Parents' Guide to

Marvel's Agent Carter

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Strong female lead defies stereotypes in tantalizing series.

TV ABC Action 2015
Marvel's Agent Carter Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • Marvel's Agent Carter TV Show: Scene #1
  • Marvel's Agent Carter TV Show: Scene #2
  • Marvel's Agent Carter TV Show: Scene #3
  • Marvel's Agent Carter TV Show: Scene #4

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 11 parent reviews

momtofivekids
momtofivekids Adult
October 11, 2020
age 18+

Extremely Violent

My husband and I watched the first season, and though we enjoyed the storyline overall, the violence was over the top, grotesque, and creepy at times. Young girls are trained to kill and you see a girl strangle another girl in training - the screen goes black right as she twists her neck to kill her and you just barely hear it. A man gets drilled in the face/head with a dentist drill. A man gets his leg sawed off and you barely see it but you hear it. A mass of people turn on each other and violently kill each other - they show the dead bodies at the end with teeth marks and one has hair in his hands that he pulled from someone's head. These are the worst things, and we actually turned the screen because we didn't want to watch it. I would never let my children watch this.

This title has:

Too much violence
2 people found this helpful.
lus
lus Adult
March 10, 2022
age 17+

Disturbing scenes and too much violence in the series

Common sense fails!! This series is very interesting but is very violent. I am very sensitive to violence/disturbing images It is not like the other UCM movies They should have rated R this series Parents beware!!! Sensitive people beware. R rated material. I don't mind much about swearing, there is not much, but about disturbing violent imagery

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
See all 11 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Set in 1946, MARVEL'S AGENT CARTER follows Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), a brilliant operative for the Strategic Scientific Reserve whose skills go mostly unutilized now that the men have returned to work following the end of World War II. Feeling expendable and pining for the kind of action she saw during the war, Peggy also is still grieving the loss of her love, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. So when Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) shows up to ask her for help in clearing him of traitor charges, she jumps at the chance to go undercover for her old friend. With the help of Stark's devoted butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D'Arcy), Peggy infiltrates a hidden market of weapons development, facing traitor allegations herself if she's ever caught. But as she follows the clues, she begins to wonder whether her old acquaintance is being entirely honest with her.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (11):
Kids say (43):

This series' best-selling point by far is the character of Peggy Carter, who in Atwell's hands is as able as a solo act as she ever was at Captain America's side. Marvel's Agent Carter brings a couple of supporting characters from the Captain America stories to the forefront in Carter and Howard Stark. Obviously this will appeal to Marvel's faithful fan base most of all, but the efficiently written series gives just enough backstory to bring newbies up to speed in no time flat, inviting a wide pool of viewers and setting the scene for a scintillating action series. And speaking of action, there are plenty of sequences that involve explosions, shoot-outs, and some hand-to-hand fighting, but Peggy often heads off others with her considerable brains rather than her brawn. There also are some laughs, mostly at the hands of the mild-mannered butler-turned-spy-associate, Jarvis.

But the series' best-selling point by far is Peggy herself, who in Atwell's hands is as able as a solo act as she ever was at Captain America's side. Marvel does itself a real service by letting this beautiful, clever, self-reliant female operative crush the gender stereotypes of the time, even if it does come at the expense of a somewhat naive male clientele that's overly susceptible to her guile. What's more, as opposed to many of Marvel's heroes, she's remarkably normal, having no "super" qualities other than her intellect, courage, and determination, making her an even more likable female lead.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about female role models in movies and on TV. Who are some of your favorites? How does Marvel's Agent Carter's Peggy fit in among that group? How are their admirable qualities different from those of their male counterparts? Is this distinction a good thing?

  • What are Peggy's motivations for what she does? Do good motivations always excuse breaking rules? How do you think she'd react if she was double-crossed by those she trusts?

  • How does the violence in this series compare to that in the Captain America (and other superhero) movies? Does the fact that Peggy is a woman account for some of the change? Is violence ever the appropriate response to conflict?

  • How do the characters in Marvel's Agent Carter demonstrate courage? Why is this an important character strength?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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