Milestone: Invited to run S.H.I.E.L.D. alongside Howard Stark
Peggy Carter is a founding agent of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, relegated to a desk in the New York office a year after the loss of Steve Rogers. Though her expertise is in the field, she is kept to code-breaking, data analysis, and proofreading reports under the command of Agent John Flynn. He dismisses her talents and reminds her the war is over and the rough stuff belongs to the men. Three months into the posting she has yet to be sent on a single assignment, her relation to Steve is treated by her colleagues, particularly Flynn, as the only reason she is tolerated at all.
Left alone to 'polish up some reports' and lock up one night while the men go drinking, she answers the hotline. She learns that the criminal organization Zodiac has been spotted. The tip recommends a team of 3-5 agents. She goes alone. Armed with a tricked-out briefcase, she cuts through Zodiac's guards one by one, handcuffing one and forcing him to scream as bait for the others. Ultimately, she recovers the vial they were guarding. The following morning, Flynn reprimands her for acting without authorization until the phone rings with Howard Stark on the line. Stark informs Flynn that Peggy is being brought to Washington to run the newly formed SHIELD alongside him and he gets the privilege of delivering that news to her. She leaves the humbled Agent Flynn reminding him that 'as always, she does not need his assistance'.
