was destined to be. Her origin in the MCU is not one of heroic hardening, but of a hero's complete and bitter collapse into villainy.
While sharing a foundation as a non-super-powered human operative, the full scope of Sharon Carter's capabilities and personality showcase the vast differences between her two primary incarnations.
Sharon's abilities are the result of reaching the absolute pinnacle of human potential through rigorous, lifelong training with S.H.I.E.L.D.
As a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Sharon has access to some of the most advanced technology on the planet.
Sharon Carter of Earth-616 is defined by a resilient idealism tempered by deep-seated trauma. She is fiercely loyal to her ideals and to the people she cares about, particularly Steve Rogers. However, her experiences—believed dead for years, brainwashed into killing the man she loved—have left her with a pragmatic, sometimes ruthless, edge. She is no-nonsense, incredibly tough, and carries a weight that few can understand. Despite her cynicism, her core heroic nature always wins out. She is a soldier and a spy who has seen the worst of humanity but continues to fight for its best.
The MCU's Sharon Carter displays a skill set consistent with a top-tier agent, which she later parlays into her criminal enterprise.
Her equipment reflects her journey from government agent to criminal kingpin.
The personality of the MCU's Sharon Carter is a study in tragic transformation. Initially, she embodies the principled, loyal, and brave agent who mirrors Steve Rogers' own values. She is willing to risk everything for what is right. However, after being disavowed and abandoned following Civil War, her personality undergoes a complete inversion. She becomes bitter, cynical, and deeply resentful of the heroes and the system that cast her aside. As the Power Broker, she is pragmatic to the point of being ruthless, driven by a desire for power, control, and security. The idealism is gone, replaced by a cold, transactional worldview. Her willingness to play the long game, deceiving even Sam Wilson to secure a pardon and a position back inside the U.S. government, reveals a level of duplicity and ambition that makes her one of the most complex and morally ambiguous characters in the current MCU.
This is arguably the most significant storyline in Sharon Carter's history. Following the superhero Civil War, Steve Rogers surrenders to the authorities. As he is being led up the courthouse steps, he is shot by a sniper (Crossbones) and then, amidst the chaos, shot three more times at point-blank range and killed. The world is horrified to discover the assassin is Sharon Carter. The story reveals the depths of the Red Skull's and Doctor Faustus's plan. They had captured and brainwashed Sharon, implanting hypnotic suggestions in her mind. Faustus used a combination of drugs and psychic manipulation to make her a sleeper agent. When the time was right, they triggered her programming, and she carried out the assassination without any conscious control over her actions. The subsequent arc follows Sharon on the run, grappling with fragmented memories of the event and immense guilt. She works with the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes, to uncover the conspiracy, clear her name, and ultimately rescue the “real” Steve Rogers, whose consciousness was trapped in a fixed point in time by the villains. This event tested her to her absolute limit and cemented her status as one of the most tragic and resilient characters in Captain America's world.
Sharon's role in the Civil War event highlights her unwavering loyalty to Steve Rogers' principles. In the Earth-616 comic storyline, she immediately and unequivocally sides with Captain America's anti-Registration faction. As a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, this puts her in direct opposition to her employers and the law, but she believes passionately that the Superhuman Registration Act is a violation of civil liberties. She serves as a key intelligence operative for the Secret Avengers, coordinating their movements and feeding them information.
In the MCU film Captain America: Civil War, her role is smaller but no less pivotal. She is not a combatant in the core conflict, but she uses her position within the CIA to provide Steve with critical intelligence on the Winter Soldier's location and the conspiracy orchestrated by Zemo. Her most significant act is illegally providing Captain America and Falcon with their confiscated gear, an act of open defiance against 117 nations. This single decision, born of her belief in Steve, is the catalyst for her downfall, forcing her into a life on the run and directly leading to her transformation into the Power Broker.
This Disney+ series marks the dramatic re-introduction of Sharon Carter to the MCU after years of being a fugitive. She is found living a lavish but dangerous life in Madripoor, now a black market art dealer with extensive underworld connections. She aids Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in their search for the origins of a new Super-Soldier Serum, using her resources to protect them and guide them through the city's criminal landscape. Throughout the series, she maintains the facade of a jaded but ultimately helpful ally. The series finale delivers a shocking twist: Sharon Carter is, and has been all along, the Power Broker. She was the one who funded the research to recreate the serum and who was hunting down Karli Morgenthau and the Flag Smashers for betraying her. In the final act, she kills Karli to protect her secret and is subsequently granted a full pardon by the U.S. government, who also offer her a position back in her old division. In a post-credit scene, she makes a call to an unknown contact, gleefully announcing that while the “super soldiers are off the board,” she is about to have full access to government secrets, weapons, and prototypes, ready to sell to the highest bidder. This storyline completely redefines her character in the MCU, turning a fallen hero into an active, high-level antagonist operating from within the system.
Marvel Avengers Academy, a teenage version of Sharon Carter is enrolled at the academy. She is depicted as a bubbly and enthusiastic spy-in-training, eager to live up to the legacy of her great-aunt Peggy.Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.