Long before Falcon and Winter Soldier, Captain America’s longtime partner Sharon Carter once replaced Nick Fury as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is bringing together many of the greatest Captain America characters, including Steve Rogers’s long-time partner, Sharon Carter. Unlike her MCU counterpart, the Marvel Universe’s Sharon Carter operated as S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Agent 13 for decades.
Sharon is a world-class field agent and is one of the few people on the planet who can keep up with Steve Rogers in both fights and spycraft. However, during one particularly tumultuous period, their relationship was strained when she became his boss after being promoted to the new head of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Her new promotion was announced at the end of 2000’s Captain America #31 by Dan Jurgens and Andy Kubert. Most of the issue featured her and Captain America fighting in the Savage Land as Sharon acted coldly toward Steve. He had recently confessed his love to her, and despite apparently sharing these feelings, she rebuffed him. By the issue’s end, they finally looked about to resolve their differences and were about to kiss when Nick Fury showed up, interrupting them. Back in New York, he confirmed Sharon’s was replacing him as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. while he attended to some personal business. It seems this new job was the real reason Sharon refused to return Steve’s affections.
Her tenure as S.H.I.E.L.D.’s leader was during a difficult time for the agency. The Red Skull had stolen their helicarrier, limiting the spy agency’s ability to respond to global threats. Additionally, A.I.M. was developing new bioweapons as part of a war against Hydra. A.I.M. also resurrected a man named Clinton McIntyre who had died in the ’40s after being given a faulty version of the Super Soldier Serum. McIntire became a new villain, Protocide, who was far stronger–and crueler–than Steve Rogers.
Protocide proved to be the greatest new threat to arise during this time. The villain killed two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and nearly beat U.S.Agent to death. When Protocide and Steve fought in an A.I.M. facility, Protocide threw him into a chamber filled with radioactive energy. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents rescued Steve and Sharon ordered him to seek medical attention. He openly defied her orders. Pursuing Protocide, he stole both a S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle and one of the world’s most dangerous biological weapons, the Omega Compound, a single drop of which could obliterate New York. During their final conflict, Protocide was killed and the Omega Compound was destroyed. But that Steve Rogers stole such a dangerous weapon while disobeying direct orders from the head of S.H.I.E.L.D spoke volumes. He might love Sharon, but he did not respect her, something he even admitted to himself.
Beyond the threats of supervillains, bioweapons, and criminal organizations, Steve Rogers’s personal life was also a liability for the agency. Having been rebuffed by Sharon, he intensified his relationship with a defense attorney named Connie Ferrari. Steve concealed his identity from her, despite their increased intimacy, something that caused tension as Sharon repeatedly seemed to interrupt their dates with pressing business that Steve never explained. Further complicating matters, Connie’s brother had died while in the army, or so she believed. In truth, he had been a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who went rogue and faked his own death. Things grew tense when Captain America arrested the leader of A.I.M. and Connie defended the criminal in court. When the defense looked likely to win, Steve and Sharon teamed up to obtain more evidence against A.I.M.’s operations.
Things came to a head when Nick Fury tracked down Connie’s brother, the rogue agent David Ferrari. Steve helped apprehend David and prevented him from starting a global nuclear war. However, Connie finally realized that Captain America was really her partner Steve Rogers, who had lied to her for months. Unsurprisingly, she dumped him. At roughly the same time, Nick Fury came back to assume his role as head of S.H.I.E.L.D., forcing Sharon out despite the fact that she technically had more authority than him while in that position. Both of the two men most important to Sharon Carter’s life were World War II heroes with antiquated attitudes, and in the end, neither of them treated her with the respect she deserved.
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