Fanfic / Sixes and Sevens

Sixes and Sevens is an Agent Carter and The Invaders historical fanfiction by Mitchi_476 that follows Peggy's brother Michael Carter and is described as "One part elsewhere fic. One part Agent Carter continuation. And one part soft reboot of the MCU."

In 1941, Michael Carter is supposedly killed in the front lines of World War II. He survives, however, and the Special Operations Executive see a golden opportunity. Carter is given a new identity - Brian Falsworth - and sent to join Operation Meridian, the British equivalent of Project Rebirth. When Dr. Erskine is assassinated in America, Major "Falsworth" is sent on a mission through the Middle East to track down an old colleague of Dr. Erskine's in the hopes that Britain can get their own super soldier. Joined by Emily Gower, who soon gets her own false identity, the two must evade Nazis, HYDRA agents, and local governments in order to secure an advantage for the Allied forces.

The story is part of a larger series titled The Invaders, which plans to tell stories of other characters from the comic. So far there are seven parts:

1. Death in the Golden Hour, a combination prologue and Flash Forward one-shot taking place immediately after the attack on Jack Thompson in the final moments of Agent Carter.
2. Sixes and Sevens
3. Upon the Chaos Dark, a one-shot showing Roger Aubrey being captured and experimented on by Daniel Whitehall.
4. Shadow of the Eagle, where Carter's team embarks on a mission to destroy a U-Boat station in Greece, only to encounter several figures from his past.
5. Radio Chatter, a collection for various one-shots.
6. The Haunting of Villa Layla, where the members of the Fidonisi party regroup with their friends and share stories from their pasts. Written mostly by Sparky Young Upstart, with occasional input from Mitchi.
7. There is a House in the Mountains, where a contingent of Invaders are sent to rescue a spy on the inside of HYDRA.
8. Headfirst Slide into Latveria on a Bad Bet, where the other half of the Invaders go to Latveria to help a young Victor von Doom liberate his country.
9. Agent Carter: Phantom Pain, the point at which the story catches up to the prologue. Peggy and company must deal with Thompson's death, Dottie's return, the looming shutdown of the SSR, and Michael's return.

This work contains the following tropes:

• Adaptational Early Appearance:
  • Sue Storm is working as a maid at the Kensington hotel in 1947, both discovering the wounded Thompson and meeting Peggy afterwards. This is long before her usual appearance where she and the rest of the Fantastic Four are contemporaries of standard Avengers like Iron Man and company.
  • In the comics, Swarm wasn't created until after Fritz von Meyer fled to Argentina after World War II. Here, von Meyer is consumed by his bees during the height of the war, and has reformed a few years later.
  • Illa the Living Moon appears in the 1920s, whereas she didn't appear in the comics until 2017. Since she's one of Ego's children, this also prompts a cameo from him around the same time, about sixty years before Yondu kidnapped Peter Quill.
  • May Reilly, the future Aunt May, from Spider-Man is one of Sue's co-workers at the Kensington Hotel in 1947.
• Adaptational Gender Identity: Venus/Siren in the comics was always a cis woman. In The Haunting of Villa Layla, Anthea reveals that she is trans.
• Adaptational Heroism: Dreadknight was a villain who fought both Iron Man and Doctor Doom, but here he is adapted as a temporarily empowered Abraham Van Helsing, who uses the power to defend Zefiro village and slay one of Dracula's wives.
• Adaptational Name Change: Anthea is based on Victoria Starr from Agents of Atlas, but her name was changed because the author felt the original would be too out of place for 1940s Greece.
• Adaptational Nationality: Arclight is German here instead of American, though the authors justified this by saying that her civilian name (Philippa Sontag) is already German.
• Adaptational Origin Connection: Headfirst Slide gives Victor von Doom a connection to the Invaders, and not just to Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four.
• Adaptational Sexuality: All over the place. Nearly every queer character in the fanfic was canonically straight in the comics or simply never had their sexuality stated.
  • Michael Carter, technically, due to being combined with Brian Falsworth.
  • Emily Gower is romantically attracted to women, and eventually becomes this world's Jacqueline Falsworth.
  • Robert Frank and Madeline Joyce Frank are pansexual and bisexual respectively, as well as polyamorous.
  • Mark Todd is gay.
  • Pat Mason is ace.
  • Anthea is at least same sex attracted and trans.
• Adaptational Super Power Change/Adaptation Species Change: Many of the heroes appearing in the fic are subject to one or the other - sometimes with one resulting in the other.
  • Aldo Malvagio in the comics had Super-Toughness akin to Captain America (after being fused with two other men), but started as a normal human. Here he is changed to a werewolf. Volker in turn gains Hulk-like powers thanks to improper administration of the heart-shaped herb.
  • Roger Aubrey had similar powers to Captain America in the comics. The fic gives him diamond-hard skin, and he can also harden his fingertips into razor-sharp claws thanks to his Inhuman lineage. In Haunting of Vilal Layla it implies that this also gives him some sort of resistance to telepathic abilities.
  • Mark Todd in the comics was trained in combat and fire immunity by a race of "underground skull men" in Japan. Here, he has a more diverse array of fire abilities thanks to being bonded to a Spirit of Vengeance.
  • The little girl Illa that Roger meets as a child is a human with telepathic and precognitive abilities. Her comics counterpart is Illa the Living Moon, who's a moon with the power of...she's a moon.
  • While still a mutant, Arclight is now electrokinetic instead of her comic counterpart's shockwave powers. The authors say they did this since there are plenty other major characters with shockwave- and vibration-based powers.
• Age Lift: Red Skull, at least in the comics, is in his 30s during World War II. Here he is the same age as Hugo Weaving when playing him (51), and was therefore old enough to fight in the First World War and also served in the Freikorps.
• Alphabetical Theme Naming: Peggy, aka Margaret Carter, and her brothers Michael and Matthew. Lampshaded by Sousa.
  Sousa: I mean, they had two with alliterative names, it would be odd for the last one not to have a matching name. Have to complete the set.
• Anachronic Order: "Death in the Golden Hour" is a Call-Forward that leads directly into "Phantom Pain", but there are five separate stories between them that occurred before them. "The Haunting of Villa Layla" has this all over the place, as everyone's stories take place in different time frames, and some include flash forwards to events that happen after their time in the Villa.
• Ancestral Weapon: The sword Fleur du Mal has been handed down to the descendants of Jean Demarais.
• Animal Species Accent: When Swarm speaks, he stretches out the zzz-noise due to being mostly made out of bees.
• Ankle Drag: How the Moloids get one of Mark's friends in his story.
• Apocalypse How: Anthea witnessed Hela start the collapse of the Minoan Civilization in a Class 0 regional disaster by triggering the volcano on Thera (Santorini) to erupt.
• Argentina Is Nazi-Land: Schmitt mentions that Zemo fled to Argentina to avoid the worst of Red Skull's wrath after the serum deformed him.
• Artistic License – History: Explicitly stated to be in effect during Anthea's chapter of Haunting. Sparky stresses that while it's plausible that Astarte could have had worshippers in ancient Minoa, and that Achelous or a form of him could have been revered by their culture, there's no actual evidence to base this on and it's all conjecture from what little we do know of the time and area.
• Attempted Rape: Emily's first kill is a German soldier who tried to assault her. Later on, Malvagio becomes dangerously obsessed with her after she's able to hold her own against him, and tries to 'take care of her'. It ends badly for him as well.
• Awesome by Analysis: When Sue sees the altered equations from Isodyne Labs, she's able to not only determine the correct version but deduce a major part of Romulus' plan (opening a wormhole to access more zero matter). She's later able to figure out how the radio typewriter looks just by looking over it for a moment, which highly impresses Jason.
• Badass Driver: Emily has a reputation among the higher-ups for having a lead foot, as Michael finds out when she turns a five hour drive from Taba to Amman into four. Later chapters see her making similar quick trips, deftly avoiding tails and gunfire, and even lose a pursuer by drifting through the city.
• Battle in the Center of the Mind: Crichton can use his vampiric connection with Emily to enter her mind and manipulate her, but eventually Emily realizes the link goes both ways and she can enter his mind instead. This leads to a confrontation where they both attack each other, and while she's bitten again she also subdues him and scares him off.
• Baby as Payment: The Faustian Queen heals Emily's father of a fatal illness, but promises to take her firstborn child in exchange.
• Bee Afraid: Fritz von Meyer's plan is to combine the aggressive nature of Wakandan bees with more docility of European honey bees to create a super weapon for HYDRA.
• Big Damn Heroes: Just when it's looking grim for Mark and his friends, Eternals Ajak shows up to rescue the surviving teens.
• Big Damn Kiss: After several years of separation, Michael and Roger finally have one at the end of Haunting of Villa Layla's seventh chapter.
• Bleed 'Em and Weep: Emily has a delayed one after killing Malvagio, and is less because of the death and more because she's scared she's losing herself in the violence of war.
• Blood Knight: Victor is chomping at the bit fight the fascists in Latveria and avenge his family. And even if this gets tempered by his time with the Invaders, he still elects to stay and aid the Latverian resistance.
• Blue Blood: Maddie comes from aristocracy on both sides of her family. Her mother was the daughter of an earl, her cousin's married to a duke, and according to the author, Maddie's father is related to several American founding fathers.
• Body Horror: Fritz von Meyer is swarmed and eaten alive by the Wakandan bees. His consciousness is eventually dissipated through the swarm of bees, effectively resurrecting him.
  • In chapter ten of Phantom Pain Mister Sinister plays around with the innards of a semi-conscious Roger. Before whiting out, Roger describes being pried open and his body filling with shattered glass.
• Booby Trap: To protect the safe containing her plans, Cassandra Romulus has her office at the Arena Club outfitted with a few. An automated crossbow and an axe swinging from the ceiling are easy enough for Peggy to avoid, but she didn't expect enough explosives to level the building.
• Breaking the Fellowship: The Class of '38 (Michael, Roger, Robby, Maddie, and Edith) were thick as thieves back in Oxford, but before the story began Edith disappeared without goodbye and Roger had a falling out with Michael, causing both to go their separate ways. This left Maddie and Robby, who themselves were just starting their married life, as the only two left in contact with each other. The friends were on the cusp of reuniting when the war thrust them into various parts of the war effort and kept them distant from one another.
• Call-Back: When Sue gets to visit Stark Labs, she sees several items that appeared previously in Agent Carter and other films.
  • The flying car from Captain America: The First Avenger is there, and still broken down.
  • The photonic amplifier, which was only in the planning stages when mentioned in the first season, has reached a prototpye stage.
  • Howard also seems to have made an actual Blitzkrieg Button, since the original was just a ruse meant to hide Steve's blood sample in.
  • The radio typewriter used in the first few episodes also makes an appearance.
• Call-Forward:
  • The ending of Roger's focus chapter in Haunting of Villa Layla has Ego the Living Planet comment that something about human genetics clearly had a reaction with his own, and he'd have to visit the planet again. Of course, next time he does so is when he conceives Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord.
  • Peggy calls Sousa her "good eye", something Nick Fury would later use to refer to Philip Coulson.
• Canon Character All Along: Emily Gower soon gets the cover identity of Jacqueline Falsworth, and later on becomes a vampire just like she did.
• Carbon Skin: Roger's Inhuman power can transform his skin into a diamond like substance that greatly increases his durability and strength, as well as giving him sharp claws on his fingertips.
• Car Chase Shoot-Out: Dottie and Emily get stuck in one when the feds raid one of the Invaders' safehouses, with them on a motorbike. They also leave another chase shortly before it begins, but that one sees the other Invaders evading the feds in a boat.
• Cast Full of Gay: Michael Carter gets Brian Falsworth's sexuality and relationship with Roger Aubrey. Emily is bisexual, as is her girlfriend Edith. When they rendezvous with the rest of Operation Meridian they meet Madeline Joyce-Frank, who's comments indicate that she and her husband are queer as well.
  Maddie: Sorry for scaring you, Gower. I should let you know that Carter and I come from a...Bohemian circle. If you will. And I think you're smart enough to realize there's more people like yourself than you thought before.
  • Upon the Chaos Dark reveals that Michael's ex Roger is still active and somewhere in Europe.
  • Shadow of the Eagle introduces Mark Anthony Todd, who's later POV indicates he is crushing hard on Pat. A later chapter has Pat himself note that he's never been interested in attraction beyond the aesthetic, all but confirming him to be asexual.
  • The Haunting of Villa Layla reveals that Anthea is trans and is at least attracted to women. Near the end of her chapter, Anthea and Maddie sleep together, while Mark and Robby also have a tryst.
• Cheated Death, Died Anyway: Thompson only barely survives being shot through the heart in Phantom Pain, but manages to stabilize long enough to speak with Peggy and Sousa for a few minutes. He still dies by the end of the first chapter.
• Chekhov's Gun: The photonic amplifier is mentioned in chapter 11 of Phantom Pain alongside several other inventions, but in the following chapter Sue hooks it up to the Gamma Cannon to make a light-based weapon that Arclight's powers can't deflect.
• Clarke's Third Law: Sousa mentions it in chapter nine of Phantom Pain (which itself is titled "Sufficiently Advanced Technology"), claiming he heard it from someone he met in London (implied to be Clarke himself). It's used to help bridge the gap between the things The Invaders have been dealing with (which mostly have supernatural connections) versus what he and Peggy have been facing (highly advanced science). Emily also has to play into this with Ivan, since he'd never believe in magic despite seeing agents from the Abyss with his own eyes; she has to tell him they're advanced HYDRA experiments.
  Samberly: Bold move to come into a scientist's house and start talking about magic.
  Roger: When you think about it, a lot of the things our lot have faced seem to come right out of a fairytale.
  Sousa: Sufficiently advanced technology. *Beat* Oh, it's uh, it's something a guy I met over in London said once. That if the rate of technological advance stays the same, by the 21st century it would seem like magic to us.
• Colliding Criminal Conspiracies: Phanton Pain is a tangled web full of these. The criminal factions are pushed by Joseph Manfredi (who wants to protect Whitney along with his usual organized crime), the Council of Nine (trying to keep their control of American Society after Whitney's mess), Cassandra Romulus (the same HYDRA power play, as well as obtain an ancient doomsday relic), Whitney Frost (who's still trying to master the Zero Matter), Michael Carter (who killed Thompson and is acting as a rogue agent from British Intelligence), and the FBI (who simply want to stop Peggy and her team at every corner). By the halfway point they've all interefered with each other in some way.
  • Manfredi's operations lend their help to Peggy after they determine Manfredi is in danger.
  • Cassandra Romulus kills the Council of Nine (aside from those loyal to her) and turns out to have the feds in her pocket already.
  • Whitney Frost is possessed by the Zero Matter itself and does...something to Manfredi.
• Compelling Voice: Maddie is revealed to have the ability to control people with her voice in chapter six of Headfirst Slide.
• Composite Character:
  • Michael Carter is given the new identity of Brian Falsworth, the man who eventually became the second Union Jack. Furthermore, he also takes on the cover identity of reporter Kevin Marlow, who would go on to become the first Destroyer (an alias that Brian Falsworth also used).
  • The Dreadknight title, originally used by Bram Velsing, is given to Abraham Van Helsing from Dracula.
  • Original character Gisele Brandt is given the code name Dryad, which was used by the comic book version of Peggy Carter.
  • The description of the zero matter zombies and the organisms themselves as being sensitive to heat and sound implies that they're also connected to Symbiotes.
• Continuity Nod:
  • One of the papers Michael has access to during his sequester is The Daily Bugle.
  • After being assaulted, the officer who takes Emily's statement is Lt. Wells, Peggy's fiance from Agent Carter.
  • Volker's powers are believed to come from the heart-shaped herb, or a synthesized extract of the herb, which HYDRA obtained after sending several search parties into Wakanda. The lone survivor reported the group being attacked by a black-clad figure. A later chapter elaborates: a related smuggling operation was the one Emily made a name for herself with when she helped bust it, and also contained a shipment of vibranium that was later jacked by Howard Stark to make Steve's shield.
• Cursed with Awesome: The Mask of Death transforms the wearer into the Dreadknight, giving them strength and a healing factor at the cost of being unable to leave the shadow of Mount Wundagore. As Victoria states, it's the only item her ancestors did not return to Mount Wundagore because they felt it's price wasn't nearly as dire as the other artifacts.
• Create Your Own Hero: HYDRA experiments are what give Roger Aubrey his powers, and the ability to tear apart the base he was being held at.
• The Dandy: Roger tried to style himself as one in the past, explicitly citing Wilde, Baudelaire, and Brummell as idols. This of course is quite at odds with the often violent tasks he has to perform as a soldier in the war, and while he's come to accept killing he still hates the sight of blood.
• Deal with the Devil: The Faustian Queen likes to tempt mortals into making deals with her. Emily makes a deal to save her father from a deadly illness.
• Death Faked for You: After making his way back to British Intelligence, they take advantage of Michael's reported demise to bring him onto Operation Meridian.
• Decomposite Character: A much more literal example: Agent Axis from the comics was a man literally fused together from a German (Berthold Volker), an Italian (Aldo Malvagio), and a Japanese man (Hiroyuki Kanegawa). Here the first two are individual characters, and their deaths would make Agent Axis' creation seem unlikely. Kanegawa hasn't made an appearance, though that's understandable since the fic focuses on the European front.
  • "Dryad" was a codename Peggy Carter used in the comics. Here she doesn't use any codenames, and the cover is given to original character Giselle Brandt.
• Delicate and Sickly: Dottie is this after the zero matter tries to take over her body, and Emily subsequently rallying Ivan's crew to try and get it out of her. Afterwards she needs Emily's help to stay steady, and Sousa compares her to a wet cat.
• Dem Bones: Among her army of the undead, Velanna turned the bones of meals into re-animated, halberd wielding skeletons.
• Dénouement Episode: The final chapter of "Shadow of the Eagle" is quite low-key after the explosive chapter before it. The first part is a brief recap of the events of Dracula and how Edith ties into it, as well as her personal history with the Class of '38. The latter half is Edith being recovered by the Fidonisi party and brought to the Villa Layla to debrief and destress before everyone's next mission.
• Determinator: Emily walked 314 miles from Toulon to Geneva in five days after a security breach caused the rest of her SOE cell to collapse, and delivered important documents when she arrived.
• Dirty Old Man: Hugh Jones is shown to be very interested in very young women. Roger compares Jones' Malibu estate to Louis XV's infamous Parc-aux-Cerf due to how many young women and underaged girls were seen hanging around.
• Double Tap: Having faced Arclight previously, Michael doesn't give her a chance to recuperate and shoots her in the head while she's unconscious just to be safe.
• Downer Beginning: The first chapter of Headfirst starts with Victor and his friends attacking a HYDRA outpost and getting wiped out with only Victor surviving.
• Drives Like Crazy: Emily, as mentioned above, but her skills don't leave her passengers any less terrified when they're stuck in the car with her.
• Eating the Eye Candy: Michael is immediately attracted to King Azzuri once the latter removes his cowl. Emily is happy to rib him for it.
  Emily: His majesty's rather fetching.
  *Michael nods.*
  Emily: He even made you blush, sir.
  Michael: No. Gower. It’s a...sunburn.
  Emily: *stifling a laugh* Of course, sir. What else would it be, sir.
  • Edith has a moment early into her relationship with Emily where she can't help but admire how pretty Emily looks in a red bathing suit.
  • In a flashback in Headfirst, Victoria becomes very distracted by how strong and handsome Abraham van Helsing has become.
• Eldritch Abomination: Nothing is right about the Faustian Queen. Her first appearance has a puppet-like quality to it. The next she looks like a literal pen and ink drawing. And the third time she looks like she's made from wax. Emily, Mark, and Anthea speculate that the Faustian Queen and Those Who Sleep Beneath are of the same category of entities far older to Earth than, say, the Olympians and Asir.
• Empathic Weapon: The Fleur du Mal is sentient and is capable of compelling it's owner to certain actions.
• Enemy Mine: In "Phantom Pain", Emily and company convince Dottie to assist them because both parties are invested in shutting down HYDRA in the states, albeit for different reasons - Dottie to get back in the USSR's good graces, the Invaders because it's their job to stop fascism. They later have to do the same thing with Ivan, who's far less receptive until the gravity of the threat becomes more clear.
• Ethical Slut: Robbie and Maddie. The two have an open marriage, but also a mutual understanding - they inform each other if they intend to pursue other people, and don't flirt with others in relationships unless the person has expressed interest. When Michael warns the two off of trying to seduce Emily, Robbie counters that they already know Emily and Edith have their own history and would never think of it.
• Everyone Went to School Together: Maddie explains to Emily that she knows Carter because they went to Oxford together alongisde her future husband Robert Frank, Carter's friend Roger Aubrey, and Emily's girlfriend Edith Harker.
• Exposition Dump: Chapter 7 of Shadow of the Eagle has one at the beginning. Justified in-universe since most of the team on Fidonisi have no idea what each other are capable of beyond some sly remarks until the ambush in the previous chapter, so when they have a chance to catch their breath they basically ask each other what the hell everyone is.
• Facial Horror: Schmitt tells Michael that he was there when Red Skull's face melted.
• Falling into His Arms: Inverted - Howard is struck by Vertigo's powers and his attempts to warn Peggy and Angie just lead to him collapsing into the latter's arms as they enter the lobby.
• The Fair Folk: Emily hypothesizes that Faustian Queen and the Faerie Queen of British legends are one and the same. The Queen's court includes a Mari Lwyd and little men who look like they stepped out of a Hieronymus Bosch painting. She also mentions her relationship to other Christmas figures like Krampus and Perchta, pre-Christian Germanic and Alpine folklore creatures associated with mid-winter. Krampus is known for punishing naughty children with birch rods, and sometimes kidnapping them. Perchta has a long association with Frau Holle, The Wild Hunt, the Roman Diana, and a Celtic bear goddess called Artio.
• Fantastically Indifferent: Pat Mason puts up a strong front as he realizes more and more of the team in Shadow of the Eagle aren't quite human.
• Fish out of Temporal Water: John Steele, who appears in the first Radio Chatter entry, calculates that he's spent twenty years on ice and another fifty years in another dimension.
• Flash Forward: The coda at the end of Pat's story is set in 1960 on the night Rahne Sinclair, aka Wolfsbane, was born.
• Fling a Light into the Future: Cynthia von Doom placed a spell within Djordji's journal so that Victor would have a vision of her last day. While she's not actually talking to him, her astral form narrates what happened and why to him, urging him to find his inner strength and defend the remnants of her people.
• Fold the Page, Fold the Space: Sue uses this to demonstrate an Einstein-Rosen Bridge to Peggy and her associates. She only demonstrates creating a bridge from Los Angeles to New York, however, and elaborates that Cassandra Romulus' plans don't seem to have an actual destination at the other end of the tunnel. She also coins the term "wormhole" during her explanation.
• Foreshadowing: In Death in the Golden Hour, Emily notices her hunger after smelling blood in the distance, indicating that by this time she has gained the vampiric attributes of her comics counterpart.
• Forever War: In chapter seven, Michael thinks about how the post-war will be just as bad because as soon as the Axis is defeated, the Allied forces are likely to turn on each other and start fighting over what's left.
  When the war is over, if he survives the serum, they'll still put him, and men like him, to use. He sees it now, the map with all the battle lines drawn, where all the points of friction are. They're the borders that cross Africa and Asia, drawn in London and Paris by men who'd never seen those places. The current alliance is temporary and there will be a fight for the spoils of war should they win. It's happened before, and it will happen again.
• Funetik Aksent: Fritz von Meyer is given a very exaggerated German accent.
• Game Face: During Victoria and Abraham's final fight with Velanna, the vampire turns into a corpse coloured, spidery monster with too many teeth.
• If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: When Emily needs to abandon Dottie in order to fight off some of Romulus' men, she gives one of these to Ivan as he stays behind with Dottie.
  Emily: If anything happens to her -
  Ivan: You will slit my throat.
• I Gave My Word: Emily and Roger both promised Dottie that after she helps them clean up the mess with HYDRA they'd set her free, so when Ivan captures her and states that she's too dangerous to be allowed to live they both take offense to that.
• Ghostapo: HYDRA, naturally. Emily mentions the rumours her unit heard about them made it sound like they were "conducting Doctor Frankenstein-like experiments in gloomy châteaux across the Loire". The two get a firsthand taste of it when Malvagio reveals himself to be a werewolf, and later have to fight a vampiric Kenneth Crichton on Fidonisi.
• God Guise: Anthea thought herself beautiful enough to surpass the goddess of beauty, so pretended to be Venus while on Fidonisi. For that, she was cursed to guard the island and it's temple - and she knows she got off easy.
• Godzilla Threshold: How King Azzuri justifies letting Michael obtain a sample of the heart-shaped herb - though he stresses that the sample is all they're getting unless the Allied governments are willing to negotiate.
  King Azzuri: Giving you even one sample of the herb will only tempt more to come to steal from my people. But there is a madman who cannot be stopped without great effort. Maybe what you plan to do will buy those who oppose him a day. Will bring victory closer.
  Michael: Thank you, your majesty.
  King Azzuri: But let it be known. Tell your masters that we will not tolerate theft from our people. They may come to us, and negotiate a fair agreement. That is all we want: respect.
  • In Headfirst Slide, the line is crossed by Cynthia von Doom when she senses her husband's death and gives into Chthon to use the Scarlet Witch powers so that she can defeat the emperor's guardsmen. It backfires spectacularly.
• Hearing Voices: Emily begins hearing (and later seeing) Kenneth Crichton at inopportune times during the mission on Fidonisi. It's later revealed that he's a vampire and has fed on her, creating a psychic connection between the two that he can use to manipulate her.
• Hero of Another Story: While Emily and Michael were dealing with their own adventure in the story's opening, Edith Harker had cut off all contact with her and the class of '38 to deal with her own villains. She gives sparse details to Emily, only telling her that she lost a man she loved and had to give up the child they had together.
• He Who Fights Monsters: Discussed - Emily is worried about this happening to her, as she barely feels anything when she kills and fears she'll come to enjoy it. Madeline assures her that it's a common worry among their business, and the fact that she has these concerns means she hasn't lost herself yet.
  Emily: I've come to love the thrill of danger. Despite everything. I found I was a good fighter, I loved close quarters training, and I enjoyed parachuting. I'm probably more suited to the job than I like to think I am. And what scares me is my lack of feeling about killing. That I might come to... like it.
• Historical Domain Character: Captain Donald Gavin Steele and John Richard "Jake" Easonsmith were real members of the Long Range Desert Patrol who make an appearance in Robby's story in The Haunting of Villa Layla.
  • J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis are heard in the background of the same chapter arguing about elves and spacemen and God and Shakespeare when Robby and Maddie meet up at The Child and The Eagle pub.
• Historical Fiction: In addition to being a Marvel fanfic, the story also takes place deep in the middle of WWII, and the author mixes in actual historical fact and espionage procedure alongside the pulp elements.
• Historical In-Joke:
  • Angie tells Peggy about meeting another actress named Norma Jeane, but bemoans that she signed with Fox and not Paramount.
  • Peggy and Howard mention meeting "Marmaduke", an intelligence officer with an affinity for gadgets. Marmaduke was the nickname of Jon Pertwee, who really did do intelligence work and teach others how to use gadgets similar to the lipstick gun Peggy gives to Angie.
• Hollywood Healing: Averted: Michael takes months to recover from his injuries and had a setback when he caught pneumonia. Even a year after the near fatal bridge explosion, Michael still has a limp and often feels pain in his knee. Getting attacked and stabbed in his wounds later doesn't do him any favours either.
• Hulking Out: Volker reveals he has this ability in chapter eleven. Schmitt believes it happened to him via the heart-shaped herb.
• Hungry Weapon: The Fleur du Mal craves blood and will drive those who weald it into a murderous frenzy to satiate that hunger.
• Immune to Bullets: Roger Aubrey's powers are first demonstrated when a bullet ricochets off his skin and hits a HYDRA soldier. He later determines he can make his skin as hard as diamond.
  • When Arclight attacks, she's able to use her electrical powers to throw bullets away from her. While Michael holds her off, Jason and Sue quickly make a device that can fire a light-based projectile and knock her out.
• Incompatible Orientation: While serving in France, Michael fell in love with fellow Soldier Fred Davis, but knew it would never be reciprocated because he already had a wife and a young son.
  • In The Haunting of Villa Layla Mark still has a lingering crush on Pat, who is asexual and has little interest sex and sexual relationships. This is becoming a possible point of tension at least on Mark's part.
• Indignant Slap: When Peggy discovers that Michael really is still alive in Phanton Pain, she's at a loss of how to react. She opts to slap him in the face.
• Interservice Rivalry: In Agent Carter: Phantom Pain the rivalry between the Secret Intelligence Service and the Special Operations Executive has gotten completely out of control and violent, due to differing opinions on what Britain's post-war, and post-imperial, role should be.
• Irony: When explaining the time she spent in Germany during her youth to Michael, Emily mentions how her host father hoped that having two daughters meant the girls would never have to fight should war come again. She relays this, of course, as a woman in British intelligence who's just been sent to join a highly confidential wartime project.
  • A more humorous example comes at the end of Michael's chapter in The Haunting of Villa Layla where Khonshu hopes that a suitable person will come along to be his avatar soon. Of course, readers will know that Moon Knight doesn't take place for another eighty-eight years.
• It's Personal: During Shadow of the Eagle, the team realize they're being menaced by Kenneth Crichton. Michael and Robby's group were associates of him in college, but cut ties during his unwanted pursuit of Edith Harker. When they realize he's hoping to do the same to Emily using his newfound vampiric abilities, they're even more determined to stop him.
  • Victor's fight against HYDRA and the Latverian royal family is fueled by the loss of his family and friends, along with the greater existential threat they pose to Latveria's Romani population.
• It's Quiet… Too Quiet: While scoping out a potentially HYDRA affiliated location in Santa Clarita, Michael and Emily find the area eerily quiet - not even wildlife can be heard. Later when they leave, they stop some distance from the location and hear the wind and cicadas as normal.
• Jurisdiction Friction: Peggy and Daniel do not take kindly to the idea of the FBI taking over investigating Thompson's murder. Chief Flynn doesn't give them any option, pointing out that the SSR is to be disbanded and likely rolled into the newly formed CIA.
• Legacy Character:
  • The final chapter of Sixes and Sevens introduces King Azzuri, the Black Panther of 1943. This makes him T'Chaka's father and T'Challa's grandfather.
  • Shadow of the Eagle introduces Mark Anthony Todd, who turns out to be possessed by a Spirit of Vengeance.
• Magical Guardian: Djordji Zindelo Hungaros is a sorcerer and guardian to a young Victor von Doom.
• Magical Romani: Naturally comes up whenever the story delves into the history of Victor von Doom and Latveria.
  • Abraham van Helsing meets Victoria Vladimirescu and Djordji Zindelo Hungaros when he arrives at Zefiro village, the former of whom is being tutored in sorcery by the latter.
  • During Headfirst, it's implied that Djordji tried to become a fully-fledged sorcerer but was cast out of Kamar-Taj because he was Romani. Though he tried to pass that knowledge on to Victoria's descendants, a bigotry-motivated tragedy prompted him to stop. Generations later, Cythnia von Doom tried to pick it up but was never as skilled as Djordji was until she makes a deal with Cthon for more power - and that doesn't help her much in the long run either.
• Make-Out Kids: Maddie and Robbie have an exceptionally healthy love life...to the point where characters notice them briefly stealing away and returning disheveled in the middle of missions.
• Megaton Punch: When Pat reappears in Phantom Pain, he's since acquired gauntlets that send out a powerful shockwave upon impact.
• Mentor Occupational Hazard: Djordji uses up the last of his magic to use the Staff of the Living Tribunal to get Victor and Robby to safety, which leads to his demise.
• Mismeasurement: Invoked, as somebody intentionally altered the formula Whitney Frost was working on when they came across the chalkboard in her lab. When Sue looks at the photograph of said board, then consults the recreation Howard made, she realizes something has been changed and sets to work fixing it.
• Mistaken for Romance: Ivan never considers Michael could be gay, so he sees his devotion to Emily and vice versa as romantic rather than something codependent formed during the war.
• Mistaken for Servant: Emily is briefly assumed to be Michael's secretary by Pat Mason and Mark Todd, until she clarifies that her "specialized skills" include assistance, chauffeuring, close-quarters combat, and marksmanship.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Herman Zemo, the grandfather of Helmut, is credited by Schmitt as the one who got him and Erskine to administer the serum to Red Skull. He fled to Argentina when the latter was deformed because of it.
  • Julia Koenig is mentioned by Volker and Malvagio as giving them a version of the formula. In the comics she would go on to become Warrior Woman, another HYDRA super soldier.
  • Erich Schmitt is named for Eric Schmitt, who worked on the Super Soldier Serum with Erskine, shared a prison cell with the original Destroyer Kevin Marlow and gave his version of the serum to Brian Falsworth, the second Union Jack
  • Emily's girlfriend Edith Harker is the daughter of Quincy Harker from The Tomb of Dracula.
  • Michael served with a man named Fred Davis Sr. The second Bucky in the comics was Fred Davis Jr., and it is stated that Sr. had a son before he died.
  • Emily mentions a sergeant she served under named Betty Barstow, who taught her more advanced driving techniques. In the comics, Betty Barstow was Invader's ally the Silver Scorpion, who worked as a secretary for a private detective.
  • Malvagio mentions a HYDRA scientist who, after being told about Emily's superhuman abilities, wondered if she might be a homo superior.
  • Mark Todd refers to the presence in his mind as "the other guy", the same way Bruce Banner referred to The Hulk.
  • When discussing the team's abilities, Pat Mason calls himself "some tosser from Glasgow with a good right hook". His comics counterpart was Thunderfist, a member of the Crusaders with a Megaton Punch.
  • Velanna Lupescu, the vampiress who Van Helsing fights in The Haunting of Villa Layla, is taken from the Dracula Lives! comics where she was one of his brides (who only lasted two issues).
  • Sebastian Shaw shows up to give Howard Stark information about the infighting going on within British intelligence. In X-Men: Hellfire #4, it's revealed that Howard was inducted into the Hellfire Club with Sebastian Shaw, Warren Worthington II, and John Braddock, but it seems that Howard was only interested in their lavish parties.
  • Harvey Elder, aka Moleman of the Fantastic Four fame, is a nerdy teenager in Harlan, Kentucky who's interested in Journey to the Center of the Earth.
  • Mister Knife of Guardians of the Galaxy was Peter Quill's father in the comics. He shows up in Roger's chapter of The Haunting of Villa Layla working for Ego the Living Planet, Peter's father in the films.
  • When Howard asks Vertigo where her accent is from, she claims she comes from "very far north". Of course in the comics, she's from the Savage Land in Antarctica.
  • When looking at the Gamma cannon, Sue imagines what it could do to a regular person if they were hit by it and theorizes the results could be "incredible, certainly..but savage." Those are the two adjectives usually used to describe The Hulk.
• Not Cheating Unless You Get Caught: Emily claims that running a red light doesn't count unless she gets caught, and she only got caught once.
• Obliviously Superpowered: Emily always knew she was a little stronger than normal, but it takes her kicking a werewolf across a room and healing severe injuries in a matter of days to consider that there might be something else going on.
• Oblivious to Love: Pat Mason has never found himself interested in relationships of any sort, so he's caught by surprise when Robby tells him that Mark's been crushing on him since they met.
• One-Steve Limit: Last-name version. Michael is quick to point out that Dr. Erich Schmitt, the scientist he and Emily are to track down, bears no relation to Johann Schmidt of HYDRA.
• Our Sirens Are Different: Anthea takes on a bird-like form when she uses her abilities to fight HYDRA goons. She can also become a small sparrow or a massive seabird. She also has the hypnotic singing of her mythological counterparts, though she can't control who's effected when they hear it.
• Our Vampires Are Different: They hit pretty much all the standard vampire tropes - they burn in sunlight, crave blood, and fear crucifixes. The manner of turning a person requires three bites, with each instance having the victim fall more and more under the thrall of the vampire who bit them. They also seem to have some Voluntary Shapeshifting abilities, as demonstrated by Velanna.
• Our Werewolves Are Different: In his story of the wolf of Ullapool, Pat notes that Abigail Slade didn't transform in line with the lunar cycles and could talk to him in her regular wolf form.
• Outside-Context Problem: The zero matter organisms are this for Ivan and his communist crew, since they were expecting a simple retrieval mission to get Dottie. Emily knows they're not prepared for the more cosmic nature of the creatures, so she simplifies the situation into "a HYDRA experiemnt gone wrong".
• Overly Long Name: The crown prince of Latveria is named Prince Rudolfo Vladimir Gonero Hassen Mangegi Fortunov.
• Painting the Medium: The voice of the Fleur du Mal, as well as those wielding it when it exerts it's influence on them, is coloured bright red.
  • The voice of Ammit is coloured purple, while Khonshu's voice is in bold font.
  • Part of Velanna's thoughts are written in red, representing her hunger and lust.
• Powered Armor: One of the few actually working HYDRA weapons is a suite of power armor, codenamed Project Torpedo, is found by the Invaders in Latveria and used by Victor to kill the Crown Prince.
• Powers via Possession: Mark Todd is possessed by a Spirit of Vengeance, and gets all the powers of a Ghost Rider (strength, speed, fire powers) that come with it.
• Pre-Climax Climax: Abraham and Victoria get it on before they defeat Velanna.
• Properly Paranoid: Peggy believes Cassandra Romulus will go after Angie to get to her and decides she needs to bring her back to the mansion to keep her safe, which Michael chides her for since they're already pressed for time. But sure enough, when she and Howard reach Angie they find Vertigo waiting for them and only barely get out.
• Psychic Children: Roger's chapter of The Haunting of Villa Layla reveals that a psychic girl who is the daughter of Ego the Living Planet and implies that Roger may have some psychic abilities himself.
• Psychic Nosebleed: Both Ilona and Mindscan start bleeding from their nose and eyes during their psychic duel.
• Race Lift:
  • Anthea, based on the very white Victoria Starr/Venus, is stated to have dark skin.
  • The chapter notes for Agent Carter: Phantom Pain state that Sue and Johnny Storm are Black, with Sue played by China Anne McClain.
• Raising the Steaks: Velanna Lupescu has a pair of vampire bears under her command. Emily doesn't seem surprised that it could happen, as if they look at vampirism like a disease it's not hard to picture it jumping from one species to another.
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: After transformation, Michael's hair turns black and his skin becomes very pale. Emily thinks that he looks rather handsome, but almost difficult to look at.
• Real Event, Fictional Cause: The eruption of Santorini is portrayed as the result of a battle between Hela and Odin. The destruction of the Minoan civilization happens the same as well, though the ensuing rise of the Greek Pantheon is portrayed as the Muses calling upon said gods to settle in the area to protect the decimated populace.
• Really 700 Years Old: Anthea, the team's contact in Fidonisi, is implied to be much older and more powerful than she lets on. The fact that she easily knows about Inhumans and ancient civilizations supports this. Turns out she's a siren from Ancient Greece, born from the Muse Terpsichore and God Achelous.
  • The fourth chapter of "Haunting" takes place in part from her perspective of the Theran Eruption, making her at least 3400 years old.
• Related in the Adaptation: Peggy Carter and Brian Falsworth were unrelated in the comics and the films, but this fic makes him her brother Michael (who is also an MCU creation).
• The Remnant: The Romani population of Latveria has been scattered and decimated after generations of oppression, which unfortunately reflects real-life events as well. When the Invaders meet Victor and Djordji, they believe themselves to be the last survivors of Zefiro village after the royal family had it razed. In the final chapter he learns the Boris was also born in Zefiro, and the two decide to work together in the hopes of uniting the rest of their people and making Latveria a safe haven for them once again.
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: The story starts with Michael Carter's death being faked. The description of the fic on AO3 even references this quote.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: King Azzuri of Wakanda, who currently holds the mantle of Black Panther, lays waste to a HYDRA encampment trying to smuggle out Vibranium and heart-shaped herb.
• Rule of Three: Three times the Faustian Queen offers Emily a boon. Thrice Emily refuses. The fourth time, Emily takes up the offer with dire consequences.
• Ruritania: Latveria is described as a small, rural, backwaters kingdom in the Balkans full of intrigue, magic, usurpers, and rebels.
• Shoe Phone: For self-defense, Peggy gives Angie a tube of lipstick that can fire a .22 caliber bullet from the bottom when twisted correctly. She admits it's no pistol, but it can do some damage up close and at the very least can distract someone if she needs to make a getaway.
• Shown Their Work: The story is meticulously well-researched, down to the smallest detail (including viable travel times between locations) and has footnotes every so often to help expand on the real-life historical terms and events that are being referenced.
  • Sparky shows off their own research throughout The Haunting of Villa Layla, but Anthea's chapter stands out with copious notes about the Greek Bronze Age, such as the estimation of when Astarte could have come to the area (which would eventually lead to her evolution into Aphrodite), the history of the river god Achelous (Anthea's father), and the dating of the Thera eruption.
• Shout-Out:** After telling Emily about an encounter with Fighting Jack Churchill, Emily exclaims "You should go into battle with a sword, Carter!" Generation Kill, of which the author is also a fan of, has a similar line.

  • The above chapter's title came from the book One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick, who was an officer featured in Generation Kill.

  • The final chapter gets its title from a famous exchange in Lawrence of Arabia, along with a quote from Lawrence's book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
  • Emily tells Michael that if he gets out of line after getting the serum she'll shoot him like Colonel Kurtz.
  • A subtle reference is made to Band of Brothers when Emily tells Mark Anthony Todd that there's "dust on your jump wings, cowboy."
  • In "Upon the Chaos Dark," Roger Aubrey's new ability- covering himself in armour and making his fingers highly strong and sharp- is described as the ultimate shield, much like Greed's ability.
  • The codename of the team's contact in Shadow of the Eagle is Nausicaä - and while the anime character is named for an actual greek figure, the umlaut is only included for the former.
  • When Michael tells Robbie not to try anything untoward with Emily, Robbie responds "I would never steal a friend's beau, you whore."
  • Chapter 5 of Shadow of the Eagle is described as an homage to Old Gods of Appalachia; specifically, Mark's tale about meeting a mysterious women in Barlo, Kentucky who appears to be Daughter Dooley.
  • Mark also mentions encountering Barrow and Locke Mining and Railroad Combine back home in chapter 7, and the footnote claims that the company would "is a fine addition to Marvel's many corporations of dubious repute".
  • The Haunting of Villa Layla is a reference to the Doctor Who episode "The Haunting of Villa Diodati". Much like the historical inspiration for the episode, the story also features a group of characters being trapped in a home due to grim weather and telling spooky stories to pass the time.
  • The third chapter has two to the infamously memetic Amazons Attack!. First is when Robby casually snarks "my God" after determining Fritz von Meyer's plans. After concluding his story and being met with middling reviews, he mopes that they "should all be thanking [him] for stopping a deadly bee weapon".
  • Emily's chapter in The Haunting of Villa Layla mentions the Crimson Abbess and Bonewhite Jacques from Jemjammer.
  • Chapter 5 of Phantom Pain Emily tells Dottie that sometimes "dreams are messeges from the deep", directly quoting Dune.
  • Chapter 11 of Phantom Pain is titled "Do You Think Love Can Bloom, Even on the Battlefield?", a quote from Metal Gear Solid.
    • The same chapter opens with Howard telling a phone operator to connect him to the University of Los Angeles and, after a moment, he reiterates that "it's in Los Angeles".
• Sinister Minister: Pat immediately took a dislike to Reverend Craig Sinclair of Ullapool. He describes Sinclair as being too eager to help the local women, leering at his then-teenage sister, and often delivering fire and brimstone sermons. Later he whips a mob of Torches and Pitchforks to go after a phantom wolf, claiming it was sent to punish the locals for their sinful ways.
• Spotting the Thread:
  • Michael and Emily are suspicious of Volker because he carries himself like a soldier, and Michael confirms he isn't who he says he is based on a subtle discrepancy with his accent.
  • Emily figures out that "Brian Falsworth" is a cover identity because he has no personal affects in his office, despite allegedly being in the field for years. All it takes after that is some picked locks and very sloppy bookkeeping to find Michael's original file, or what's left of it after being redacted.
• Stiff Upper Lip: Michael references the trope while musing on his past en route to Kayseri.
  Before the war, Michael would have never considered himself one for brooding. If anything, he followed in the fine British tradition of refusing to acknowledge that anything was wrong and drowning any thought to the contrary with copious amounts of alcohol. It was how he ended up in a drunken stupor for a term at Oxford when he finally accepted that he was a queer and nothing would change that.
• Stop Being Stereotypical: Sousa claims he's fine with Roger being gay, he just doesn't like how flamboyant he is. Peggy counters that Howard is no better, and if Sousa's handled him for as long as he has then he can put up with Roger for a few hours.
• String Theory: Howard Stark's study becomes host to this as Peggy and co try to figure out the plans of Manfredi, Whitney, and Cassandra Romulus.
• Stupid Jetpack Hitler: Played with - obviously there are successful scientific advances performed by HYDRA, but the rumours that spread among the allied forces cites their failures as much as their successes, and both are met with skepticism. Even though Fritz von Meyer becomes Swarm by 1943, that wasn't his goal and he still has to contend with being eaten alive by bees.
• Super-Soldier: The whole fic is about MI-6 trying to get their hands on a serum after Dr. Erskine's death, and the Axis and HYDRA forces trying to beat them to it. HYDRA's also created some prototypes - the hulking Volker, powered by the heart-shaped herb, and Malvagio, who's a werewolf.
• Sweet Polly Oliver: Emily disguises herself as a young boy when the team sneak through Nazi-infested waters in Shadow of the Eagle.
• Taken for Granite: Roger Aubrey experiences a horrifying version when imprisoned with other men in a HYDRA prison. They're marched into a modified gas chamber which is pumped full of Terrigen Mist, causing them all to turn to stone. Roger survives and gains his abilities, but not before realizing that the chunks of stone the soldiers are shovelling away used to be people.
• Tarot Motifs: The chapters of The Haunting of Villa Layla are titled after the Major Arcana.
• Team Member in the Adaptation:
  • Anthea's basis, Victoria Starr, was not a member of the Invaders but rather the Agents of Atlas.
  • Mister Sinister's two teams in the comics, the Marauders and the Nasty Boys, existed independantly of each other. In Phantom Pain, the strike force sent after Peggy and Michael's team is composed of Marauders Arclight, Harpoon, and Vertigo, Nasty Boy Ruckus, and Swarm (who never worked for Sinister in the comics as he's not a mutant).
• Teen Genius: Victor is seventeen and a scientific wunderkind, demonstrating his mechanical skills by figuring out to power and operate a HYDRA built power armour after seeing the schematics once.
• Throw the Book at Them: During their time in college, Crichton was enough of a creep to Edith that she beat him up with a copy of A Hero of Our Time.
• Titled After the Song: Several chapters get their names from songs, usually their titles but sometimes their lyrics.
  • In Sixes and Sevens: Chapter 7 is from "Weapon" by Matthew Good, Chapter 8 is "Wolf Like Me" by TV on the Radio; Chapter 11 is "How Not To Drown" by Chvrches featuring Robert Smith; Chapter 12 is "Devils and Dust" by Bruce Springsteen.
  • Upon the Chaos Dark gets it's title from a lyric in the hymn Eternal Father, Strong to Save, which is often called the Naval Hymn.
  • In Shadow of the Eagle: Chapter 5 is "Sleeping Sickness" by City and Colour; Chapter 6 comes from "Idumea" by the Sacred Harp Singers; Chapter 7 is "Anthem for Doomed Youth" by The Libertines; Chapter 9 is "Guns & Ammunition" by July Talks; the finale is "All This and Heaven Too" by Florence + the Machine.
  • The title of Headfirst Slide into Latveria on a Bad Bet is a reference to "Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet" by Fall Out Boy. The titles of chapters focusing on Victor and the Invaders are taken from the song's lyrics, while those looking at other characters (Prince Rudolfo and Cynthia von Doom) are lyrics from other Fall Out Boy songs.
  • In Phantom Pain: Chapter 6 gets it's title from a lyric in "Dead Souls" by Joy Division; Chapter 12 is "Nasty Boys Don't Ever Change" by Janet Jackson.
• Token Human: Of the seven people on the team in Shadow of the Eagle, only Pat and Robby are fully human.
• Unrelated in the Adaptation: In the comics, Brian was the son of James Montgomery Falsworth. Here the two characters are unrelated, as Brian is actually Peggy's brother Michael. A later chapter states that his cover identity was lifted from a child who died of meningitis, so it's possible the name comes from a brother of James'.
• Use Your Head: Michael does this to himself to get the voices of Ammit and Khonshu out of his head.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Emily, in the eyes of her parents. She went off for war, and when she returned she acted so coldly and off that they couldn't recognize her.
  Mrs. Gower: David, dear, our daughter's been acting so queer. I don't think she’s our girl anymore. Whoever she is, she's not our daughter.
• Vampire Monarch: Kenneth Crichton turns Prince Rudolfo into the vampiric emperor of Latveria.
• Victoria's Secret Compartment: Prior to being captured, Maddie hides Djordji's journal in her bra, banking on her captors being a little squeamish to look there.
  • Maddie is later revealed to have also concealed a pistol in her bosom in the following chapter.
  Robert: I thought you said you didn’t have a gun.
  Maddie: And lose the element of surprise? Please.
• We Need a Distraction: Howard and Angie volunteer themselves to help distract the Arena Club security while Peggy sneaks in the back. They do so by Angie acting like Howard's new beau and marching in like they own the place.
• Wham Line: In a series rife with hints and gags referencing events to happen in the future and the original comics themselves, the second chapter of "Phantom Pain" ends with a segment from Whitney Frost's perspective.
  ''The stars. The stars. They’re so bright. So many. So wondrous. There are many wondrous things Whitney sees. There are many wondrous things for her to learn. The darkness inside darkness. The end and the beginning. The Lord of the Null. The Lord of Shadows. Nameless Father. Null.
• What a Senseless Waste of Human Life: Emily gets a case of this when she and Michael have to ensure all the soldiers at the HYDRA camp they ambushed are dead, thinking about how dying unmourned and unloved in a distant land is everything she fears.
• Wolf Whistle: Mark lets out one at the double meaning of "courting" when Anthea explains to Michael that the Egyptian deities like use avatars for their works. This was also a sign that Mark's good humour was returning.
• Wolverine Claws: Roger Aubrey's ability to cover himself in armour also make his fingers highly strong and sharp - enough for him to tear his way out of three basements and raze the base.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: Acknowledged by Emily when Michael explains the events surrounding HYDRA, Captain Rogers, and Dr. Erskine's formula to her.
  She's gotten used to a certain level of pulp fiction that her life has become since joining the SOE. But this was like an H. G. Wells story. What next, martians?
• Wrench Wench: Before joining the SOE, Emily was an Auxiliary Territorial Service mechanic and driver.
• You Are Not Alone: After Mark relates his backstory to the group, Michael sends Emily to talk to him since he knows she's also been through the ringer. She manages to bring him out of his funk, and herself along the way. It helps that they could also bond over setting a trap to blow up Nazis while they did it.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
  • It's revealed in Phantom Pain that the Soviet government decided to purge Leviathan. It's alluded that they grew far beyond their mandate for Stalin's liking, and their failure to steal Howard Stark's technology was the final nail in the coffin. Further, Fennhoff's work is already in NKVD hands, so they don't need him for further work.
  • On the other side, Cassandra Romulus declares that the Council of Nine have served their purpose and her new vision of HYDRA doesn't require all of them, so she gasses them to death. She later states a similar sentiment for the Arena Club before blowing it up.

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