Emily VanCamp Laughs Off MCU Backlash Over Captain America Kiss: ‘We All Were’ Surprised

Emily VanCamp made her long-awaited return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the weekend as her character, Sharon Carter, remerged on the most recent episode of the Disney+ series “The Falcon and the Winter Solider.” The episode marked VanCamp’s first outing as Sharon Carter since the 2016 movie “Captain America: Civil War,” which included a kiss between VanCamp’s character and Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers/Captain America that divided the fandom. The kiss was Sharon’s last appearance in the MCU until “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”

“There was quite a bit of backlash about that,” VanCamp told Variety about the Sharon-Steve kiss. “With Sharon, it was always trying to fit her in and these movies are just too big, and it’s completely understandable. To get to see who she’s become over this long period of time, and independent of Captain America as we know him, is really interesting to me. The intrigue for me was to see who is Sharon now.”

When pressed on the unexpected backlash the kiss generated from MCU fans, VanCamp responded, “I mean, look, you have to laugh. Some of these storylines play and some of them don’t. But, you know, I thought that was an amazing film. It’s just one of those things.

“I think we all were [surprised]. I mean, we certainly did our best,” VanCamp continued. “And I think one of the best things that came out of that scene, to be honest, with this amazing dynamic between Sam and Bucky. You really do get this glimpse into the Falcon and Winter Soldier buddy dynamic. You want to see more of that, and we get to see it, which is fantastic.”

The Sharon MCU fans met in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is not the good-natured agent they first met in the “Captain America” movies. “There’s quite a bit more edge to Sharon than we’ve ever seen,” the actress said. “She’s not that wide-eyed young agent anymore. She’s a little rough around the edges. Do we find out exactly what she’s had to do in order to be where she is now and survive? No. But we get a sense that it hasn’t always been easy, and that the sacrifices she’s made weren’t always worth it in her mind. That was kind of cool to see that chip on her shoulder that we never really did see before.”

“The Falcon and the Winter Solider” airs new episodes each Friday on Disney+.