Who Plays Peggy Carter In The MCU & Which Star Trek Actress Was Rumored For The Part?

Fans know Peggy Carter as the love interest of Captain America (Chris Evans) and one of the MCU's most effective and dangerous agents of the Strategic Scientific Reserve before becoming a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. After witnessing her work in several titles, some might wonder which talented Hollywood star was responsible for portraying the Marvel spy and which "Star Trek" actor allegedly almost beat her out for the role.

In the MCU, Peggy Carter made her first appearance in "Captain America: The First Avenger." Later, the former MI6 agent would also show up in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," "Ant-Man," and "Avengers: Endgame." Carter dies in "Captain America: Civil War" off-screen, but her funeral was shown. In addition, she appears as Captain Carter, a variant of the character in "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness" and the "What If...?" series. The actor chosen to play her was Hayley Atwell, who also appeared in "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter" and starred in two seasons of her own show, "Agent Carter." Atwell is also known for "The Duchess," "The Sweeney," "Black Mirror," and "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One."

But some might not realize that when it came time to cast the role, Atwell wasn't the only one rumored to be in the running, as a report from E! Online citing a "well-placed source" suggests that Alice Eve was also being considered for the part. While Eve did not secure the Peggy Carter gig, she did go on to make her presence known in the "Star Trek" franchise, which led to a bit of controversy after "Into Darkness" was released.

Alice Eve may not have Peggy Carter on her resume, but she has added several impressive titles to her body of work over the years. The actor has been in movies like "She's Out of My League," "Men in Black 3," and "Bombshell." Her time on the small screen includes shows like "Black Mirror," "Entourage," and "Belgravia." She even eventually received a Marvel role as Mary Walker in the series "Iron Fist." But a strong contender for one of her biggest claims to fame is her role as Carol Marcus in "Star Trek: Into Darkness," which happens to feature a particular scene she was in that has not aged well by some fans' standards. 

The part occurs in the film when Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) walks in on Carol in a state of undress, leaving little to the imagination. The revealing affair received backlash from fans to the point where writer and producer Damon Lindelof offered an apology. But Eve doesn't understand people's problems with her barely-clothed close encounter with Kirk, and she is proud of her work on "Star Trek: Into Darkness." "There are many things in the world that are confusing," the actor said. "I put it down to one of those anomalies. I'm proud of that scene, and all the work I did." 

Eve clearly doesn't regret her steamy "Star Trek" scene and has made it clear that she isn't going to be ashamed of doing her job, even if it makes people focusing on one NSFW moment a little uncomfortable. The dedication she has been known to showcase for her craft arguably makes a strong case that if the rumors are true, she was a solid candidate for Peggy Carter.