I’m about to do a thread about #FalconAndTheWinterSoldier and I will be discussing stuff, though it’s not a review or specificly about the #FalconAndTheWinterSoldier I will however mention stuff that happens in the finale. So, feel free to mute me. #WinterSpoilers

Grab a drink and a snack, because I’m about to piss off a lot of white people.

It’s time we talk about Sharon Carter and why she’s as much of a representation of white supremacy as John Walker.

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A lot of folks are upset about the revelation that Sharon’s the Power Broker and even some theorize that she’s actually a Skrull.

While that could be true, Secret Wars is coming, I really hope it isn’t because it makes sense for her to be an amoral capitalist. #WinterSpoilers

Sharon is a spy and, as the niece of Peggy Carter, she was legacy agent at SHIELD. A fact fans constantly cite as the reason she can’t be a baddie, as if nothing connected to Peggy could ever be corrupted, like say SHEILD being infiltrated by HYDRA. #WinterSpoilers

Now, there is some canon clues to support Sharon being HYDRA (yes, all the way back to Winter Soldier) and not as a sleep agent like in the comic books, but even that would supports my reading of Sharon as embodying white women’s sense of entitlement. #WinterSpoilers

Hydra aside, it was Sharon’s attitude in Madeipoor that really got me thinking. I’m not saying she had no right to be resentful of the government, but she seemed just as pissy with Sam and Bucky for getting pardons. Though they got them for fighting Thanos. #WinterSpoilers

How she’s living in Madripoor says a lot about her and her choices. She’s thriving in a place that thrives on disparity and exploitation of marginalized people, not unlike America. Not unlike working for Shield or the CIA. #WinterSpoilers

Despite what she told Karli she’s not helping anyone. She’s not Robin Hood

“I don’t trust charity.” This speaks to broken trust, but it also it speaks to a world view based on transactions which means she doesn’t do anything for free, even the right thing.

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Like Walker, Sharon is what the government made her. What is a spy but a state sanctioned criminal? A stalker, thief, con artist, and sometimes assassin.

#WinterSpoilers https://twitter.com/fangirljeanne/status/1384330733292900356

Sharon isn’t going gray. She was always working for the bad guys, because America is the bad guy.

Who experimented on Isaiah Bradley? Who put him prison for 30 years?

Full credit to @FilmFatale_NYC for bringing this up on @Spectrum_Lounge. #WinterSpoilers

Since we’re talking about Isaiah, let’s talk about the serum made from his blood. In episode 3 the scientist who developed the serum said he was originally recruited by Hydra and when Shield fell the CIA took over the project. Who worked at Shield and the CIA? #WinterSpoilers

Let’s wander into the realm of theory to explore some possibilities. As I’ve said before I feel Winter Soldier made Hydra seem too cartoony. Though to be fair a bunch of fascists infiltrated American intelligence apparatuses wouldn’t actually be that difficult. #WinterSpoilers

When I rewatched the Cap movies, it struck me that Sharon’s actions/presence in Civil War served to widen the divide between Steve and Tony. That made me rethink her interactions and behavior in Winter Soldier. Could been an antagonist all along? #WinterSpoilers

Full disclosure, my actual first thought was “Did Sharon Carter kill Peggy Carter?

Remember, we’re in fan theory land. While this exact bit isn’t likely, Sharon working as an antagonist in Civil War is extremely possible, and may have original been in the film
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There’s a great video by @NandovMovies that details the canon evidence that Zemo wasn’t working alone and that Sharon’s actions all served to antagonize the conflict.

So I can focus on the why behind her actions.
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I see Sharon as a dark reflection of Natasha. All the same skills and pragmatism whose only real experience of adversity is not being a white man.

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Sharon not only lives with the pressure of being Peggy’s niece, though she claims she kept that secret, but she also benefits from a lot of privilege that might foster a sense of entitlement too. Something white women don’t examine much. #WinterSpoilers

I could see her doing what she does best, playing people. Being what they want/expect as it suits her needs. Maybe she played along with Hydra until it suited her to switch sides. Maybe she resented Rumlow because she’d tried to be Pierce’s second in command. #WinterSpoilers

When shield fell did she quit espionage like Steve and Nat? Nope. She went to work for the CIA.

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The CIA worked directly with Ross to push through the Sokovian accords. Now comes the really interesting questions. Who benefited the most from the bombing of the signing of the accords? Who got a super team to arrest and imprison enhance people? #WinterSpoilers

Civil War took place approx a year after AoU. That's a lot of time to write the accords, and to put chess pieces in place to ensure that they get superhero enforcers and get the resistant ones under lock and key in the Raft.

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I love Zemo but his Rube Goldberg plan really shouldn't have worked as well as it did. There outsider factors that kept it moving along. Sharon's speech at Peggy's funeral. The bomb getting through security at the UN. Pics of Bucky leaking to the press. #WinterSpoilers

Remember, according to #FalconAndTheWinterSoldier at this time the CIA was developing a super serum. Now, why do you suppose they were looking to regulate enhanced people while also trying to create more?

To make superheroes they could control.

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Knowing all this Sharon, who I suspect didn't get dusted but used the Blip to fake her death so she could evade prosecution or has been in deep cover this whole time still working for Ross, is just continuing that work that is now being led by Val. #Thunderbolts

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Honestly, this narrative feels not only true to how white women are complicit in upholding patriarchal systems of oppression, but it makes Sharon a more interesting character. I love the idea of the new era of MCU villains being women.

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Sharon has worked for corrupt assholes her entire career. Powerful people who lied, murdered, tortured, and manipulated the world to suit their needs. Shield, America, or Hydra. It's all the same. Why are we supposed to just assumes she has ever been good? #WinterSpoilers

Those are my thoughts on MCU Sharon Carter. Hope you enjoyed it. #WinterSpoilers

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PS This thread isn’t about the intent of the minds (Feige and the Russos) behind the MCU. Aside from my belief that @NandovMovies is right and they cut a subplot from Civil War, this just my perspective on why Sharon and women like her aren’t “good guys.”

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