Marvel’s ‘Zodiac’ May Have Been Hiding in Plain Sight Since the ‘Agent Carter’ One-Shot
Marvel fans have never met an Easter egg they didn’t want to trace back to its source. The moment a mysterious new project is announced, the internet starts digging through years of films, shorts and comics looking for clues. Marvel’s newest announcement is already sending viewers back to a short film from 2013.
The studio’s live-action television plans have been in flux. ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ will end with its third season, ‘Wonder Man’ was recently cancelled after its January premiere, and ‘VisionQuest’ arrives on October 14 to close out the ‘WandaVision’ trilogy. Against that backdrop, any new live-action series carries extra weight.
That’s why Marvel Television’s announcement of ‘Zodiac‘ at New York Comic Con caught so much attention, and why one detail in particular has gone viral. Fans have noticed that the name “Zodiac” was already used in the ‘Agent Carter’ Marvel One-Shot, in which Peggy Carter retrieves a dangerous substance of that name. The question now is whether Marvel was planting seeds all along.
MARVEL’S UPCOMING ZODIAC PROJECT WAS TEASED IN THE MCU YEARS AGO! The codename ZODIAC was already mentioned in Agent Carter (One-Shot), set one year after Captain America: The First Avenger. Agent Carter was sent on a mission to retrieve something known as Zodiac. Could it be connected to an unknown substance or even a surviving sample of Steve Rogers’ Super-Soldier Serum? WAS MARVEL PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR THIS ALL ALONG?
— Marvel Mania (@Sksj002) October 12, 2026
Marvel Television head Brad Winderbaum revealed ‘Zodiac’ on October 8 as a live-action spy thriller that will stream on Disney+ in 2028. Production is set to begin in London in spring 2027, and casting is expected to start within a couple of weeks. Beyond that, Winderbaum said little, noting that it’s still a secret.
The Hollywood Reporter first mentioned the project last month in its report on the end of ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’ It’s the first new live-action Marvel series announced since ‘Ironheart’ premiered in June 2025. No cast, showrunner or plot details have been confirmed.
The one-shot, released in 2013 on the ‘Iron Man 3’ Blu-ray, is set in 1946, one year after ‘Captain America: The First Avenger.’ Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell, is stuck on administrative work at the Strategic Scientific Reserve. One night, the case line rings and a caller tells her where the “Zodiac” is hidden.
The viral claim says she was “sent” on a mission, but that isn’t quite how it plays out. Carter goes alone, without the approval of her boss, fights her way through guards and recovers a vial of serum, only to be reprimanded the next day for ignoring procedure. The short was so well received that it led to ABC’s ‘Agent Carter’ TV series, which ran from 2015 to 2016.
Some fans have speculated that the Zodiac serum could be connected to an unknown substance or even a surviving sample of Steve Rogers’ Super-Soldier Serum. That is purely a theory. In the one-shot, Zodiac is described as a dangerous serum or virus, and nothing there ties it to Rogers’ transformation.
It’s also worth noting that nobody at Marvel has said the new series connects to the one-shot at all. The studio hasn’t confirmed whether the show is a continuation of an existing storyline or something new that simply shares a name. For now, the connection is a fun piece of fan detective work rather than established canon.
Other hints point in a different direction. The “A” in the ‘Zodiac’ logo reportedly contains a small eagle head that mirrors the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem, which has led many to speculate that the series is connected to the spy agency. Clark Gregg, who played Phil Coulson, also shared the announcement on Instagram, though that was only a repost and not a statement about his involvement.
IGN noted that the show seems likely to center on S.H.I.E.L.D., but that’s the outlet’s inference rather than Marvel’s word. The show isn’t listed in the “MCU Complete Timeline” on Disney+ yet, so its place in official continuity remains unclear. Marvel hasn’t announced a setting either.
In Marvel Comics, Zodiac is a criminal organization whose members are named after astrological signs, with leadership rotating each month. Several different groups have used the name over the years, and Thanos himself formed the most recent version. One outlet suggested the MCU may stick with the original concept, which would make the series one of Marvel’s first led by a villain group.
Whatever the truth, the name carries a lot of history, and the ‘Agent Carter’ connection adds another layer. With casting about to begin, answers may arrive sooner than the 2028 premiere.
Do you think Marvel has been planting clues about Zodiac since Peggy Carter’s earlier adventure?
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