‘Avengers: Endgame’: Why Jarvis is 1 of Few Marvel TV Characters in the MCU
The characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are well known for having cameos in each other’s films. But while the movie version of the Marvel universe shares characters comfortably, there’s been no crossover from the television version.
Although Marvel television references the movies, the movies tend to ignore what’s going on in the television version of events. But in Avengers: Endgame a small chink appeared in that armor.
Edwin Jarvis was a character in Marvel’s ‘Agent Carter’
The 2011 movie Captain America introduced a character from Marvel Comics named Peggy Carter. To further explore Carter’s life, ABC aired a series called Agent Carter. In this series, Hayley Atwell played Carter, a secret agent in post-WWII America.
In her fight against evil, Carter connects with Howard Stark, father to Tony, the future Iron Man. Stark has a butler, named Edwin Jarvis (played by James D’Arcy).
Edwin becomes something of an assistant to Carter, frequently trading in his domestic duties for a more exciting life helping her. He also gives her emotional support and helps her maintain contact with Stark.
Agent Carter only lasted for two seasons, but Jarvis lived on in an unexpected way.
An unexpected Jarvis cameo in the MCU
Even though Disney owns both the Marvel television shows and the MCU movies, the two universes don’t interact much. Marvel television sometimes makes mention of things that happen in the movies, but the characters between the two don’t ever meet. But that changed with Avengers: Endgame.
By the time Avengers: Endgame shows up in the MCU timeline, Jarvis has long since died. He’s remembered by Tony Stark, who he tutored, in the name of his first AI program. In one scene in Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark travels back in time to 1970, where he bumps into his father.
His dad wonders aloud to his driver why Tony seems so familiar. Eagle-eyed viewers noticed that the driver is none other than Jarvis, played by D’Arcy.
Fans wondered if this signaled the beginning of more crossovers between the two universes. But the reason may be simpler than that.
How Jarvis ended up in the MCU
Fans on Reddit started a discussion about Jarvis’ surprising appearance in Avengers: Endgame, and it seems that the nod to the television series happened for a very simple reason.
It turns out that key people were involved in both projects.
One person posted a quote from people who worked on the film, talking about why the brought D’Arcy on board. “‘Because we love James,’ the directors wrote. ‘Also, because Markus and Mcfeely [writers] were instrumental in engineering that show, and because [Joe Rosso] directed one of the episodes. It seemed appropriate.'”
Regardless of the motivations, fans were delighted at the casting choice.
“It was very cool to see Jarvis return, on the big-screen, no less,” one person enthused. “It really doesn’t go unappreciated for me, at least, it’s still one of the Endgame scenes that I think back to and smile a bit.”
“I was grinning like an idiot in the theater during this scene,” another agreed. “James Darcy was great as Jarvis in the show and I was happy he and Marvel TV got some due recognition. It solidified at the very least Agent Carter is canon.”
For many fans, the fact that the movies and television shows finally overlapped was one of their favorite things about the cameo. “I honestly loved this so much,” one viewer said. “With how much talk that the ABC and Netflix shows are part of the MCU but there being extraordinarily little actual connection, it was awesome to see this.”
Jarvis is a character who can be depended upon in the world of Marvel. It seems that when he showed up in the MCU, he delivered for fans, as well.
