SPOILER ALERT
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is Marvel’s newest series on Disney+. It is full of lots of action, suspense, cliffhangers, and very unlikeable characters. Although only half of the season has been released, a lot has already taken place. Isaiah Atkins, a Marvel fan, shared his thoughts on the show and what is to come.
“It’s a modern take on a classic buddy cop show,” he says. “It’s just fun watching these side characters have their own stories and origins fleshed out as well as seeing more of the post-blip world and how difficult it would be to reintegrate half of the population into society.”
Background
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes place after Endgame, Marvel’s massive end to the 22-movie-long Infinity Saga. At this point, Iron Man is dead along with Captain America. This show is based on Captain America’s best friend, Bucky Barnes (The Winter Soldier), and sidekick Sam Wilson (Falcon).
This show is also based on the Marvel comics just like WandaVision, a Marvel series that was released earlier this year. Diving into Bucky’s past, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier focus on how he became who he is in the present day. If you have not seen the past Marvel movies, it is a must to get the full backstory of all the current characters.
Episode Recap
Episode 1– We are reintroduced to The Winter Soldier and Falcon. Bucky is struggling to deal with his past, going to therapy, and seeming very down on himself. Sam is still trying to accept a life without Captain America. Early on, we are introduced to a terrorist organization that is called the Flag Smashers. Sam, who feels unworthy of taking up the mantle, refuses to take the shield to become Captain America. The iconic shield is then put in a museum as Sam does not think he is ready to become America’s new hero.
Also in this episode, we see Bucky and an older friend. As it is soon revealed, Bucky actually killed this man’s son long ago, essentially ruining his life. To deal with the guilt, he gets lunch weekly with the father, who is unaware. The Flag Smashers wrap up the episode with violence and terrorism, forcing America to respond with an unfamiliar face that is now the new Captain America, John Walker.
Episode 2– With the introduction to the new Captain America, Sam and Bucky are not too thrilled. Cap also has his own sidekick, his military buddy Lemar Hoskins.
Upset with the new duo and the government that anointed them, Sam decides taking care of the Flag Smashers is more important right now. Among fighting the Flag Smashers, Bucky and Sam are joined by the new duo. The four worked together fighting the Flag Smashers, but they lose… badly.
The two duos split their ways and Bucky sees an old acquaintance and super-soldier, Isaiah Bradley. Unclear what the purpose is of meeting him, Isaiah angrily kicks them out. Bucky is then arrested once going outside. He is taken back to his therapist with Sam as they go back and forth at each other. Captain America helps Bucky get out of jail, but we still see some hard feelings toward the new Cap. The two duos split their ways once again. Bucky wraps the episode by going to someone who can help them, Zemo, the antagonist of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.
Episode 3– Bucky breaks Zemo out of prison to help them in the hunt for the Flag Smashers. Bucky, Zemo, and Sam go to an underground bar where they meet Selby, who mentions the new name of Dr. Wilfred Nagel. However, the whole plan goes wrong, and Selby is shot. Running away, they bump into Sharon Carter, an old friend of Cap’s. The three track down Dr. Nagel, who recreated the serum that makes super soldiers like Bucky. In the chaos that ensues, Zemo ends up killing Dr. Nagel. The episode ends with Cap and Hoskins a step behind Bucky and Sam. Bucky then runs into Ayo, a protector of Wakanda. She claims she is there for Zemo as he is technically supposed to be imprisoned.
Episode 4– The protectors of Wakanda show up for Zemo, who is responsible for the death of their former king, T’Chaka. Doing so, a fight starts between them and Captain America. Realizing he could not even beat them, he gets down on himself feeling powerless.
Another fight between the two duos and the Flag Smashers happens, and Zemo is able to destroy the remaining serums, except one. Cap secretly takes it for himself, which might be a foreshadowing of bad things to come. As the Flag Smashers and the two duos get into another brawl, Lemar Hoskins is killed by their super strength.
Cap is furious as he lost his best friend and chases after the Flag Smashers. Being able to keep up, we can assume that Cap possibly took the remaining serum he already picked up. He catches up with the guy, eventually bashing his shield multiple times into the man. He lies dead in front of the crowd of civilians recording the murder, and the episode ends with Captain America being seen as the new threat.
Upcoming Episode Predictions
Isaiah Bradley, the old super-soldier who spent time behind bars for serving his country that Bucky and Sam met, comes back at some point as a hero. We only see him briefly for a weird, quick conversation. It was a mid-episode cliff hanger that has yet to be cleared up.
The original Captain America will return. Marvel is known for bringing back characters that we thought died. Steve Rogers was such an essential, fan-favorite that his return is not out of the picture.
John Walker (current Captain America) takes the serum and becomes the new Bucky/Winter Soldier, going on a killing spree. At the end of episode 4, we see a very evil version of Cap. He seeks revenge for his friend, and we can assume he took the serum. With all his power now, we are bound to see more destruction.
Atkins’ Prediction: “I think Sharon Carter is going to be revealed as the Power Broker. That, and I’m still holding out for a John Krasinki/Mr. Fantastic cameo.”
Sadly, this series is only 6 episodes, but within the next two episodes, prepare yourself for something big to happen.
Media by Parker Grob.
