Why Sharon Carter Wasn’t Pardoned After Civil War

Warning: SPOILERS for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Episode 3 – “Power Broker”

InThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 3, Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) was reunited with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) but, unlike the two superheroes, Carter didn’t receive a pardon for her crimes in Captain America: Civil War. The former S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 13 helped Sam, Bucky, and Baron Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) locate the Super-Soldier Serum in Madripoor after she made a deal with Wilson, who promised her a pardon.

Sharon Carter was introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier where Agent 13 was tasked by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to pose as a nurse and become the next-door neighbor of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). When the Winter Soldier tried to assassinate Fury, Sharon dropped her cover and became Steve’s ally and potential love interest. After S.H.I.E.L.D. was exposed as a front for Hydra and collapsed, Carter joined the CIA and was stationed with the Joint Counter-Terrorist Centre. Sharon also attended the funeral of S.H.I.E.L.D. co-founder Peggy Carter in London and revealed that she was Peggy’s great-niece. However, Sharon’s loyalty to Steve Rogers cost her dearly when she stole the Captain America shield and the Falcon’s flight suit to aid Rogers and Wilson as they rebelled against the Sokovia Accords to protect Bucky Barnes. Sharon then went on the run since she was declared an enemy of the state. Avengers: Endgame later revealed that Sharon was one of the billions killed by Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) Snap, along with Sam and Bucky.

When Sam, Bucky, and Zemo caught up with Sharon Carter in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, they found her to be hardened and bitter about the fact that both of them are free men able to live in the United States, whereas Carter is in exile living off the grid in Madripoor. Bucky even labeled Sharon as “awful now“, but Carter’s resentment can be justified when one looks at her circumstances. Like Sam, Bucky, and Steve Rogers, Sharon became a wanted fugitive for violating the Sokovia Accords; Carter fled to Madripoor because it’s an independent haven for criminals with no extradition laws. And, as she reminded them, “I didn’t have the Avengers to back me up.” But if the Avengers who broke the Sokovia Accords were eventually welcomed back by the United States as law-abiding citizens, why hasn’t Sharon Carter also received a pardon for her crimes?

One possible reason why Sharon wasn’t afforded the same treatment as Sam and Bucky is that she didn’t publicly fight in the final battle in Avengers: Endgame where the heroes saved the world from Thanos. That victory, as well as how the Avengers brought the billions Thanos killed back in the Blip, made public goodwill swell in the Avengers’ favor. It’s likely that the Sokovia Accords violators like Sam and Bucky were pardoned because it would be terrible public relations to prosecute the superheroes who resurrected half the universe. By that same token, by remaining a fugitive and not turning herself in, Sharon Carter isn’t making herself eligible to be shown mercy and receive a pardon. After all, if the Winter Soldier can be pardoned, Sharon Carter should be as well.

However, Sharon is also right to point out the double-standard of superhero worship in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, Carter’s crime was stealing government property and aiding and abetting Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and Bucky Barnes. This is arguably a lesser offense but, given the international tensions of 2016 in Captain America: Civil War, Sharon Carter chose to run than face the authorities. Since she has no superpowers and wasn’t an Avenger, Sharon wouldn’t have been sent to the Raft, but being a former S.H.I.E.L.D. operative with the codename “Agent 13” wouldn’t have afforded her much protection. Ultimately, Carter still feared prison enough that she preferred exile in Madripoor, even though it meant her family has no idea what happened to her after 2016.

It’s likely Sharon was dusted by the Snap while she was in Madripoor, which means she reappeared there after missing the last five years. Carter is doing well enough for herself that she has a high-end flat in High Town where she poses as a well-connected art dealer, but it’s evident Sharon wants to come home to the United States. Yet Carter also fears that just turning herself in wouldn’t grant her any clemency, so it remains to be seen if Sam Wilson can come through with her pardon in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

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