The Falcon and the Winter Soldier picks up one of the potential plot threads left by Avengers: Endgame, which is, of course, when wizened Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America (Chris Evans) passed the torch – or rather, shield – to Sam Wilson a.k.a. Falcon (Anthony Mackie). This TV show exists for the purpose of telling the story of Sam’s transformation into Captain America. For even though Steve himself already chose him as successor, Sam was apparently unconvinced of the idea when he received the shield. Thus, he needed to get a character arc where he would learn to embrace the role, which this six-episode miniseries provides.
Sam, balking at the idea of becoming the next Captain America, decides to surrender the shield to the U.S. government, so that it can instead be enshrined in the Captain America museum. However, the government has other plans. They pick a decorated soldier named John Walker (Wyatt Russell), hand him the shield, and appoint him as the new Captain America – to the dismay of Sam and fellow Steve Rogers friend/associate Bucky Barnes a.k.a. the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).
Subsequently, Sam and Bucky are sent on a globetrotting mission in which they go against the Flag Smashers, an international terrorist organization made up of individuals enhanced by a recreated version of the Super Soldier Serum. Along the way, they cross paths and bump heads with John Walker a.k.a. “Captain America” and his sidekick Lemar Hoskins a.k.a. Battlestar (Clé Bennett); are forced to break Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) out of prison so he could assist them, vexing the Dora Milaje of Wakanda; reunite with Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) in Madripoor; and meet Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), the “Black Captain America” whom the government maltreated and forgot.
Between WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I enjoyed the latter more. The former may be the more creative show, but The Falcon and the Winter Soldier felt more consistently riveting and exciting to watch every week. That’s probably because its style, tone, and presentation are reminiscent of the Russo brothers’ Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War, two of the MCU’s greatest films – which only make sense, since The Falcon and the Winter Soldieris basically a spiritual sequel to those films. That means it’s a superhero story that’s interlaced with an espionage action thriller and layered with some political commentary.
But unlike those two Captain America films, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also has “90’s buddy cop” as another key facet. Sam and Bucky are a delightful duo – the product of the tremendous chemistry between Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan and having well-written material for their banters, interactions, and shared character development. The humor and heart arising from their partnership carry this show.
The plot of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is not quite perfectly cohesive, but it doesn’t become messy either. In spite of having some weak links, it remains engaging as a whole. Besides, the spectacular action sequences, the usual excellent characterizations, and the memorable highlights (e.g. Sam’s cool Rocky training montage before assuming the role of Captain America for the first time, Zemo’s nightclub dance, John Walker snapping and decapitating a Flag Smasher with the Captain America shield, Sebastian Stan’s acting master class during the Bucky campfire scene, Sam and Bucky’s throwdown with John Walker, etc.) evoke much impression to effectively cover up any insufficiencies with the narrative.
Most of the plot’s best parts revolve around three meaningful and immersive character arcs. The first one is, of course, on Sam Wilson, who had to wrestle with the idea of whether it’s possible for a black man to be Captain America, and if it is, then whether he’s ready and capable of bearing such momentous responsibility. This show is actually the first time in the MCU where we truly get to see Sam Wilson get fleshed out significantly. Sam’s character and empathy are put on full display, leading the audience to conclude that Steve didn’t make a mistake in choosing him as the next Captain America.
When Sam Wilson became Captain America in the comics, I didn’t like it. It made no sense to me. On the other hand, I was excited for this development to happen in the MCU from day one. I guess most of the reason for that comes from the fact that I probably like the MCU version of Sam Wilson better than the original. And now, with The Falcon and the Winter Soldierproviding him a worthwhile arc toward that end, it only made his promotion to Captain America feel more earned and appealing to me.
Meanwhile, some may have assumed that Bucky would simply fill the role of “sidekick” in this show. But with the kind of substance present in his own arc, Bucky is absolutely not just a sidekick. He’s legit co-headlining this show. He undergoes a stereotypical “reformed assassin who’s haunted by his past sins and struggling to find redemption” storyline, but it doesn’t feel hackneyed as it’s genuinely poignant and powerful. I also love how Sam Wilson and Baron Zemo played integral parts in realizing Bucky’s character journey.
The last of the three worthwhile character arcs in this show belongs to John Walker. He was initially hated by most fans, mostly because of usurping the mantle of Captain America. In the end, they got around to liking him somewhat. I, however, enjoyed the character from the get go. The idea of him being a temporary “Captain America” didn’t bother me.
Those who have enough familiarity with comics had long come to expect that he would eventually become U.S. Agent, which is indeed what happened in the end. However, his character arc turned out being more complex and profound than just a mere origin story for the MCU version of U.S. Agent. Gong through privilege, dichotomies, tragedy, fall from grace, and eventual redemption during the course of the series, John Walker arguably undergoes the most dramatic character development among the three. His heel-face turn in the finale is kind of rushed, but it’s still arguably impactful.
I hope to see him in an MCU Avengers West Coast or Thunderbolts team in the future.
If a fourth best character has to be picked, I would go with Helmut Zemo. For stretches, he makes for a terrific third member in a trio with Sam and Bucky. However, it’s a bit weird that the show made him a lovable character out of nowhere – a development that’s comparable to how Deckard become unreasonably pleasant in The Fate of the Furious. So, I guess, like what Deckard has become from that point onward, Zemo is now also an anti-hero, one of the good guys? (Again, an indication that the Thunderbolts are coming to the MCU?)
Meanwhile, as bizarre as Zemo’s face turn is Sharon Carter’s heel turn. I didn’t really care for the big reveal of her being the Power Broker; it was pretty obvious. But I’m really curious of the story why she had now embraced a life of crime (is she a Skrull? Does this tie up to Secret Invasion?). Too bad we have to wait indefinitely for the sequel to know the answer to this mystery (whether that be a season 2 or a movie).
It’s also worth noting that Joaquin Torres (played by Danny Ramirez) makes his MCU debut in this show, laying the groundwork for a new Falcon (in the comics, Joaquin became the second Falcon when Sam became Captain America). He doesn’t play a major role in the show, but it’s heavily hinted that he’s going to suit up as the new Falcon in the sequel (whether that be a season 2 or a movie).
As for the antagonists, the Flag Smashers, they are rather unremarkable. They merely exist to essentially serve as plot devices. And Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman), the leader and face of the organization, is not interesting at all. The show is obviously trying to use her character arc to tackle the idea of dual perspectives, and it’s supposed to make the audience sympathize with her. However, her characterization is just not good enough to serve that purpose. She simply comes across as hate-able. Any attempts to tell a message through her are lost into the ether.
Which brings us to the “political commentary” aspect of the show. So, how was it? Honestly, during the first few episodes, I worried a bit that it would go full SJW and push a bunch of B.S. like open borders, anti-nationalism, and critical race theory. For during those early episodes, it was as if the show was saying, “The Flag Smashers are really who’s right here”, “America is intrinsically racist”, and “Antifa’s tactics are acceptable.” I know, I know. That was unfair of me to assume such. It’s just that, nowadays, I just can’t help but be wary and cynical about the messaging of pop culture properties when woke propaganda is currently very rampant in the entertainment-media industry.
Fortunately, the political commentary doesn’t end up being obnoxious or heavy-handed. Rather, it’s mostly thoughtful, and has been interwoven well in the narrative. There may be some false analogies and mild race baiting here and there, but in general, it offers valid and insightful points – or, at least, ideas that warrant further conversations. When Sam Wilson, now as Captain America, delivered that speech in the finale, which was essentially meant to summarize the show’s overall message, it felt organic, well-intentional, and appropriate.
However, the execution of the message can be self-defeating and lack foresight at times. For example, in that aforementioned speech, Sam speaks against calling the Flag Smashers “terrorists”, for by dismissing them as such, the issues that led the Flag Smashers to do what they did will be glossed over. The point here is that when we proceed to prematurely put labels on those we disagree with, we tend to stop treating them as fellow human beings and further conversations halt. Finding a common ground is impossible in such situations, and it will only lead to greater conflict. It’s a very good message to share, especially in today’s social media climate, where heavy words like “Nazi”, “sexist”, and “racist” are so easily thrown.
The problem, however, is that with the case of the Flag Smashers, their deeds do constitute to terrorism. If what’s being argued here is that it should not be called “terrorism” when there’s a valid grievance behind the action, which the Flag Smashers supposedly have, then nobody can be called a terrorist regardless of his deed. A “valid grievance” is very subjective; everyone’s the hero of his own story. So, there’s also most certainly the need to identify things as they are. If a terrorist act is committed, then it should only be right to call the perpetrator a terrorist.
But yeah, by itself, this is a worthwhile message: quickly and thoughtlessly throwing dehumanizing and invalid labels and insults amid disagreements should be stopped; conversations and discourse must always be encouraged.
All in all, as another addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier delivers the goods – amazing character moments, outstanding action, well-placed humor, absorbing drama, thought-provoking themes, and an overall sense of stimulating fun.
Next up: Loki!
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