Agent Carter starts her own secret agent missions

She’s been a part of the Marvel universe for some time, but now, Agent Peggy Carter is getting her own showcase.

Featured in the recent “Captain America” movies and episodes of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” the post-World War II operative — still played by British actress Hayley Atwell — takes the lead as “Marvel’s Agent Carter” in a two-hour ABC premiere Tuesday. The series gives “S.H.I.E.L.D.” a two-month winter break as Carter works covertly to find those who have framed weapons developer Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) by peddling his inventions on the black market. His butler, Jarvis (James D’Arcy), helps Carter.

“A few stunt men, unfortunately, have been in a bit of pain,” the pleasant Atwell muses of her frequent physicality as Carter runs up against enemies. “I had no idea when I did ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ that this would have a life afterward, but Marvel listened to fans who really enjoyed watching Peggy, so I’ve kind of taken each step as it’s come.”

The “Marvel One-Shot” short film about Carter, included on the 2013 home-video release of “Iron Man 3,” prompted the new venture. “We had such fun doing it,” Atwell recalls. “Marvel said, ‘What do you think about a series?’ It’s been a year in the making, and when it got greenlighted in May, it felt like a new chapter was beginning for her.”

Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill”) and Shea Whigham (“Boardwalk Empire”) also co-star as fellow Strategic Scientific Reserve agents … and though “Marvel’s Agent Carter” unfolds in the mid-1940s, it has the present-day feel that has enabled Carter scenes to fit into modern “S.H.I.E.L.D.” stories.

“She’s a woman of her time, but also ahead of her time,” Atwell reasons, “living within the background of social situations like being in a male-dominated environment with the sexism that prevails. I think that’s what makes her relatable; she’s one of the rare women of that time who weren’t on the front lines, but still had a great impact on the war effort.”

Indeed, Atwell notes Carter is “certainly a fighter, but there are psychological and emotional costs for somebody who has to fight so hard. She’s incredibly isolated and lonely, given the fact that she can’t really confide in anyone. Very few people know what she’s really up to.”

Also seen in stage productions (“Major Barbara,” “A View From the Bridge”) and other films (Woody Allen’s “Cassandra’s Dream,” Disney’s upcoming live-action “Cinderella”), Atwell will play Carter in this summer’s movie “Avengers: Age of Ultron” as well.

While acknowledging Marvel’s wide audience appeal, Atwell maintains what counts most to her is “being better at my craft and working with people I find interesting and intelligent. Anything else that comes with that, I take with a pinch of salt, but it’s lovely to be part of the Disney and Marvel families again. They’re incredibly hard-working people who are passionate about what they do.”