Sharon Carter' MCU Story Should Extend Beyond Avengers 4

With Avengers: Infinity War being the culmination of 10 years of storytelling from Marvel Studios, focus was on Thanos and his assembly of all six Infinity Stones. Basically, everything built to this showdown, with the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther's forces in Wakanda and Doctor Strange, among the many sprawled across the universe to thwart the Mad Titan.

Due to the Russo brothers having such a huge cast, it's no surprise certain plot beats previously set up, as well as characters, would fall by the wayside. One of the more noticeably absent heroes was Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter, the love interest of Steve Rogers as of Civil War. While some romances were touched on -- Wanda Maximoff and Vision, and even Bruce Banner and Black Widow -- Sharon's didn't make the final cut because, well, there wasn't room for her and Steve's story.

With Chris Evans' poised for his swan song as Cap in Avengers 4, fans are wondering if Sharon will fall into the abyss currently hosting Natalie Portman's Jane Foster. However, just because the star-spangled Avenger's story ends doesn't mean Sharon's journey has to as well.

Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter in Captain America: Civil War.

“Sharon Carter was a victim of what we came to realize as we were writing it,” writer Christopher Markus explained, “which is that, if you’re writing scenes that set up people before the story has gotten to them, such as Steve and Sharon trying to make it work in an apartment, they’re gonna go because the movie does not have time to catch up ‘previously on the life of Steve Rogers.'”

Whether Cap gets killed or retires, if the Marvel Cinematic Universe decides Sharon's story should end there, it would feel like she's a throwaway character, someone who's being sold short. In the comic books, however, she's been one of the biggest names within S.H.I.E.L.D., even acting as Executive Director briefly in Nick Fury's absence. This provides the perfect canvas for her development in the MCU's Phase Four.

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Sharon's expertise, and penchant for doing 'the right thing,' was seen when she debuted in the Russo Brothers' The Winter Soldier, backing Cap as S.H.I.E.L.D. fell. This evolved into her acting as one of Steve's 'secret' allies in Civil War, clearly showing she stands for justice, no matter what -- all the more reason Cap fell in love with her in the first place. Now, given the role her Aunt Peggy had as a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D, it would be fitting Sharon gets to carry on her legacy, only this time in the rebuilding of the foundation.

We don't need a solo movie for her, but she can adopt the roll of watchdog once more, working from the shadows like Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury has been doing, or Maria Hill (Colbie Smulders). It's uncertain if the Sokovia Accords will still have superheroes labeled as illegal vigilantes, so perhaps Sharon could be the chief co-ordinator for these 'Secret' Avengers moving forward; something Infinity War hinted at when James 'War Machine' Rhodes deemed the registration act a regretful mistake.

If Avengers 4 does on a happy note, with the world wanting to usher in a new age of heroes once more, then Sharon could step into the role held by Thaddeus Ross, United States Secretary of State. This would help bridge the gap between the masks and the World Security Council, which doesn't seem like it will ever trust superheroes fully. We don't know what the landscape will be like in Phase Four -- what with Fury and Hill being victims of Thanos' genocide and all -- or if Ross was a victim, too. But the superheroes will need someone to trust, and who better than the woman who helped Cap in his most desperate hour?

Sharon's character has a lot of potential on the big screen, even if she's forever destined to play a supporting role. She understands heroes and vigilantes, but she also knows just what needs to be done from a corporate and administrative level. Someone who knows both sides of the coin can only be a major asset moving forward, especially if the world is to recover from its oh-so fragile state. With Captain Marvel set to up the ante in terms of strong females in the MCU, Sharon fits right in, reaffirming even though she doesn't have powers, she's just as important as any Avenger.

In theaters now, Avengers: Infinity War is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Tom Hiddleston and Josh Brolin, among others.