2005–2009: Early roles and breakthrough Atwell made her professional stage debut in
Prometheus Bound (2005) at the Sound Theatre in London, portraying Io, a maiden exiled by
Zeus. Her role received positive reviews with the
British Theatre Guide praising her performance, writing that she "makes us respond to the anguish without for a moment inviting a chuckle at her bandaged hands". In 2006, she starred as the protagonist's wife, Bianca, in
Women Beware Women at the
Royal Shakespeare Company.
The Guardian praised Atwell for projecting "the right seductive beauty". Atwell appeared in two productions from 2007 to 2008 at the
Royal National Theatre, both directed by
Nicholas Hytner:
Man of Mode and
Major Barbara. In the former, she portrayed Belinda, a SoHo PR worker and for the latter, she received an
Ian Charleson Commendation. Atwell made the transition to film roles with her first major role coming in
Woody Allen's 2007 film ''
Cassandra's Dream, playing stage actress Angela Stark. In 2008, she also appeared in The Duchess,
which earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the British Independent Film Awards. Later that year, Atwell appeared in the Miramax film Brideshead Revisited''. In 2009, Atwell made her West End debut as Catherine, the adopted niece in a troubled household, in
Lindsay Posner's
A View From the Bridge.
Variety praised her for having an "ideal freshness" and girlishness while still able to shift into uncontrolled rage; her performance was later nominated for an
Olivier Award.
2010–2016: Established actress and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2013 In 2010 Atwell appeared in
Channel 4's adaptation of
William Boyd's Any Human Heart, and later that year,
Ken Follett's
miniseries Pillars of the Earth for which she received a
Golden Globe Award nomination. In April 2010, Atwell was cast as the love interest in a then-forthcoming film about
Captain America as part of the
Marvel Cinematic Universe. She first starred as
Peggy Carter in the 2011 American superhero film
Captain America: The First Avenger.
MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the "Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011". She also voiced Carter in the 2011 video game
Captain America: Super Soldier. Following a short break from the theatre, Atwell later starred in
Alexi Kaye Campbell's 2011 production of
The Faith Machine, directed by
Jamie Lloyd at the
Royal Court Theatre. In 2013, Atwell starred in BBC Two's adaptation of
William Boyd's espionage novel,
Restless. In February of that year, she also starred in "
Be Right Back", an episode in
Charlie Brooker's critically acclaimed science fiction television series
Black Mirror. Atwell received critical praise, with critics deeming her performance one of the best of the series. That same year, Atwell also worked with
Alexi Kaye Campbell and
Jamie Lloyd again in a revival of
The Pride at
Trafalgar Studios. That year, she also appeared in the
Marvel One-Shot short film
Agent Carter. Atwell returned to Marvel for the 2014 film
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and in the 2015 films
Avengers: Age of Ultron and
Ant-Man. As Carter, she appeared in two episodes of the
ABC television show
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and as the lead role in
Agent Carter, which aired from 2015 to 2016. Agent Carter was cancelled by ABC on 12 May 2016. She also provided Carter's voice in ''
Lego Marvel's Avengers and Avengers: Secret Wars''. In 2015, Atwell played Cinderella's mother in Disney's live action adaptation of
Cinderella directed by
Kenneth Branagh. In February 2016, Atwell was cast in the ABC series
Conviction. The series aired 13 episodes between October 2016 and January 2017; in May 2017, ABC announced it had been cancelled.
2017–present: Return to theatre and Mission Impossible Atwell starred as Margaret Schlegel in
BBC One's 2017–2018 miniseries,
Howards End, based on the classic
E.M. Forster novel and adapted by playwright
Kenneth Lonergan. In 2018, she played Evelyn Robin, the wife of the titular character in Disney's live action
Winnie-the-Pooh film
Christopher Robin directed by
Marc Forster and co-starring with
Ewan McGregor. Atwell returned to the stage in 2018 in
Dry Powder at the
Hampstead Theatre and later appeared in
Josie Rourke's
Measure for Measure at the
Donmar Warehouse, opposite
Jack Lowden. The production gained critical acclaim, with
The Daily Telegraph adding that it was "beautifully staged and expertly performed". As a result of positive reception, the play's run was extended. In 2019, Atwell starred opposite
Tamara Lawrance in a
three-part BBC adaptation of
Andrea Levy's novel
The Long Song, about a slave on a sugar plantation in 19th-century Jamaica. She also reprised the role of Peggy Carter in
Avengers: Endgame. In September 2019, it was announced that Atwell will star in
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, both directed by
Christopher McQuarrie and scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States in 2023 and 2025, respectively. In 2020, Atwell began hosting the podcast series
True Spies. In 2021, early reviews for
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway revealed Atwell as part of the film's voice cast as Mittens the cat. In 2022, Atwell would again reprise her role as Peggy Carter/Captain Carter in Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness. That same year saw her partnered with
The Picturehouse as part of the
Picturehouse Ambassador Program as part of her own program
Hayley Selects. In December 2024, it was reported that Atwell would reprise her role of Peggy Carter in
Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled to be released on 18 December 2026. ==Public image==