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What If… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger? | Transcript

When Steve Rogers is seriously injured, Peggy Carter becomes the world's first super soldier.
What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?

Season 1 Episode 1
Original release date: August 11, 2021

During World War II, Steve Rogers is chosen to become the world’s first super-soldier, but is wounded by a Hydra spy before he can receive the super-soldier serum. SSR agent Peggy Carter kills the spy and receives the serum instead. She is enhanced but banned from combat by SSR leader John Flynn. After she takes the Tesseract from Hydra with a vibranium shield created by inventor Howard Stark, Flynn reluctantly promotes her to the combat role of “Captain Carter”. Stark uses the Tesseract to create a weaponized, armored suit for Rogers to pilot as the “Hydra Stomper”. Carter and Rogers fight many battles until he goes missing while attacking a Hydra train. Carter and her allies find Rogers when they infiltrate a Hydra base and see Red Skull using the Tesseract to open a portal and summon an interdimensional creature, which kills him. Carter enters the closing portal to force the creature back. Almost 70 years later, the Tesseract opens another portal from which Carter emerges, meeting Nick Fury and Clint Barton.

* * *

WATCHER: Time.

Space.

Reality.

It’s more than a linear path.

It’s a prism of endless possibility,

where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities,

creating alternate worlds from the ones you know.

I am the Watcher.

I am your guide through these vast new realities.

Follow me and ponder the question…

“What if?”

Earth, June, 1943.

The Nazi army marches across Europe, leaving death and destruction.

The Allied armies band together to create a new kind of soldier.

A Super Soldier.

At humanity’s darkest hour,

a skinny kid from Brooklyn became Captain America.

After turning the tide of World War II,

he made the ultimate sacrifice, restoring peace and saving this universe.

But in another universe, a single choice created a whole new hero.

All this to make one Super Soldier.

Paris has fallen. London might be next.

If this works, you could end the war.

We mere mortals can only dream of doing such things.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Agent Carter, wouldn’t you be more comfortable in the booth?

No, I’d prefer to stay.

WATCHER: There.

That’s the moment that created a new universe.

When asked to leave the room, Margaret “Peggy” Carter chose to stay.

But soon it would be her venturing into the unknown and creating a new world.

The serum will cause immediate cellular change.

In order to prevent uncontrolled growth,

the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays.

(GRUNTS)

No!

(GUNSHOT FIRES)

(EXCLAIMS)

(GRUNTS)

Steve! Eyes on me. Focus on me.

(GROANS)

HOWARD: Power levels are dropping.

We either do this now, or we lose the project.

Rogers, get in there!

He can’t!

Stark, you go in.

What? Are you crazy? I push the buttons.

I’m the buttons guy.

FLYNN: Get in there!

HOWARD: Tech and bullets don’t mix. We’ll lose everything. It has to be now!

FLYNN: Do you know how much this cost?

HOWARD: We won’t get another shot at this.

Hang on. I’ll be right back.

I’m not goin’ anywhere.

Howard, get ready.

Agent Carter.

What are you doing?

Agent Carter, what are you doing?

This is our only chance. Now!

Stark, don’t do this.

(GRUNTS)

(WHIRRING)

(RUMBLING)

(WHIRRING SLOWS)

(WHIRRING STOPS)

Did it work?

And then some.

You won’t be needing those heels anymore.

Peggy? Wow.

I’d call this an absolute success.

What an absolute failure!

Sixty million dollars and all the hope in the world down the drain.

I was promised an army.

I was promised peace and salvation.

Instead, I get a girl.

I understand this is not the desired outcome,

but I can be more than a human pin cushion.

The SSR is under my command now.

Be grateful you’re here and not being brought up on charges of insubordination.

We were about to lose the entire project.

If I hadn’t stepped in…

FLYNN: Well, we did.

Every last drop of that Dr. Erskine serum went into you.

And if we get lucky,

someday your blood might tell us how to make a real Super Soldier.

You have a Super Soldier.

Women aren’t soldiers, and they sure as hell don’t fight on the front lines.

They might break a nail.

(PEGGY GRUNTING)

Nice left hook.

Not according to Colonel Flynn, that weapons-grade moron!

If only I was allowed to do that to Hitler’s head.

It could be worse.

Flynn could stick you on one of those USO tours.

Wear a crazy costume, being told to smile ten times a day.

He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. Could he?

(FOOTSTEPS MARCHING)

MAN: March!

Bucky.

It’s a buddy of mine from Brooklyn.

He just deployed with the 107th.

The army won’t even tell me where he’s going.

We all have someone fighting for us.

Would be nice if we could fight for them.

I’m sorry.

You were meant to be the one to end the war.

Now you will.

And don’t worry about me. I never was much of a dancer anyway.

Maybe you haven’t found the right partner.

(SOLDIERS SHOUTING)

Tønsberg, Norway. A real Christmas card of a town.

Well, it was.

Nazis were in Norway?

Close. HYDRA. Hitler’s very own Supernatural Sciences Division.

Given the gamma signatures from that clock tower,

what they were looking for could power London.

Or blow it to kingdom come inside 60 seconds.

The Tesseract was the jewel of Odin’s treasure room.

Fabled to hold the power to rewrite the very laws of physics

and unlock doors across the universe.

What you seek is just a legend.

Then why do you try so hard to hide it?

(GUNSHOTS FIRING)

PEGGY: It’s called the Tesseract.

FLYNN: That thing must be halfway to Berlin by now.

More like two-thirds. But we have a chance.

If we send a team tonight, we can get…

You’re out of your mind.

I could go.

Great, now you’re both crazy. Fantastic.

Now I have two crazy people running around the place.

Thirty men, max. If this reaches HYDRA High Command, it’s game over.

I’m not risking one man, never mind a platoon, over a glorified battery.

The greatest minds alive…

And Stark is one of them.

It’s not your concern. You’re lucky to be here.

The greatest minds alive can’t fathom the extent of this battery’s power.

Good. Who knows, maybe the war will be over

before HYDRA figures out how to turn the damn thing on.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Drowning your troubles?

I thought you Brits were resilient.

Just the men, apparently.

Can I give you a piece of advice?

(SIGHS) I’d rather you didn’t.

Flynn’s a moron. Lucky for you, I’m a genius.

What’s this?

It was supposed to be your USO

“let’s go sell some war bonds” costume, but I made a few upgrades.

Your covert skills need work.

Then this is gonna be awkward.

(METAL THUDS)

(EXCLAIMS)

(SPEAKING GERMAN)

(ENGINE REVS)

(IN ENGLISH) That was brilliant! Let’s give it another go.

(SCREAMING)

(SOLDIERS EXCLAIM)

(CHUCKLES) Are you seeing this?

(EXCLAIMS) I’m usually a bit more covert.

(SOLDIERS SPEAKING GERMAN)

(SOLDIERS GROANING)

(GUNSHOTS FIRING)

(SOLDIER EXCLAIMS)

Where have you been all my life?

GERMAN OFFICER: The Allies must be desperate,

sending in a fragile Fräulein to fight for them.

“Fragile”?

(SCREAMS)

(GROANS)

(EXCLAIMS)

(SWEARS IN GERMAN)

(IN ENGLISH) Exactly.

(GASPS)

The war’s out there, Colonel, not in here.

If we’re going to win, it won’t be with me stuck behind a desk.

Is this nuclear?

PEGGY: Are you listening?

You’re an agent, you’re not qualified for field duty.

Then you better promote me.

“Captain” has a nice ring to it. I trust you know what to do with that.

Oh, I know exactly what to do with this.

Ready to join the war effort, Steve?

PEGGY: The last intel report said the 107th hit enemy fire here.

If your friend was taken prisoner by HYDRA…

Bucky’s unit is now 50 kilometers behind the front line.

I can’t ask you to go.

You’re not asking. He’s your friend.

The best one I got.

Even better.

To take down HYDRA, we’ll need all the friends we can get.

I owe you one.

PEGGY: You owe me more than that.

You owe me a dance.

This is nice. You mind if I have a go?

(GROANS)

(ENGINE REVS)

(TIRES SCREECH)

(SOLDIERS GRUNT)

(SPEAKING GERMAN)

(SOLDIER GRUNTS)

(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)

SOLDIER: The Fräulein!

(SOLDIER GRUNTS)

Since when did dames fight like that?

(GROANING)

Since today. Understood.

Are you the 107th? I’m here for Sergeant Barnes.

Who are you supposed to be, Queen of England?

Steve Rogers sent me. The name’s Captain Carter.

Air support. Send air support.

ROGERS: Copy that. Rogers inbound.

Steve?

Rogers?

What in heavens?

Steve!

ROGERS: Hey, Peggy! Now you owe me one.

Hold on a second. She’s friends with that HYDRA Stomper?

I think I’m friends with him, too.

Stark made me some new dancing shoes. What do you think?

Well, then we better start dancing.

(SOLDIER SHOUTS IN GERMAN)

Hold on. You can’t even drive a car.

So, a dame and a flying Buick. Okay.

Let’s hear it for Captain Carter!

(ALL CHEERING)

Save the cheers for the victory parade.

We have a war to win.

(TRUMPET MUSIC PLAYING)

We’re all very proud. Especially me, Mr. President.

I’ve always said that Peggy is a real knockout.

It’s called the HYDRA Stomper. Yes, Mr. President.

Yes, sir, I told Stark to build it myself.

(MAN SPEAKING GERMAN)

GERMAN GENERAL: (IN ENGLISH) Captain Carter and this

so-called HYDRA Stomper are wreaking havoc.

The Führer demands your presence in Berlin!

“Demands”? “Demands,” does he?

But a god does not answer to a man.

“A god”? You? (SCOFFS)

You lost the Tesseract, and now you play with metal trinkets.

I would not expect a creature of your limited capacity to understand.

Soon, the true champion of HYDRA shall be summoned from beyond the stars.

My champion.

Yours? How dare…

(GUNSHOT)

(GROANS)

(GASPS)

The Third Reich.

The Third Reich will fall and HYDRA will rise from its ashes.

Hail HYDRA! Hail HYDRA! Hail HYDRA! Hail HYDRA!

Oh… I miss a good whisky.

But the serum doesn’t allow me to feel the effects.

Okay. Okay, I gotta ask. How did it feel?

What, to get the serum? Honest truth, not as different as you might think.

Wow. You’ve always been a fighter.

In a way, the outside finally matches the inside.

The way people view me has changed.

I’m no longer screaming to be heard, to be seen, to be in the room.

To be respected.

Must be nice.

I’m still that skinny kid from Brooklyn, now just in a big metal suit.

You’re more than the suit. The suit is nothing without the man inside.

You’re my hero, Steve. I mean, you’re a hero.

(CHUCKLES)

Hmm.

You’re my hero, too.

Hey, Barnes stole a jeep.

(HORN HONKS)

Come on, Steve, let’s go. You, too, Carter.

Whoa. Hey, what’s going on?

Oh, no, no, no. No, you continue. Just pretend I’m not here.

If our intel is correct and the Red Skull,

the very head of HYDRA, is on that train…

We can end the war? Yeah, I’ve heard that one before.

Something about this smells as fresh as three-day-old fish.

Or maybe you’re just afraid of trains.

I’m in position.

PEGGY: Copy. Time to make our entrance.

Commencing Operation “Where Eagles Dare.”

(EXCLAIMING)

Whew. Thanks. You almost ripped my arm off.

Rogers, what’s your status? Do you see the Red Skull?

I’ve got a visual, but…

I’ll take a closer look.

Copy that.

Hey, don’t forget to knock.

(BEEPING)

Oh, no. Peggy, go! Get out of…

(EXPLOSION)

Steve!

(RUMBLING)

Peggy, we gotta go.

Steve!

Steve!

FLYNN: You said that glowing ice cube

could rewrite the laws of physics.

HOWARD: It can!

You said the HYDRA Stomper was indestructible.

It is! Was.

His name is Steve Rogers, not “the HYDRA Stomper.”

Steve. And we’ve lost…

FLYNN: She should never have been in the field in the first place.

Ah. Fräulein Carter.

I was wondering when you might visit me.

You’re wasting your time. I will tell you nothing!

He told me everything.

According to our German guest,

Red Skull believes he can unleash an interdimensional force

that will lead HYDRA to world domination.

And if that fails, world annihilation.

Talk about being a few sardines short of a can.

The Red Skull has taken cover here, at Castle de Krake in the Black Forest.

No wonder HYDRA targeted Rogers. You’d need the Stomper to get close.

Colonel, you’re lucky to even be in the room.

The Red Skull wants to destroy our world.

In many ways, he already has.

I say, we return the favor.

I say, we burn that castle to the ground.

But if we do this, know that we might not succeed in ending the war,

we might not survive, but we will stop HYDRA.

I’m in. For Steve.

Yes.

Let’s do it.

For Rogers.

Oh. I’m not a… You know…

Come on, Howard. We might need someone to push a button.

(SOLDIERS GRUNTING)

(SPEAKING GERMAN)

Well, that was fun.

Now comes the hard part.

You go high, I go low?

We’ll shake hands in the middle.

Howard?

Yep. Coming. (SIGHS)

(GUNSHOTS FIRING)

Hey, which way are we going?

That way.

Should we not have a plan?

Who needs a plan? I have a shield.

A shield is not a plan. Oh, Carter…

(LAUGHS MALICIOUSLY) The champion of HYDRA has risen.

What the bloody hell?

Monsters? No one prepared me for actual monsters.

You are too late, Captain Carter.

I have summoned the champion of H…

(SCREAMS)

Whoa!

Okay, maybe we need a plan.

Stark was right. Indestructible.

(ROGERS GROANS)

Steve! Steve. Come on, pal, don’t give up on me.

Hey, I need a hand! Come on, help me get him out of here!

No. You gotta get me in the suit.

The generator should give it enough power.

Yeah, but for how long?

Long enough.

Maybe. Punch it.

I’m up for anything, but this is crazy.

Yeah, so is Steve Rogers.

You okay?

ROGERS: Yep.

Good, because we don’t have all day.

ROGERS: Now, where’s Peggy?

She drew the high card.

(SCREAMS)

Its tentacles appear to be growing.

At the rate it’s spreading, it could devour Europe.

If I can get to the controls,

I can transpose the ingress and do science stuff.

You mean transpose the polarity and reverse the suction?

Being the genius is my thing.

(HOWARD SCREAMS)

Show-off. Come on, come on, speak to me, baby.

And everything’s in German. Great.

Well, figure it out.

(GROANS)

Red, green, blue… Who paints a button blue?

Don’t tell me the American playboy needs help pushing buttons.

Hedy Lamarr and I spent a weekend together,

but she wasn’t teaching me German!

Steve?

Did you miss me?

Every second.

I told you it was indestructible.

You were saying, Howard?

Oh, wow. Who ordered the calamari?

(ROARING)

(SCREAMING)

Steve!

ROGERS: On it!

Go get ’em, Steve!

I can’t close it! This thing is holding it open!

Then I’ll push it back to hell!

(PEGGY YELLING)

(GROANS)

ROGERS: Peggy!

No, no, no!

Peggy, no!

I have to. I can end this.

You owe me a dance lesson.

Yes, Saturday night.

(GRUNTS)

(GASPS)

FURY: Ma’am.

(PEGGY GRUNTS)

Please, put down the sword.

Uh, sir? That’s Captain Carter.

Where’s Steve Rogers?

The war ended almost 70 years ago.

FURY: You going to be okay?

Of course.

We won the war.

WATCHER: Her one choice gave birth to a whole new history

and gave the multiverse a new hero.

As for me, these are my stories.

I observe all that transpires here, but I do not, cannot, will not interfere.

For I am…

the Watcher.

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