Now Is Not the End

"Now is Not the End" is the first episode of the first season of the American television series Agent Carter. It features the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter as she goes undercover to try clear the name of her friend Howard Stark. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. It was written by series creators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and directed by Louis D'Esposito who previously directed the Marvel One-Shots short film that inspired the series. Hayley Atwell reprises her role as Carter from the film series, starring alongside James D'Arcy, Chad Michael Murray, Enver Gjokaj, and Shea Whigham. Markus and McFeely, the writers of several MCU films, had written the episode by January 2014. It was officially ordered that May. The episode contains several film connections: Dominic Cooper reprises his film role as Stark, Costa Ronin guest stars as the younger version of film character Anton Vanko, and archive footage from Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) is used. The costume and visual effects teams focused on establishing an authentic 1940s New York setting for the episode. "Now is Not the End" originally aired on ABC on January 6, 2015, and was watched by 10.16 million viewers within a week. The episode was praised by critics for its period setting, relative independence from the rest of the MCU, and especially for the performances of Atwell and D'Arcy. Many critics stated that the episode was superior to ABC's previous Marvel television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Now is Not the End" was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode at the 14th Visual Effects Society Awards, and for Outstanding Visual Effects – Television (Under 13 Episodes) at the 2015 Hollywood Post Alliance Awards. Plot In 1946 New York City, a year after the apparent death of the love of her life, Steve Rogers, Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) agent Peggy Carter is stuck doing administrative work while her male colleagues carry out field assignments. The latest case at the SSR is the hunt for Howard Stark, who has been branded a traitor for selling weapons-grade technology to U.S. enemies, and is now in hiding. Stark, a friend of Carter's from World War II, covertly meets with Carter to ask her help in clearing his name. He believes that his formula for molecular nitramene, which he says has been stolen, is about to be sold somewhere in New York.