The first episode of What If...? was all about Peggy Carter becoming Captain Carter, and her story addressed the MCU's biggest crime against her.

The first episode of Marvel’s What If…? focused on Peggy Carter and what would have happened if she had received the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers, and through this, the show addressed the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest Peggy crime. After focusing on movies for over a decade and a failed attempt at an expansion to TV with Netflix’s Marvel shows and more, the MCU is now covering both movies and TV shows in its Phase 4. After kicking off with live-action shows like WandaVision, Loki, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the MCU is now exploring different stories in the animated series What If…?.

What If…? is an anthology series where each episode explores what would have happened if some of the biggest and most important events in the MCU happened differently – all it takes is for the characters to make one decision different from the one fans know. Episode one took viewers back to Captain America: The First Avenger, in an alternate universe where Steve Rogers didn’t get the Super Soldier Serum but Peggy Carter did, becoming Captain Carter while Steve was given the first Iron Man armor by Howard Stark, becoming the HYDRA Stomper. Of course, all this changes the rest of the MCU as fans know it, but it was also used to address some of this universe’s biggest flaws and crimes.

Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell, who also voiced the character in What If…?) was introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger and she’s a key character in the history of the MCU as she’s one of the co-founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., saved Abraham Erskine from Johann Schmidt, and her achievements allowed the SSR to start Project Rebirth and develop the Super Soldier Serum. Peggy returned in her own TV series titled Agent Carter and later in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a 90-year-old woman before she died off-screen in Captain America: Civil War. Peggy’s time in the MCU was brief, but it was marked by her having to fight to be heard in a male-dominated industry, which was addressed in her What If…? episode.

Peggy is one of the most beloved female characters (with no superpowers) in the MCU, but she’s also one of the most underrated ones and who deserved a lot more screen time than she got. During her time in the MCU, she fought for her voice to be heard and worked hard to earn a place in the army, the SSR, and beyond. In episode 1 of What If…?, as the focus was on Peggy, gender disparity was more evident than in Captain America: The First Avenger, and once she became Captain Carter, she told Steve that she no longer had to fight to be heard. In this timeline, Peggy became a respected figure of authority once she became Captain Carter, and her mentioning how she had to fight for relevance in a male-dominated world was a big moment in the MCU.

In the end, Peggy Carter earned a place in the history of the MCU in both timelines, though for different reasons, and in both, she had to work hard and fight to be heard. It’s unknown if Peggy will return in other episodes of What If…? (either as Peggy or Captain Carter) and if the timeline where she’s a Super Soldier will make it past the TV show, but at least the MCU's biggest crime against her has finally been addressed.

Next: Why The MCU Needs Peggy Carter's Captain Britain Movie