Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Starring Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson / The Falcon / Captain America), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier / The White Wolf), Wyatt Russell (John Walker / Captain America / U.S. Agent), Erin Kellyman (Karli Morgenthau), Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres), Georges St-Pierre (Batroc), Adepero Oduye (Sarah Wilson) , Daniel Bruhl (Baron Helmet Zemo), Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter / The Power Broker), Florence Kasumba (Ayo), Carl Lumbly (Isiah Bradley), and Elijah Richardson (Eli Bradley), with Don Cheadle as James Rhodes and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentine Allegra de Fontaine
THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER
Directed by Kari Skogland
Produced by Ariella Blejer and Dawn Kamoche with Kevin Feige
Written by Malcolm Spellman, Michael Kastelein, Derek Kolstad, Dalan Musson, and Josef Sawyer
Music By Henry Jackman
Distributed by Disney Platform Distribution
Number of Episodes: 6
Initial Streaming: March 19, 2021 – April 23, 2021
Marvel Entertainment
Fun The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Facts
In August-2017, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige organized his latest Marvel Studios Creative Retreat in an effort to begin developing plans for Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The goal was to develop a blueprint for the next five-years of Marvel Studios projects post-The Infinity Saga. No public announcements were made, but Feige and his team first discussed their visions for future Marvel Studios projects such as Eternals, Black Widow, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on this retreat. Some four-months later in December-2017, Bob Iger dropped the news on Feige that The Walt Disney Company was entering the Streaming Platform business, with a target launch date of 2019. Iger proposed the idea of a series of streaming television shows that would be set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that more importantly, would be produced by Kevin Feige and his Marvel Studios team. Excited by the prospect, Feige encouraged his creative team to begin brainstorming ideas for potential shows, and the foundations for the shows that would eventually become The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Loki, and What If …? were laid.
On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company announced that a deal had been reached with 21st Century Fox that would see Disney acquire Fox’s television and film divisions, among other things. For comic book fans, this deal was huge, for it meant that Marvel characters such as The X-Men, The Fantastic Four, and Deadpool would be free to be ushered into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though this deal didn’t have any sort of a huge impact on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, it did have a small one, as Marvel Studios set some sequences in the Nation of Madripoor, which many comic book readers are familiar with as this is traditionally an unruly Nation populated by criminals and villains in which some popular stories surrounding Wolverine have occurred.
On Monday, May 20, 2018, Marvel Studios announced the hiring of Kari Skogland to direct the upcoming The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Streaming Series.
On November 8, 2018, Bob Iger confirmed the name of the upstart Disney Streaming Service as Disney+.
On April 11, 2019, a November 12, 2019, launch date was confirmed for the Disney+ Streaming Service.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
On July 20, 2019, Marvel Studios presented its landmark 10th presentation at San Diego Comic Con where Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige officially announced The Falcon and The Winter Soldier for Disney+ with a release window of Fall-2020. Anthony Mackie (carrying a Captain America shield) and Sebastian Stan joined Feige on-stage to hype the series, and Daniel Bruhl was confirmed for a MCU return in the show in a reprisal of his role as Helmet Zero (this time, fully costumed).
On Sunday, August 25, 2019, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed the casting of Wyatt Russell in the role of John Walker in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
On October 15, 2019, The Walt Disney Company announced the promotion of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige to Chief Creative Officer of all things Marvel Entertainment. This meant that Feige would now oversee movies, television, and even publishing. Marvel Television (led by Jeph Loeb) was disbanded and even Marvel Entertainment President Dan Buckley and Marvel Chairman Ike Perlmutter would now essentially answer to Feige. Disney insisted that all of this was being done in an effort to create a more cohesive Marvel Cinematic Universe.
On November 1, 2019, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier commenced filming.
On Tuesday, November 12, 2019, Walt Disney Pictures launched its Disney+ Streaming Service in the United States. A special feature titled Marvel Studios: Expanding the Universe was included for viewing upon the launch. The special featured footage from the 2019 San Diego Comic Con and D23 conventions along with some new concept art from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. The new streaming service drew a reported 10-million subscribers on its first day.
On Sunday, February 2, 2020, during the NFL’s Super Bowl LIV, Marvel Studios released a 30-second teaser that previewed the upcoming Disney+ television streaming shows, including The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
On Tuesday, March 10, 2020, Marvel Studios canceled its planned shooting in Prague for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier due to concerns pertaining to the sudden spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Five-days later On Sunday, March 15, 2020, Marvel Studios announced that all filming on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier had been halted for two weeks due to ongoing concerns related to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
On Sunday, March 22, 2020, Marvel Studios completely shut down due to continued concerns over the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak. All ongoing shoots had already been postponed, but a further step was taken to close the Marvel Studios offices in Burbank, California as the Coronavirus continued to wreak havoc on American life, complete with a mandatory stay-at-home order to all residents in California for the foreseeable future.
On Friday, September 11, 2020, reports surfaced that Marvel Studios had resumed filming on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier following a six-month delay.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was originally intended to be comprised of eight episodes, but it was cut down to six due to all of the delays in production. The series was also intended to be Marvel Studios’ Streaming Series debut on the Disney+ platform, but due to the production delays, WandaVision ended up being released first. Rumors furthermore have lingered for some time pertaining to a major narrative change for the series due to COVID-19. This has never been confirmed as official by Marvel Studios, but according to several insiders, the series was initially set to revolve around a viral outbreak that led to a Pandemic.
On Thursday, December 10, 2020, The Walt Disney Company hosted a conference call that was dubbed “Investor’s Day” in an effort to generate revenue in what had been the most challenging year in company history with the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic shutting down film and television productions, closing theaters, canceling cons and conventions, and closing theme parks, while infecting 69-million people worldwide and killing 1.5 million. With no San Diego Comic Con and no D23, there had been no formal announcements from Marvel Studios over the course of 2020, forcing fans to carefully follow just about every leak and rumor that emerged while clinging to hope that at least some of them were true. Finally, at Investor’s Day, many of the rumors that had been floating around out there proved true, while some were completely ignored, which didn’t necessarily make them not true by any means but put a lot of them on the backburner in light of all of the announcements that came. Marvel Studios produced a near 23-minute clip featuring Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige and there was plenty for fans to sink their teeth into, including Feige’s confirmation that The Falcon and The Winter Soldier would debut on Disney+ in March of 2021.
According to the 2023 book Marvel Studios – The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier takes place in the Spring of 2024, about six months after the Battle of Earth. Chronologically on the MCU (Sacred) Timeline, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier takes place after WandaVision and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and just before Spider-Man: Far From Home (which was actually released in 2019 as part if The Infinity Saga). The Falcon and The Winter Soldier presents a Marvel Cinematic Universe that is still in a state of turmoil due to the return of the Vanished five-years after their disappearances. The one world government that came to be during the fallout of Thanos’ Snap is in disarray and there are widespread food and job shortages, as well as complex housing issues. An organization called the GRC (Global Repatriation Council) has risen with the purpose of managing resources for refugees that were displaced by the Blip. These are people that returned to find their homes or jobs or even their families to have been occupied by others during their absence. Amidst the chaos, there are widespread movements comprised of people who thought the world was better during the Blip and want to return the world to the way things were before. Karli Morgenthau’s Flag-Smashers are one such group.
Marvel Entertainment
In The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Karli Morgenthau is a female version of the Marvel Comics character Karl Morgenthau / Flag-Smasher. In the comics, Flag-Smasher is traditionally a supervillain fanatic that is dedicated to establishing a one-world government by violently attacking symbols of nationalism. Flag-Smasher first appeared in Captain America # 312 (December-1985) and was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary. 22-year-old English actress Erin Kellyman was cast in the Karli Morgenthau role, with the militant revolutionary group she leads taking on the name of “The Flag-Smashers.”
Actor Danny Ramirez portrays Sam Wilson’s friend Joaquin Torres in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Torres took up the mantle of The Falcon at one point in recent Marvel comics.
Carl Lumbly portrays Isiah Bradley in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. This character debuted in the 2003 Marvel Comics series Truth: Red, White, and Black and was created by Axel Alonso, Robert Morales, and Kyle Baker. The character’s origin story in the show is quite close to the comics, as Bradley was a Super Soldier who was created in an attempt to replicate the success the Government had in turning the weak and sickly Steve Rogers into Captain America. Several young African American men were experimented upon, with Bradley emerging as the Sole Survivor. In The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Bradley was incarcerated for 30-years and repeatedly experimented upon before finally obtaining his freedom via a nurse who helped him fake his own death. In the comics, Isiah is the grandfather of Elijah Bradley, who goes on to join The Young Avengers as Patriot. Eli does make several on-screen appearances in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, portrayed by young Elijah Richardson.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier introduces the Marvel character Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The character debuted in Strange Tales # 168 way back in 1968, created by Jim Steranko. Valentina has been closely tied to Nick Fury in the comics and has worked as a high-ranking Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. In the MCU, the Countess thus far seems to be taking a page from Fury’s playbook in the forming of a team of remarkable individuals, as evident by her recruiting of John Walker in this series. Interestingly, Valentina was intended to debut in Marvel Studios’ Black Widow, and her appearance in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier would have been a follow-up to her recruiting of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova in that film, but the reshuffling of Marvel Studios’ release schedule due to the Coronavirus, resulted in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier being released before Black Widow.
In The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson finally takes up the mantle of Captain America at the end of the series after struggling with the decision throughout the show. Sam became Captain America in the comics in 2014, picking up the shield in Captain America # 25, written by Rick Remender. Wilson was endorsed by an elderly Steve Rogers, just as he was in the MCU in Avengers: Endgame.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
My The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Review
New World Order – Directed by Kari Skogland. Written by Malcom Spellman.
On Friday, March 19, 2021, Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan premiered on Disney+. The premiere episode picked up with Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes six-months following the events of Avengers: Endgame. Sam was now working with the Air Force as The Falcon, having yet to take up the mantle of Captain America that was offered to him by the presumed dead Steve Rogers and was in constant turmoil with himself over that decision. After a thrilling aerial battle against the villainous Batroc (first introduced in the MCU in Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Sam solemnly turned the shield that Steve had given him over to the United States Government and the shield was retired in a public ceremony held at the Smithsonian. Meanwhile, Bucky Barnes had officially been pardoned for his crimes as The Winter Soldier but was still haunted by the things that he did as the Hydra Assassin and was in the midst of undergoing a series of uncomfortable government-ordered therapy sessions. At the end of the episode, the series took a major turn, as the government had lied to Sam and they introduced John Walker as a new Captain America, complete with Sam’s shield!
This episode was a solid start to the series and featured some surprisingly amazing action sequences! Catching up with Bucky was especially nice for me, as he is a character that is not only one of my Top-5 favorites, but also one that I relate to in a lot of ways. Bucky is now 106-years old. Legally, he has been cleared of his past criminal activities due to his fight on behalf of Planet Earth against the time-traveling Thanos Variant that The Avengers conquered in Endgame, but Bucky still feels empty, regretful, and in search of peace due to his memory of all the things he’d done. Bucky has created a list of names that he needs to do right by, using Steve Rogers’ own small notebook to do so, and he has spent six-months delighting in righting past wrongs by taking the fight to criminals with whom he shares a past. But Bucky’s fight for peace goes much deeper than that. Mentally, he knows that he owes debts that can never ever be paid, yet somehow, he summons the necessary strength within himself to wake up and face another day. Every single day.
It’s easy to forget that Bucky Barnes is living in a world that he rarely knows, and that he finds impossibly difficult to relate to. He was off-and-on ice for some 70-years. He spent two-years on the run from 2014-2016, laying low and learning what he could. Then, Zemo and the superhero Civil War happened, and Bucky found himself reunited with Steve fighting the good fight, yet still labeled a terrorist, nonetheless. After Zemo was conquered, Bucky went back on ice for another couple of years in Wakanda, before being brought out and living on the outskirts of the city while undergoing mental and spiritual rehabilitation. With that achieved, Bucky fought alongside Earth’s heroes against the forces of Thanos after which he was one of Thanos’ countless victims; erased from existence. Bucky returned five-years later, so yeah, six-months later, he is way out of his element and this show had some fun with that, with his only real friend being an elderly man (who just so happens to be the father of one of Bucky’s victims as The Winter Soldier), and the awkward date he embarks upon. I knew with this episode, that for Bucky, this series would be about his personal quest for redemption. Yes, the world had forgiven him, but he had not forgiven himself.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
The Star-Spangled Man – Directed by Kari Skogland. Written by Michael Kastelein.
On Friday, March 25, 2021, the second episode of Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier dropped on Disney+ starring Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, and Wyatt Russell. The episode brought Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes together and revolved around new Captain America John Walker. As the highly decorated Walker claimed the adoring attention of the mainstream media, a disgusted Bucky lashed out at Sam for surrendering the shield. This led into a tumultuous team-up between The Falcon and The Winter Soldier against The Flag Smashers, that an uninvited John Walker got involved in. Walker and his partner Lamar Hoskins expressed their anxiousness to align with Bucky and Sam, but The Falcon and The Winter Soldier adamantly refused.
From there, Bucky and Sam visited Isiah Bradley; a Super Soldier that fought in the Korean War. Bradley, who spent 30-years incarcerated and experimented upon by the Federal Government, defiantly refused to assist Sam and Bucky in their investigation of the new breed of Super Soldiers that had come to light. After leaving Bradley, Bucky was arrested by local law enforcement who were harassing Sam; the warrant issued for Bucky’s arrest was due to his skipping out on his counseling therapy session. John Walker saw to it that Bucky was released without further harassment however, which he hoped would convince Bucky to align with him, but Bucky and Sam both denounced Captain America’s efforts and decided to reach out to the imprisoned Helmut Zemo instead.
I really enjoyed The Star-Spangled Man. I thought it was even stronger than New World Order, but that episode was needed to set up a lot of the things that were enjoyable about this episode. Much to my dismay, I thought the best parts of this second episode involved Wyatt Russell’s John Walker. Marvel Studios – and Russel – both did a remarkable job with this character, somehow making him likable and making him come off as an asshole from moment-to-moment. Just brilliant! Clearly, most viewers did not like Walker being Captain America and the Marvel Studios team knew that going in, it would seem. However, they threw kind of a curve ball here in delving into Walker’s past, clearly illustrating that he is an incredibly brave, heroic, and decorated soldier; and making him come across as extremely capable in both his wielding of the shield and in combat situations (such as his brawl with The Flag Smashers). That being said, he was at the same time a tad arrogant, overbearing, and obnoxious; he came off as a bit entitled, and he was kind of a smart ass. This was a perfect presentation of the character creatively, and for me, John Walker really did work as a sort of heroic antagonist in this series.
On top of all of that, the chemistry between Sam and Bucky was wonderful throughout this episode as well! We had seen their dynamic teased in trailers for this series and of course briefly in Captain America: Civil War, and they worked really well as bickering buddies. It seemed the only things they agreed on were their mutual admiration for Steve Rogers and their mutual disdain for John Walker, but they were going to find out in time that they needed each other more than either one could imagine.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Power Broker – Directed by Kari Skogland. Written by Derek Kolstad.
On Friday, April 2, 2021, the third episode of Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier dropped on Disney+. The episode opened with Bucky Barnes’ reunion with Helmut Zemo and with Bucky instigating a prison riot to allow for Zemo’s escape from incarceration, much to the dismay of Sam Wilson. From there, the trio traveled to the criminal underworld of Madripoor to meet with the villainous Selby, who revealed that the mysterious entity known as The Power Broker hired Hydra scientist Dr. Wilfred Nagel to recreate a variant to the original Super Soldier formula created by Doctor Erskine during the 1940’s. Selby ended up getting killed after Sam’s true identity was revealed and a bounty was placed upon the heads of Wilson, Barnes, and Zemo. Then, the trio were rescued by Sharon Carter, whom it was revealed had settled into a life as a fugitive following her betrayals of the United States Government in the name of Captain America. Bucky, Sam, and Zemo soon discovered that 20 Viles of the Serum were devised by Nagel and that notorious Flag Smasher member Karli Morgenthau stole them; explaining the immense strength exhibited by The Flag Smashers that both Sam and Bucky had witnessed. Having heard enough, Zemo killed yet another Hydra loyalist with his sudden execution of Nagel. As Zemo, Bucky, and Sam fled the scene, Sam vowed to obtain a pardon for Sharon so that she could return home.
In the meantime, new Captain America John Walker and his partner Lamar Hoskins ventured to Berlin to investigate Zemo’s escape where Walker deduced that Zemo escaped with help from Bucky and Sam, which greatly irritated Walker. As that went down, The Flag Smashers raided a GRC Storage Facility and Karli set off a violent explosion which illustrated just how far she was willing to go for their cause. As Zemo, Bucky, and Sam tracked the dangerous Morgenthau, Bucky was shocked to encounter Ayo of the Dora Milaje, who demanded that Zemo be turned over to Wakandan custody to answer for the crimes against her people.
Power Broker was an awesome episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier that was jam-packed with some answers, some new questions, and loads of action! It was a nice surprise to see Ayo, and I enjoyed seeing Sharon Carter again, but the far and away best part of this episode was Zemo and the incredible performance by Daniel Bruhl! From the moment he encountered Bucky and tried to activate his Winter Soldier programming just in case it would work, I knew we were going to see a whole different side to Zemo than what we got in Captain America: Civil War and we did! Zemo was certainly self-righteous, calm, and calculating, but he was also charming and even funny, and his value to the Marvel Cinematic Universe shot up significantly here. Zemo’s chemistry with the rest of the cast was this episode’s greatest strength, and regardless of where this character goes in the future, I will always cherish the more or less heroic moments he had with Sharon, Bucky, and Sam in this episode. And yes, that includes the amazing but all too brief dance scene in the club. So good!
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
The Whole World is Watching – Directed by Kari Skogland. Written by Derek Kolstad
On Friday, April 9, 2021, the fourth episode of Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier dropped on Disney+. The episode opened with a flashback to Bucky Barnes’ time in Wakanda whence he was being deprogrammed, showing the moment he finally broke free from Hydra’s control, and then caught up with Ayo confronting Bucky and insisting Baron Zemo be handed over to Wakandan custody. Bucky requested some time before he complied. Ayo gave the former Winter Soldier 8-hours. During that time, Zemo cleverly and kindly got Sam the meeting he wanted with Karli Morgenthau (and Zemo’s scenes with that little girl just endeared me to him all the more) and Karli and Sam almost bonded until Captain America John Walker ruined any chance of peace by barging in and attempting to take Karli into custody.
The Dora Milaje then arrived for Zemo, and they easily overpowered the new Captain America, embarrassing and terribly frustrating Walker. Karli fled the ensuing confrontation, but Zemo caught up to her and landed a couple of gunshots that slowed Karli down and caused her to drop the Viles of Super Soldier Serum that she was carrying. Zemo than destroyed every Vile that he could until Walker leveled him and commandeered one of the Viles, which he kept for himself. After a conversation with his best friend Lamar, who encouraged Walker to take the Serum, John did just that and became exceptionally enhanced.
In the meantime, Karli contacted Sam’s sister Sarah and threatened her and her children in order to ensure another face-to-face meeting with The Falcon. This turned out to be a set-up by Karli however, as The Flag-Smashers lured Walker and Hoskins into a trap meant to ambush and terminate Walker. The Flag-Smashers had no idea that Walker had been enhanced however, and the new Cap ended up violently manhandling all who dared to oppose him. Hoskins was left vulnerable however, and Karli ended up killing Hoskins during the physical confrontation that had erupted. An enraged Walker pursued Karli to no avail but did catch-up to one of her most valued colleagues Nico, whom Walker proceeded to violently murder in broad daylight in front of dozens of onlookers, tainting his shield with the blood of Nico, using it as a weapon to kill the man.
This series continued to top itself each week, as The Whole World Is Watching was my favorite episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier yet!
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
John Walker remained such an intriguing character and the solid work Wyatt Russell had done with the character cannot be overstated. What an intense and somewhat horrifying scene it was to see this new Captain America murder someone with the shield that Steve Rogers gave Sam Wilson! The death of Hoskins which drove Walker to commit this act of violence was a shocking development and I must also point out that Erin Kellyman had made the Karli Morgenthau character more and more intriguing with each episode, and The Whole World Is Watching was probably her best work yet. Karli was just as unhinged and unbalanced as John Walker, but these things were manifested in very different ways. Marvel Studios did an excellent job in this series of explaining Karli’s motives and making her relatable while also making her a clear villain that was willing to cross lines that our traditional Marvel Heroes never would. Erin Kellyman did a great job of showing the compassion and conviction that Karli has, combined with a no remorse attitude, and by episode four, she had evolved into one of the best parts of this series.
For me, Baron Zemo was still the best part though, and Daniel Bruhl was wonderful once again in this episode.
His singing of the nursery rhyme to the school children was somehow both moving and kind of creepy due to the fact that as a viewer, you just didn’t know what Zemo was going to do next, but his more noble traits were highlighted all the more during this episode as we saw him with a clear chance to take the Super Soldier Serum, only for him to choose to instead destroy all of it that he could. Again, right or wrong, Zemo was true to his convictions and his subtle pride in Sam Wilson’s stance on the creation of more Super Soldiers was just as great as the subtle fear he showed when staring at a potential fight with Bucky. This episode saw Zemo escape the clutches of Sam and Bucky as well as The Dora Milaje, and over the course of just two episodes, Zemo became one of my most favorite Marvel characters after being more or less an afterthought for me in Civil War.
Last but certainly not least, the inclusion of The Dora Milaje was handled brilliantly during this episode. The opening sequence with Bucky and Ayo may be Sebastian Stan’s single greatest MCU scene and I loved every second of it while seeing The Dora just absolutely dominate John Walker despite all of his bravado was a treasure.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Truth – Directed by Kari Skogland. Written by Dalan Musson.
On Friday, April 16, 2021, the fifth episode of Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier dropped on Disney+. This episode opened incredibly strong with Sam and Bucky catching up to John Walker mere moments after he publicly murdered one of The Flag Smashers and an ensuing confrontation occurred that is among the best fight sequences Marvel Studios has ever produced! Seriously, it was that good and it was a powerful and exciting way to kick things off this week as the fight ended with Bucky besting Walker and then dropping the shield right in front of The Falcon as if to say no more games, get up, stand up, and take up the mantle that Steve felt you were destined to carry!
From there, Bucky caught up with Zemo in Sokovia and after teasing Zemo’s murder, Barnes stood down and handed the Baron over to The Dora Milaje, who vowed to take Zemo to The Raft (the super-prison first introduced in Captain America: Civil War). Meanwhile, John Walker was saddled with a dishonorable discharge by the United States Government and was stripped of his title as Captain America. Moments later, the disgusted and embittered Walker was confronted by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, which opened all kinds of potential pertaining to where John Walker may go next.
In the Meantime, Sam – having had his wings broken by Walker during their triple threat altercation – visited Isiah Bradley once again and learned more of his tragic story. Sam visited Bradley with hopes of finding the proper motivation to take up the shield as Steve had intended, but Bradley instead chastised Sam’s ambition, declaring that no black man should ever be Captain America, nor should any black man ever want to.
Sam took Bradley’s words to heart but came out of their conversation more serious than ever about being Captain America, no doubt feeling that a black Captain America was exactly what the world needed at this crucial time and from there, Sam embarked upon a rigorous training program to get himself into peak physical conditioning and to master the use of the shield. Sam also called in a few favors and helped his sister fix-up their parents’ boat in New Orleans, receiving a surprise assist from Bucky in the process. Bucky also gifted Sam with a briefcase from Wakanda that Bucky assured Sam would serve as a fine replacement for his damaged wings.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
The episode ended with The Flag Smashers uniting with Batroc (a deal arranged by a quite shady Sharon Carter) and executing a terror attack against the GRC. A post-credits scene showed John Walker melting down his medals to create a new circular shield in the tradition of Captain America.
This was another highly enjoyable episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. I enjoyed Sam’s training sequence and the camaraderie between he and Bucky. The advice that he gave Bucky was golden and Bucky’s willingness to accept it and take it to heart was a reflection of his growth.
The highlight of this episode however was the stuff with Isiah Bradley. His story was so very tragic and unfair and infuriating, and Carl Lumbly was so very good in this role, not just articulating his backstory, but expressing the emotional horrors of it through his voice, eyes, and body language, and I thought Isiah’s story, sad as it may be, was a great addition to the MCU mythology of Captain America.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
One World, One People – Directed by Kari Skogland. Written by Malcolm Spellman and Josef Sawyer.
On Friday, April 23, 2021, the sixth and final episode of the inaugural season of Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier dropped on Disney+. The episode started strong with the reveal of Sam Wilson’s Captain America suit as Sam flew into battle against Karli Morgenthau and The Flag-Smashers, where he was ultimately joined by Bucky Barnes, Sharon Carter, and even John Walker! The opening battle sequence was fast and furious with Karli trying to manipulate events so that they played out in her favor. Members of the GRC were taken hostage and Karli was prepared to make a strong political statement at any cost, but her evening ended tragically with her death at the hands of Sharon Carter, who also killed Batroc! This led to a beautiful and moving speech that saw Sam be endorsed by the GRC as Captain America while he mourned the loss of Karli and publicly defended many of her ideals. In the meantime, the remaining Flag-Smasher Super Soldiers were arrested, and consequently blown up by Zemo’s butler, giving Zemo the last laugh in that situation. The Flag-Smashers were essentially finished.
Later, Contessa Fontaine gave John Walker a new uniform and code-name: U.S. Agent, Bucky Barnes scratched the final name off his list, and Sam had Isiah Walker commemorated as part of the Captain America museum exhibit at the Smithsonian. Furthermore, Sharon Carter was both pardoned by the United States Government and revealed to be The Power Broker, which was this show’s worst-kept secret.
I loved this season / series finale, and I loved this series as a whole! Yes, the final episode was a bit predictable, but it was only predictable in all the right ways, as in, these things were what should have happened to bring a satisfying conclusion to the story that was told. This series was about Sam Wilson becoming Captain America; him taking up that mantle was the primary point of this show with Bucky getting over his past and settling into life in the real world being a follow-up. As a bonus, we got some amazing stuff with Zemo and with John Walker and with Karli Morgenthau, and a solid back-up story with Isiah Bradley. There was a lot to like!
The final episode was jam-packed with emotion and had me in tears at several points. Sam’s suit looked great, and the action beats we got with him soaring through the air and wielding the shield were incredible! It was awesome to see Bucky finally get a hero’s moment and it was wonderful to see John Walker shine following his fall from grace, and to even share a cool moment of camaraderie with Bucky!
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Again, Sam’s speech was flawlessly well-written and well-executed and quite relevant to the times we live in. The stuff with Isiah finally getting a little bit of recognition was moving and his endorsement of Sam as Captain America was a really special moment! The Sharon Carter stuff was admittedly the weakest stuff in the series, but she did kill Batroc and more notably, she killed Karli; which yes sucks, because I really dug Karli as a character; but hey, these shows need stakes and Sharon’s execution of Karli will probably stand as a defining character moment for her going forward.
I also need to acknowledge the music throughout this series. Henry Jackman was brought back after composing Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War and he did a wonderful job making this series sound like a Captain America production. The callbacks to the scores for Bucky and Zemo were really nice touches too!
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was quite political, especially as it applied to race, but this was something that I think Marvel Studios had to do. I vividly remember how pissed off a lot of people were back in 2014 when Sam Wilson became Captain America in the comics, and the MCU is on a much larger stage than comic books are; it’s the biggest film franchise in the history of cinema, and even a blind person could have seen that the idea of having a black Captain America was not going to get over with a lot of folks. Personally, I believe this potential controversy was handled brilliantly with the show addressing this head-on, and boldly weaving it into the narrative. I am a huge Steve Rogers fan; probably one of the biggest Steve Rogers fans out there, in fact. He is my favorite Marvel superhero and my third-favorite Marvel character. That being said, I had and have no problem whatsoever with the idea of Sam Wilson being Captain America. Sam is a great comic book character, and he has been presented in the MCU as a charismatic, noble, brave, and loyal friend and hero, and Steve Rogers directly endorsed Sam for the role. There is nothing wrong with people of color getting to experience the legacy of Captain America in a more personal way, and I applaud Marvel Studios for handling the whole thing in a classy manner that stayed true to the mythology while making a strong statement that needs to be out there.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Highlights of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier:
Daniel Bruhl as Baron Zemo
Wyatt Russell as John Walker / Captain America / U.S. Agent
Outstanding Anthony Mackie Performance Throughout the Series
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes Throughout the Series
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Chemistry Between Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan
Erin Kellyman as Karli Morgenthau
Some of the Best Fight Sequences in Marvel Studios History
Sam Wilson’s path to the mantle of Captain America
Sam Wilson’s New Captain America Suit
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Carl Lumbly as Isiah Bradley
Dancing Zemo!
John Walker Murders Nico with the Shield
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Notable MCU Concepts and Characters Introduced:
Sam Wilson as Captain America (officially). John Walker (as both Captain America and U.S. Agent). The Flag-Smashers led by Karli Morgenthau. The GRC. The Power Broker (Sharon Carter). Madripoor. Sarah Wilson. Eli Bradley. Isiah Bradley and the covert post-WWII Super Soldier experiments involving African Americans. Valentine Allegra de Fontaine.
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