(Photo courtesy of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s official Twitter account @falconandwinter)
“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” debuted as the most-watched series on Disney+ so far. With only two episodes airing as of right now, the show has already revealed a great deal when it comes to the direction that the show is headed, and the impact that it could potentially have on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With themes of unworthiness, racial injustice, and what it means to be Captain America, the show has started out strong and action packed.
Spoilers for “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” are ahead, so proceed with caution.
In the first episode, “New World Order”, it picks up where we left off at the end of “Avengers: Endgame.” During the film, Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, has given Sam Wilson, known as The Falcon, his shield, and thus passed down the title of Captain America to him. In “New World Order”, Sam does what he feels like is the right thing to do. Instead of taking the mantle, he donates the shield to The Smithsonian so that it can be on display with other Captain America memorabilia. Sam makes it abundantly clear throughout the episode that he feels like Steve left some big shoes to fill, and that instead of taking on the role of Captain America, he honors Steve’s legacy by donating the shield and expressing that he feels like the shield belongs to Steve and not to him, quoting “It feels like it belongs to someone else.”
The episode also shows what life is like for Sam after Endgame. As one of the people that disappeared with Thanos’ snap, referred to as “The Blip”, Sam had technically “disappeared’ for five years, and is now back to working for the United States Airforce, where he works alongside Joaquin Torres, a character that eventually becomes The Falcon in the comics. Sam is also struggling to save his family’s boat with his sister Sarah when she’s denied a loan from the bank. Sam quickly finds out what it’s like for someone who was a victim of The Blip, and not even being an Avenger is enough to convince the bank to give him a loan when his resume says that he’s been unemployed for five years due to a disappearance.
Meanwhile, Bucky Barnes, or The Winter Soldier, is dealing with issues of his own. Bucky is still attempting to cope with the aftermath of the crimes that were committed as the Winter Soldier, which includes horrific nightmares of the things he did while brainwashed by HYDRA, and having to attend therapy sessions mandated by the U.S. government. Bucky is trying to lead a life as normal as he possibly can, but it’s revealed in therapy that he has virtually no friends and is having issues trusting people, including ignoring messages from Sam. He later goes on a date, only to find out during the date that an older gentleman he has befriended was a victim of Bucky’s time as the Winter Soldier when his son was in the wrong place at the wrong time and murdered because of it.
“New World Order” introduces an important group and an important character as well. The first episode shows the audience’s first look at The Flag Smashers, an underground organization that is based around the belief that the world was better off during The Blip, with half the population gone. Torres goes head to head with some of the members of the Flag Smashers, revealing that they have superhuman strength. John Walker is also introduced, a character that was quickly hated by Marvel fans. John Walker’s introduction reveals that instead of respecting Sam’s wishes, the U.S. government crowned the active member of the military with the title of Captain America, giving him the shield in the process.
Episode two, “The Star Spangled Man” starts out immediately elaborated on John becoming the new Captain America, and revealing that Bucky is incredibly displeased with the government choosing to replace Steve. This pushes Bucky to stop ignoring Sam, but instead track him down in person to confront Sam about giving up the shield. They argue about what Steve wanted, and Sam reveals they he and Torres are about to track The Flag Smashers down, and Bucky insists that he join them. They quickly learn that The Flag Smashers are actually products of a similar super soldier serum that both Bucky and Steve were injected with. Sam and Bucky begin fighting them, and John Walker, along with his right-hand man, Lemar Hoskins, join the fight after tracking Sam’s drone, Red Wing, expressing that Red Wing was the property of the government, and they are the government. Walker and Hoskins attempt to get Sam and Bucky to work alongside them after losing the fight and Bucky and Sam refuse, still both upset that Walker is the new Captain America. Meanwhile, more is revealed about The Flag Smashers. They follow a common theme that many villains do in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; the belief that their actions are just and that they’re doing the right thing.
When Bucky and Sam find themselves at a standstill on what they should do about The Flag Smashers, Bucky confesses a secret to Sam that he never even told Steve: that there was another super soldier that was injected with the super soldier serum around the same time as Steve. With the introduction of Isaiah Bradley, the first black super soldier, it begins to more heavily reference the racial injustices in the show. While Steve was remembered as a hero for being a super soldier, Isaiah was thrown in jail while tests were run on him. This scene is immediately followed by Sam and Bucky arguing in the street and the cops show up, immediately profiling Sam and asking Bucky if Sam is bothering him. After running their names, it’s revealed that Bucky has a warrant out for his arrest after missing a mandated therapy session with his therapist.
Bucky’s therapist demands that both Bucky and Sam do an immediate session with her, and after arguing with Sam about giving up the shield, Bucky confesses that he was afraid that Steve was wrong about Sam, and as a result was wrong about Bucky, referencing a moment in “Captain America Civil War” were Steve expresses that none of what Bucky did as The Winter Soldier was his fault since he was brainwashed. Sam insists that he gave up the shield because he felt like it was the right thing to do and while Bucky is feeling unworthy of forgiveness, Sam was feeling unworthy of the Captain America title. Sam storms out of the therapy session, suggesting that once they deal with The Flag Smashers, they never have to see each other again. Outside the session, Walker and Hoskins once again insist that Bucky and Sam work with them, and when Sam and Bucky once again refuse, Walker says “Then stay the hell out of my way.” This begins to show that while on paper, John Walker may seem like the perfect, all-American replacement for Steve Rogers, he’s actually nothing like Steve. Steve hated being the military’s show pony and goes against orders multiple times in “Captain America the First Avenger” alone. In Captain America Civil War, Steve also refuses to sign the Sokovia Accords because he knew the government wasn’t always morally right. Meanwhile, Walker makes it clear in the episode that he’s a government official, and Sam and Bucky can either stand with the government or stand down.
Desperate to get more information on The Flag Smashers without the help of the new Captain America, Bucky proposes a plan: that he and Sam visit Helmut Zemo in prison, the main villain of “Captain America Civil War” that had access to all of HYDRA’s secrets, hoping that he can reveal more information on the group and the serum that was used on them. Sam begrudgingly agrees, building for the next episode. With the introduction of so many new characters, and the plot developing so quickly, it’s clear that the show doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. The third episode of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” airs on April 2nd on Disney+.
Written by Ashley Laney
Hi, I’m Lynn, and I Make.
Props, Cosplay, Scale Models, Home Projects and just about anything else that involves me Making.
Imagine Peace: A Year of Gifting
Imagine Peace: A Year of Gifting author, Aleta Antoinette, will host a Pre-Release reading March 31st from 6-7 p.m. via Zoom
Join in to hear the mission of the book, learn about the 80+ charities across the globe and how you can purchase a copy of the book from Tattered Cover available soon.