Hayley Atwell, star of Marvel’s Captain America movies and the TV spin-off Agent Carter, had the audience cheering in rapture during her panel appearance at MEFCC (Middle East Film and Comic Con) on Friday when she appeared to confirm that she will appear in the forthcoming Ant-Man movie as Agent Peggy Carter.

When quizzed by a member of the audience about her possible role she replied: “I couldn’t say. By not saying anything, does that give you an answer?

“My publicist is over there. I think they’re going to kill me.”

Earlier in the day, Atwell had been less forthcoming about the possibility of her, and Carter, appearing in future Marvel movies.

“I am going to have to kill you if I tell you,” she said with a laugh. “We see Peggy Carter as a 96-year-old in the second Captain America film, so from that we know she lives a long life, and we can see there can be crossovers in this interwoven world of Marvel where she can pop up here and there.

“They’re all possibilities I would very happily and gladly be a part of because it’s a great team of people to work with. So I’m hoping, yes.”

At last year’s MEFCC, Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito made an impassioned plea to see more women among the line-up of Hollywood celebrities at the show, so he would perhaps be pleased to see the Agent Carter star gracing the stage this year.

The TV show, which is set in the years following the Second World War and aired this year, has been widely praised for its portrayal of a strong, independent female lead in a comic book spin-off, and Atwell seems comfortable with her newfound role as a feminist icon.

“Agent Carter never started off to have a political statement,” she said. “It could be very controversial to tilt into something beyond the characters and her own personal journey, but there’s an inevitability to the way it was written that highlights issues within feminism that were relevant.

“The reason it’s relevant is because she’s a modern-day woman. And if she existed today she’d be relieved that finally they’ve caught up with her. But there’s still long way to go. There’s still a very big conversation in London about equal pay for women, for example, and personal empowerment. And it’s still an ongoing debate in every country around the world.

“I think that’s the glorious thing about Agent Carter, that she continued to fight the good fight, and continued to stand up for her fellow man and woman.

“It’s very rare that you see a friendship like she has with Angie [Carter’s friend in the TV show], for example. It’s not a competitive one, it’s not two women talking about men all the time. It’s an equal relationship where they look out for each other.

“Continuing into season two I hope we can look into that more, the importance of women looking after other women. It’s not just a battle against the other sex, but more about women realising that we need to support each other rather than compete with each other. I think that’s absolutely crucial.”

cnewbould@thenational.ae