21st Century
Sharon served a brief term as Executive Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., during the absence of Nick Fury. She then became a field agent once more, reporting directly to new Executive Director Maria Hill as a liaison officer specifically assigned to support and report on Captain America's activities. While investigating the whereabouts of Jack Monroe, she was abducted by the Winter Soldier, and used as bait to lure Captain America to a trap set by General Aleksander Lukin. She and Captain America later resumed their relationship while on a field mission investigating the activities of the Winter Soldier.
Sharon was initially a supporter of the Superhuman Registration Act. However, she was averse to actually aiding in the capture of her lover, Captain America, who is the leader of the "Secret Avengers" opposed to the Act. At the same time, it was also revealed that she is in some way an unknowing pawn of the Red Skull and his associate Doctor Faustus. She later fell into contact with Nick Fury's underground organization, even as she was reassigned to the S.H.I.E.L.D. task force charged with locating Fury. She also switched her allegiance to Captain America, citing the death of Goliath as the primary reason; it is unclear how much of this results from Faustus' influence.
In a follow-up in Captain America #25, Steve Rogers is shot in the shoulder by a sniper on his way up the steps to the Federal Court. In the ensuing crowd chaos, he is shot three times in the abdomen with a pistol, and later appears to die of his injuries. It is later revealed that the plan was orchestrated by the Red Skull; the sniper was Crossbones, and Sharon Carter, under a hypnotic suggestion by Dr. Faustus, was the person who had shot Rogers in the abdomen.
It has been revealed that she is still under the influence of Doctor Faustus, who uses her to disable Black Widow and Falcon, before having her join the Red Skull's organization as a minion. It has also been revealed that she is apparently pregnant with Rogers' child. However during several attempts to escape the Red Skull's control over her, she loses her baby in the process during a fight between her and Sin. However, later dialogue suggests that she, not Sin, stabbed her womb, and caused the miscarriage. She says that she did it to keep the Red Skull from getting his hands on anything of hers. Later Doctor Faustus made her forget ever being pregnant, and he also gave her the tools for her rescue. Sharon frees herself, and kills Aleksander Lukin (narrowly missing killing the Red Skull himself), before being found by Black Widow and the Falcon. Iron Man and Falcon decide to tell her about her pregnancy at a later date, after sufficient recovery time. However, Sharon decided to leave S.H.I.E.L.D.
Sharon Carter was later featured in the storyline Captain America: Reborn where she found out how she killed Captain America and planned to figure out a way to revive him. Unfortunately, Norman Osborn planned on the same thing, so that he could complete the Red Skull's plan to transfer his consciousness into Steve's body and have him lead his Avengers to increase his popularity. He had already framed Sharon as an accomplice in Rogers' murder and threatened to kill the second Captain America if she didn't turn herself in. She did and was brought to Latveria, where the same machine she was attached to brought Rogers' back, but with the Red Skull controlling his body; Mr. Fantastic determined that Sharon had chronal tracers in her blood meant to pull Steve to her. Turning herself in to Norman Osborn in order to save the life of Bucky (who, unbeknownst to her, had already escaped), she is handed over to the Skull and Dr. Doom, who use her to retrieve Steve, with the Skull's mind in control. Sharon ultimately escapes, with the help of Henry Pym, and uses the Red Skull's own ship to blow him up. Reconciling with Steve (who was able to assert control over himself), they take some time off at her Virginia estate.
Sharon has been confirmed as a member of a new Avengers team, the Secret Avengers, in Ed Brubaker's new ongoing series of the same name.
Read more about this topic: Sharon Carter, Fictional Character Biography