Iconic TV Endings That Weren't Supposed To Happen

Today, the TV series that have accompanied the Marvel Cinematic Universe are an embarrassment of riches — Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D will air its sixth season in 2019, while a steady supply of Netflix shows (some of them now canceled) have brought us Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Punisher, and more.

At the beginning of 2015, there was just Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter, a period piece set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe of the 1940s and starring Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Steve "Captain America" Rogers' old flame from World War II. The show consisted of shorter seasons that aired during the mid-season hiatus of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Unfortunately, ratings weren't where they needed to be, and the second season would be Agent Carter's last — even though it ended with a dead body on the floor and no clues as to who had committed the murder. As executive producer Jeph Loeb told Entertainment Weekly, the decision to end Agent Carter was solely a network call, even if both ABC and Marvel Studios share the same corporate overlord (Disney).

"Unlike the movie studio where they can say, 'In 2019 we're making Captain Marvel,' the television division doesn't have that ability," Loeb explained. "We are, at the end of the day, beholden to the network that we're on. So for all of you Agent Carter fans out there, we didn't cancel the show."