Peggy Carter: How To Write a Character Who Faces Discrimination

There’s been a lot of storytelling about characters who face discrimination lately. Some of this is a good thing. In a lot of ways, it shows a culture that is willing to recognize humanity’s capacity for evil, and the often needless and violent reactions that come when different kinds of people end up “othered.” Good stories can use discrimination as a reminder of what humanity has overcome and a warning not to repeat the failures of past generations.

However, not all storytellers can pull this off. Many industries have become oversaturated with stories of characters who deal with discrimination… and that’s it. The discrimination is there, changes nothing about the plot, and furthers nothing within the characters. In fact, discrimination can often harm your characters and theme by creating a hopeless protagonist who doesn’t grow to see past the opinions of others or determine to succeed despite the difficulties in her path. When done poorly, characters who face discrimination can often end up displaying the worst aspects of humanity. This leaves the reader with a world of bad people, hurting and being hurt with no hope or resolution.

But finding that resolution can be difficult. Oftentimes, there is not an immediate resolution to discrimination. Saying, “Stop, that’s hurtful,” only works in anti-bullying campaigns. Many times stories take place in a time when discrimination will not be effectively stopped for generations.

So how can we offer a resolution for both our readers and our protagonist? How can we show the evil of discrimination without making those who face discrimination seem corrupted themselves? Here to give us the answers is the action-adventure series that made Peggy Carter my top-favorite Marvel character in only 18 short episodes, Agent Carter.

Agent Carter

Agent Carter takes place only a year after the war’s end and Captain America’s (supposed) death. Peggy Carter, his sweetheart and a seasoned officer in Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, is still working for the American Strategic Scientific Reserve (or SSR) under Chief Dooley, even though the war is over. Although  many believe the organization has outlived its usefulness, Peggy is determined to use her abilities and the SSR’s resources to save lives — if only her coworkers would allow her to put her skills to use. 

But the men who came back from the war while most women stayed home don’t recognize her abilities, and many think she shouldn’t be working at all. Most of her coworkers don’t understand why Chief Dooley doesn’t tell her to go home. According to them, Peggy is “fighting nature” after all, and there’s no place for a woman who isn’t content filing paperwork and taking lunch orders, and even then, the SSR is no real place for her.

Peggy is determined to do something that matters, even if it is no longer through the SSR. So when her longtime friend Howard Stark appears, needing help after being framed for treason, Peggy decides to step up. Soon she’s balancing work with her friendships and several undercover operations to prove Stark’s innocence. No one at the SSR can know that she’s helping a traitor, and at first it’s relatively easy. She’s invisible to most of them, anyway.

But her position grows increasingly precarious. Finally, one slip-up costs her everything — her reputation, her opportunities, and any allies she might have had at the SSR.

What is So Good About Agent Carter?

From that description, it’s hard to see what was so well done about the discrimination Peggy faced. And, in some ways, the discrimination wasn’t necessary. Couldn’t the same exact events have happened, with no change to the story if the men at the office were not so determined to tear her down? Certainly.

But you know by now that storytelling is far more than a series of events. And while the discrimination Peggy faced did not influence the plot, it did so much for the heart of the story — and what actually matters about storytelling to begin with.

1. It drove Peggy to Action

If you have a character who faces discrimination, and it doesn’t drive them to do anything, you have a pretty worthless device. (Not to mention a pretty passive protagonist.) Ironically, most authors get this right when it comes to villain backstories. How many Marvel villains were driven to action because they were mistreated by Tony Stark or his company? How many villains were hurt as children and allowed it to twist them into an antagonist? 

So why can’t writers do the same for protagonists? I think the main issue is that many modern writers can’t see how something bad (sexist coworkers) can bring about something good (proving the innocence of a framed man.) But this is absolutely essential. Characters are not obligated to respond badly when bad things happen, and a bad thing isn’t proven to be good if it has a favorable result. In fact, this can show a lot about a character’s strength when they take something bad and let it fuel their passion for something that can benefit the world.

We need more characters who see the potential good in objectively bad situations. So if you’re writing a character who faces discrimination, let them be one of them.

2. It Showed the Strength of Her Character

I touched on this a little bit above, but characters who can take the bad things that happen to them and refuse to let it corrupt them actually highlight some really important aspects of their character. If you want to convince your readers that your protagonist strives to do good, no matter the situation, have them face discrimination and come out above it all.

One of the reasons I say this is because if you execute it badly, having your character face discrimination is one of the worst things you can do for them. If you have a character who does not grow to rise above the challenges they face through discrimination, you’re going to end up with a victimized character who seems to have nothing to do but complain. Readers look to stories to understand how we can be better, to be inspired by heroes and reinvigorated by true values, not to hear about how hard someone else’s life is. So instead of letting them buckle under the weight of the insults, lost opportunities, and scorn they receive simply for being different, allow your character to rise above it, even if it’s not right away. Even if it takes the entire book, drive your character to the point where she’s stronger than the challenges she faces, no matter how those around her treat her.

3. It Enhanced the Theme

At the end of the day, if your discrimination doesn’t push your theme forward, works against the theme, or fails to support it, it’s just best not to include it. Write about a different time or place, or a community within a historically prejudiced area that hasn’t been taught to “other” people.

Ultimately, one of the reasons that the discrimination in Agent Carter made so much sense was because the theme wouldn’t have been there otherwise. Although her adventures and heists working undercover for Stark are interesting, they don’t actually teach her anything. She’s used to high-stakes missions and perilous espionage. None of it is especially new, unlike dealing with people who undervalue her for no reason. The only reason the heists are in the story at all is because they give her purpose.

And that is the theme of the first season. What gives Peggy purpose?

At the opening of the show, it’s nothing. She’s lost her ability to help people, her relationships at work, and the love of her life. She’s obsessing over the way that people mistreat her because it’s the only thing that seems to matter any more. 

But when Howard shows up, asking for help, her sense of purpose returns. As the series goes on, it grows stronger and stronger until it’s outpaced her grief over Steve’s death, her guilt for the friends she’s tried and failed to protect, and even the fact that after everything, other people are getting the credit for proving Stark’s innocence and saving an entire city.

All of this is summed up in Peggy Carter’s single reflection on the event.

“I know my own worth. Anyone else’s opinion doesn’t really matter.”

So what is Peggy’s purpose? To help others. To save lives. To put her own on the line and stand before evil to protect the innocent it seeks to harm. Her purpose is not to achieve fame, success, or even the well-deserved recognition anyone can recognize she’s entitled to. Instead, Peggy has found a much deeper purpose. One that saves lives. One that is changing the world around her. One that Steve would be proud of. One that elevated Agent Carter from a conventional action-adventure show to an all-too-short series that packs an unexpected punch in just 18 episodes.

Your story doesn’t need discrimination. Many of the best stories never address it. But when it’s done well, it can launch your story forward. It can show the true strength and goodness of your protagonist. And it can make your theme so crystal-clear that it becomes unmistakable. 

Let us know in the comments:

What stories have you read that had characters who face discrimination? How did they tackle the issue? Did they do it well? And how was this article? Too sweet? Too sour? Just right?