With only a couple weeks to go until Agent Carter Season 2 premieres on ABC, we finally know what Peggy Carter will be dealing with in her next adventure. Yesterday, ABC released an official synopsis on what the sophomore season will be about, and while there are a lot of exciting new details to chew on, what’s caught our attention the most is the crime Peggy is investigating while in Los Angeles: “a strange homicide involving a body that glows and emanates cold.” Even for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that’s a weird crime, which begs the questions: what happened to that victim, who is responsible, and does it tie into Marvel Comics history?
First off, let’s address who the likeliest perpetrator of this crime is. We’ve known since summer 2015 that Madame Masque will be the main antagonist in Agent Carter Season 2, but when not out committing crimes, she’s known as Whitney Frost. Frost? Cold? See?! Yeah, it’s on the nose, but the only other antagonists that have been announced are Whitney’s husband Calvin Chadwick, politician Vernon Masters and Peggy’s nemesis Dottie Underwood, and none of them have the scientific know-how to pull off such a crime. Whitney, on the other hand, does, as she’s described in the synopsis as an actress who is also a “brilliant physicist,” making her a a fictional Hedy Lamarr. However, even if she ends up being the culprit, that doesn’t explain what exactly she did to that body.
There doesn’t appear to be an element/substance in the Marvel universe that causes a body to both glow and feel cold. There are plenty of sources of general freezing powers, be it a superhuman like Blizzard (who’s already been seen on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) or an object like the Casket of Ancient Winters, but whatever killed that person didn’t freeze them. If we’re just spitballing, this sounds more like the victim was exposed to some kind of radiation; one that doesn’t poison anyone in the immediate vicinity of the corpse, but makes it glow. Yeah, it sounds ridiculous, but this is comic book science. Roll with it. The point being, if this is what happened, what if Whitney Frost didn’t accomplish this murder on her own? What if she had help from an individual from the Marvel universe known for their work in radiation. I’m talking about Dr. Chen Lu, better known as The Radioactive Man.
Radioactive Man was introduced in 1963 as a scientist in the People’s Republic of China who exposed himself to a massive barrage of radiation (and miraculously survived, in typical comic book fashion) so he could use his new powers to kill Thor. Radioactive Man has since been a frequent villain to other Marvel heroes, but it’s doubtful we would see him on Agent Carter in his glowing green form. After all, the show is more about spy adventures than superhero shenanigans. Still, perhaps Whitney is working with Chen Lu, and with their combined research, they could have created this radioactive substance that kills people in such a bizarre way.
Why are they doing this? It’s hard to say. Although The Maggia, a longtime Marvel criminal organization, will be featured in Agent Carter, it hasn’t been revealed if Whitney is in league with them, but her keen scientific mind makes her perfect to pair with Chen Lu. Keep in mind that Agent Carter is also still happening in the late 1940s, when fear of the Communists was going up exponentially. That makes Chen a great villain to adapt for a period piece like Agent Carter. It’s not like the Thor movies are going to include him at this point. The God of Thunder and his fellow Asgardians are too busy dealing with Ragnarok. Whitney Frost already sounds dangerous enough on her own, but if this theory proves to be correct and Chen Lu is involved, then Peggy and her allies are going to be in even more trouble.
Agent Carter Season 2 premieres on Tuesday, January 19 at 9 p.m. EST on ABC. In the meantime, if you have your own ideas about what the deal is with that glowing body, let us know in the comments below! And to see when all of your other favorite shows are returning and premiering, check out our midseason schedule.
