Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 1 recap: Captain America’s legacy hangs over Sam

Get out of here, WandaVision. You have been done for two whole weeks, and there is a new Marvel Cinematic Universe show in town. The First episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier fall on Disney plus Friday to take us on a spy adventure with two of the Captain America’s Friends.

The last time we saw Sam Wilson, aka Falcon (Anthony Mackie), the Air Force vet wearing a wingsuit suit was chosen to be the next Captain America and given the iconic shield by a former Steve Rogers. However, he didn’t seem too sure to pick up the torch.

On the other side of the show’s title, we have Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), aka the Winter Soldier. Originally Steve’s sidekick during World War II, he spent decades as a brainwashed assassin of the underhanded terrorist group Hydra. He has been since been deprogrammed and joins the heroes, but overcoming the sins of his past does not prove easy.

This show takes place in the wake of Avengers: Endgame, when billions of missing people have returned after a five-year absence and the world suddenly feels crowded. Let’s jump over the border in DISCLOSE territory.

Your new Captain America

After telling Sam that he made “the right decision” by donating Cap’s shield to the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, the same government official later introduces the new Captain America to the world. It’s clearly a kick in the teeth for Sam, who handed the shield back because he thought no one should be playing Steve.

There is also something deeply disgusting about giving the shield to a white man after the black man chosen for the role abandons him.

The new Government Captain America is John Walker (Wyatt Russell). In one 1980s comic book history, Walker was cast for the role in the comics after Steve stepped down due to political interference. Sam was also considered for the role, but politicians felt people weren’t ready for a Black Captain America – it’s possible they think the same way in the MCU.

Walker has been both Cap’s opponent and ally in the comics, under names like the rather intense Super-Patriot and the more reasonable American Agent. It’s about serving Uncle Sam, to the point where he’s often been a puppet to morally dubious politicians.

I wish they had made Ralph Boehner the new cap, just to play with us.

The late Steve Rogers?

When Sam donates the shield, he calls Steve “gone.” It’s unclear whether Steve is dead or alive at this point – he would have been over 100 when he reappeared at the end of Endgame. It’s possible that the Super Soldier formula gave him a longer lifespan. longer than normal, so that he can still be physically fit.

Sam’s new boyfriend, Joaquin Torres, mentions a conspiracy theory that Steve is in a secret base on the moon. Maybe he’s next door to Attilan, the inhuman crumbling city of this spectacle we all want to forget ?! Please no.

It’s likely Marvel Studios hasn’t decided yet if Steve is coming back, so he’s both alive and dead.

Schrödinger’s cap, if you will.

Steve’s mirror

The opening action sequence in the Tunisian sky looks like the start of Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014, from Sam’s confident fall off the plane to the presence of Georges Batroc (Georges Saint-Pierre). It’s clearly designed to tell us that Sam is worthy to take Steve’s place, despite his reluctance.

Batroc, the cheeky Charlie, lives to fight another day because he jumped out of the helicopter just before it was destroyed by a missile. Truly lives up to the alter ego of its comic book counterpart – Batroc the Leaper – with this move.

No more borders

We only talk a little about the series’ villainous group, the Flag-Smashers, in this episode. They are an anarchist group that preferred the world as it was during the Blip, without borders – you can kind of see where they came from. Too bad about the violence.

They gather subscribers online and embark on a V For Vendetta-style “everyone wears the same mask” to pull off a heist. And at least one of them has superhuman strength and reflexes.

In comicsFlag-Smasher is an individual identity rather than a group. A few people took on this role, but their common goal was to spread anti-nationalist sentiment through terrorist acts. The original, Karl Morgenthau, particularly looked down on Captain America, seeing him as a symbol of American ideals.

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Winter kills

We see Bucky “making amends” for his dark deeds as the Winter Soldier, including destroying a corrupt Senator planted by Hydra. (I could watch a whole series about his decades of work for Hydra.)

He tells his therapist that he has had “some calm in Wakanda” – he was deprogrammed there between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. He was given the name “White Wolf” there, which is about the same level of cool as “Winter Soldier”.

However, in the episode’s biggest emotional punch, it turns out that he befriended the father of one of his victims. They have a really fun time hanging out and it even makes Bucky a great date, but he’s too guilt-ridden to enjoy it.

It seemed that this date was going pretty well too! Guess it’s date three or four before he is told about his past as a murderous brainwashed soldier.

WTF comments and questions

• The audio at the start is the swap is the final swap between old Cap and Sam in Avengers: Endgame.
• We are “a few months” after Endgame, according to Sam – it has already been confirmed that this takes place six months after these events. This place this show between WandaVision and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
• Rhodey (Don Cheadle) doesn’t have much to do here other than push Sam to take the shield. He will star in the upcoming Disney Plus show Armor wars.
• In the comics, Joaquin Torres becomes the new Falcon while Sam is Captain America.
• Why are you sitting next to a corpse? I realize the dead pilot is telling the audience that the plane has been taken over by bad guys, but Louie the pilot should be really scared.
• The normal wing suits are cool, but the villains in this episode seem a little sad compared to Sam’s awesome wings.
• The scene at the bank is quite frustrating, especially since the loan officer is not very professional. It’s also a little odd that the bank’s policies don’t seem to take Blipped people into account.
• Sam talks about “government contracts,” but why doesn’t he mention all that nice Microsoft money ?!
• The mission at the start of Captain America: The Winter Soldier was revealed to have been set up by Nick Fury to uncover information about Hydra’s dastardly plans. He’s unlikely to be involved in this one since he’s in space, but could Sam’s Tunisian operation be more than it looks?

Join us for more Easter Eggs and Sightings next Friday, when episode 2 from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier hits Disney Plus.

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