“AGENT CARTER”: FANS AND ROMANCE
When “AGENT CARTER” first aired last year, some fans were speculating on who would become Peggy Carter’s future husband. After all, 2014′s “CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER” revealed that by 1953, she was married and had kids. Fans were wondering on whether Daniel Sousa or Jack Thompson would end up as her future husband. But when the character of Dr. Jason Wilkes was introduced as a potential romantic interest for Peggy in Season Two, the reaction among the show’s fandom became WEIRD.
First of all, there were the fans who screamed holy terror, complaining about how the show included a love triangle arc in the first place. They felt this story arc was sexist and an insult to Peggy’s character. I noticed that most of these fans were major supporters of a relationship between Peggy and her New York roommate, Angie Martinelli. I could not help but wonder … if Peggy had been in a love triangle with Angie and another woman, would they be making the same complaints?
I also noticed that many fans reacted to Jason Wilkes in a similar manner as Daniel Sousa. They either dismissed him and pretended that he did not exist. Some tried to focus on any negative traits he might possess – in an effort to indicate that he was unworthy of Agent Carter or a villain. In fact, the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki page for Jason had this to say about his relationship with Peggy:
“This ambition extended into his personal life as well by manipulating a way to have a date with Peggy Carter, though she initially refused to go out with him.”
Way to go, MCU Wiki for dismissing Jason’s feelings for Peggy as mere manipulative ambition. But most of the fans became increasingly fervent … almost rabid in their support of a Peggy/Sousa relationship.
Considering that Jason is an African-American character, I found these reactions rather … well, WEIRD. Dare I say racist? Because right now, I am beginning to wonder. I would not have minded a romantic triangle on this show. But the fan reaction to Dr. Jason Wilkes and his role in Peggy Carter’s life in Season Two seemed to have left an ugly taint in my regard for this show and the latter’s fandom.
Filed under: Essay | Tagged: agent carter, agents of shield, blair underwood, captain america, chad murray hill, early 20th century, enver gjokaj, hayley atwell, henry simmons, krysten ritter, lyndsy fonseca, marvel, mid 20th century, mike colter, ming-na wen, movies, natalia cordova-buckley, politics, reggie austin, television | Leave a comment »
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