A ferocious female character who’s strong, smart, and interesting is what makes Marvel’s “Agent Carter” a must see show. Hayley Atwell plays Agent Peggy Carter, who worked alongside and fell in love with Captain America during World War II. Now the war is over and Captain America is MIA and Carter has to figure out how to navigate her life.

Carter works as an agent for the SSR (Strategic Scientific Research), but her male counterparts treat her like a secretary asking her to clean, take lunch orders, and file paperwork. This all changes when her old friend Howard Stark (Tony Stark aka Iron Man’s dad) acts for help to clear his name. This request leads to action, double crossing, friendships, deaths, and many chances for Carter to kick some serious butt. Other key characters include Edwin Jarvis (played by James D’ Arcy), Stark’s hilariously British butler and Carter’s admirably noble partner. Carter’s good friend and plucky diner waiter, Angie Martinelli, is played by Lyndsy Fonseca. The most important of Carter’s co-workers are Agent Thomas and Agent Sousa, played by Chad Michael Murray and Enver Gjokaj respectively. Thomas is a very capable agent who’s getting close to finding out what Carter’s up to. Sousa is also capable and the only agent who treats Carter with respect because he too is vastly underestimated because of his disability. Many of Sousa’s fellow agents believe that just because he requires a cane to get around he can’t keep up with the bad guys, which is extremely untrue.

Atwell does a great job portraying Carter as fierce and always ready to throw it down, but still very compassionate. Equally important is her fight choreography. Usually female heroes fight with speed and grace in a style that’s inherently feminine, whereas Peggy is more hit him in the head with a pipe and smash his face into a wall. She’s a superb fighter, but she’s more aggressive, and there’s nothing acrobatic in the way she throws down. Atwell nails this essential aspect of Carter. James D’ arcy is equally impressive. He plays up Jarvis’ quirks enough to get a few laughs, but not enough to seem over the top. He also manages to transition smoothly from Jarvis’ humorous scenes to the more serious ones.

This show is especially important because it’s the first female-led project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Reception to this show could determine whether or not Marvel makes more female-led projects or stick to the all male heroes thing they seem so fond of.

The show is funny, smart, and interesting and enough action and quips to keep you thoroughly engaged. The characters are strong and intriguing and played by wonderful actors. If this is what Marvel has in store the future definitely looks bright. Agent Carter airs on ABC at 8 p.m. every Tuesday and all aired episodes can be found on Hulu and ABC.go.com and is well worth watching.

Sienna Mata