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The first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier reveals a new Captain America to the world, in a devastating blow to Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 1, “New World Order”, now airing on Disney +.
Hot on heels WandaVision, The second Disney + series from Marvel Studios, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, got off to a dramatic start. The first episode brings audiences back to the heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, picking up where Avengers: End of Game leave behind. After accepting Captain America’s shield at the end of this movie, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is seen handing the shield over to the United States government in Episode 1, which will be on display in memory of Steve Rogers. The episode explores Sam’s feeling that the shield really belonged to Steve, which gave it meaning. As a result, Sam felt that he couldn’t take on Captain America’s mantle on his own, which only made it even more devastating when a new Captain America is seen carrying the shield at the end of the episode. .
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In addition to ignoring Steve’s chosen successor and Sam’s wishes for the shield given to him, the Department of Defense’s appointment of a new Captain America goes against Steve’s values. Rogers. The news is sure to leave Sam re-evaluating his decision to pass the shield on and question everything Captain America stands for.
Although he has yet to be named onscreen and has only been briefly shown in the closing moments of Episode 1, this new state-sanctioned Cap is John Walker (Wyatt Russell ), best known to most comic book fans by his later nickname, the US Agent. In the comics, Walker was an army veteran with superhuman strength, who took up the torch from Captain America at a time when Steve Rogers had relinquished identity. While Walker and Rogers faced off in the comics, his role on the series is a bit different, as the MCU’s Walker reprizes the role of Captain America after Steve’s supposed death. With Steve Rogers remembered as a hero, Walker is sure to define his role as a continuation of Steve’s legacy and a way to honor his memory. But that only hurts the emotional boost to see him in Captain America’s uniform even more.
During Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, Steve had been confronted with the harsh political realities of the 21st century. Originally becoming Captain America during WWII, when heroes and villains were more distinct, it was difficult for Steve to operate in a world where moral lines were a bit more blurred. This forced him to make a distinction between the institutions and programs he had worked for and the ideals he actually believed in. The result was a Captain America who was ready to tear down SHIELD to defeat Hydra and who challenged the United Nations to defend his freedom and that of the Avengers to operate as a hero. At time Avengers: Infinity WarSteve Rogers was a fugitive, having ditched the stars and stripes to lead his own team of Secret Avengers.
Steve’s willingness to challenge authority, to put lofty ideals and a sense of morality before allegiance to a government or program, made him the hero that he was. It was no small feat for a flag-clad super soldier to become a bastion of non-partisan hope. Steve Rogers defined Captain America as a hero who represented not only what America was, but everything the nation dreamed it could be. Then to see this identity recovered by the government and reduced to a tool of this government, is to see the heritage of Steve Rogers drowned by nationalist propaganda.
Additionally, Sam had given up the shield in good faith, believing it was helping to preserve Steve’s memory. Seeing the shield now passed to a Captain America undermining that same memory is clearly a painful moment for Sam. But beyond this harsh ideological shift is the inescapable fact that Steve had chosen Sam to succeed him – a man of sides of which he had fought and fought. The two were friends, allies, fellow Avengers who trusted each other. Seeing the shield now handed over to a man who never even knew Steve Rogers sounds like the toughest betrayal in Steve’s legacy – a point the series parallels perfectly with Sam’s reluctance to let his sister sell theirs. former family home and their fishing boat, which he describes as their family’s heirloom.
Walker’s Captain America reveal is a chilling moment that strikes a direct blow at the legacy ideas the series grapples with. In a universe filled with physical dangers, the introduction of this new Captain America poses an ideological threat that could bury everything Captain America once stood for. And it hurts more than any punch.
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