‘Agent Carter’ Bosses on ‘Captain America’ Bombshell, Howling Commandos Plot

[Warning: Spoilers ahead for Tuesdays episode of Agent Carter, “The Blitzkrieg Button”]

Howard Stark’s (Dominic Cooper) return to Agent Carter Tuesday turned Peggy’s (Hayley Atwel) world on its head — and revealed a major tie-in the show has with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Stark had Peggy steal a weapon from lockup and replace with a decoy, telling her it had the power to cause major damage to a city. But what she found instead was a vile with a mysterious liquid inside of it: Steve Rogers’ (Chris Evans) blood. Stark says the blood has medical possibilities, while Carter — who fell in love with Captain America during World War II — is furious he lied about something so personal to her. 

Read more ‘Agent Carter’ Showrunners Grilled By ‘Arrow’ Producer in Honest, Wide-Ranging Interview

This is one answer to the common question co-showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters get about Agent Carter is how it all ties into the larger Marvel Universe, and what Easter eggs viewers can expect. (There have been plenty.)

“We are connected in a very super cool way, up to the very last episode in ways people will not be expecting,” Fazekas tells The Hollywood Reporter.

One of those ways will become apparent with next week’s episode, which will introduce the Howling Commandos, who in comic book lore and 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger are the ragtag team of soldiers under Cap’s (Chris Evans) command. Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough) is the only one from the The First Avenger who will appear in Agent Carter. Those other Commandos are newcomers Happy Sam Sawyer (Leonard Roberts) Pinky Pinkerton (Richard Short) Junior Juniper (James Austin Kerr).

“We got Dum Dum Dugan,” says Fazekas of the popular character, who also appeared in the 2013 Agent Carter one-shot. “The others are other Commandos that do exist [in the comics], but the one you’ll recognize from Cap is Dum Dum.”

Read more ‘Agent Carter’ Star Reveals Wild Hopes for Decades of Stories to Come

Tuesday’s episode also saw Marvel legend Stan Lee dropped by in a cameo that had been teased for weeks. Lee was on set for two very charming hours, cutting the tension right after Jarvis told Stark he was tired of cleaning up his messes.

“It comes on the heels of a dramatic moment, which I really liked,” says Fazekas.

Jarvis (James D’Arcy) continued to show more courage than Carter originally gave him credit for possessing, helping her infiltrate a gang of badguys. The showrunners ay crafting Jarvis — who via Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.)  A.I. is a huge part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe —was one of the biggest responsibilities of working on Agent Carter.

“Some of it has come form the comics and some of it we’ve developed ourselves. Some of it is influenced by James D’Arcy himself and his strengths,” says Fazekas. “You sort of know ultimately what happens with Jarvis, or at least what happens with his voice, but there’s a lot of leeway.”

Read more TV Pilots 2015: The Complete Guide                

Atwell has said that should Agent Carter get future seasons, she would like to play the character throughout different decades. 

“I hope to be doing the Agent Carter for many years to come and have that as something to shoot for,” says Butters.

Peggy has already showed up as a 90-something in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, so fans know where her stories ends, but the showrunners say there are plenty of dramatic opportunities in between. 

“All options are on the table, and that’s very nice. It’s wherever the characters and the story take us at this point,” says Fazekas

Agent Carter airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.

Email: Aaron.Couch@THR.com
Twitter: @AaronCouch