Marvel Studios has continued its run of exceptional offerings of shows on Disney+ with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
At only six episodes, the miniseries is a quick watch for anyone who is a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or those who might be interested in the legacy of Captain America and his closest allies.
Much like 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ is a comic book story told through the lens of an international espionage thriller. Along the way, Marvel addresses some of today’s biggest hot button issues, including race and the rights of refugees.
Breaking down the series from the beginning, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier starts with Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson returning Captain America’s shield to the military.
Falcon is shocked to learn that rather than placing the shield on permanent display to honor the many sacrifices made by Steve Rogers, the military has decided to appoint a new Captain America, John F. Walker, with the legendary shield and a new star-spangled suit.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes is struggling to come to terms with the violence he doled out under the command of Hydra as the Winter Soldier.
Wilson, Barnes, and Walker are inevitably drawn together in the face of a new terrorist organization called the Flag Smashers. Led by the young Karli Morgenthau, who is played to perfection by Erin Kellyman, the group vows to tear down all borders and make a better world for the most vulnerable.
Overall, ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ succeeds because it has a clear understanding of its male lead, Sam Wilson.
For Wilson, the series explores what race and patriotism mean to different people. One of the ways the series does this is by contrasting the experience of Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, with the story of Isaiah Bradley. As told by the series, Bradley is a veteran of the Korean War who was given an experimental super-soldier serum.
After rescuing a group of American POWs, Bradley is incarcerated and experimented on, his superiors doubtful that the country would ever accept a Black Captain America. Bradley’s story comes full circle when Sam takes up the shield for himself.
Without regard to super strength and acknowledging that many Americans would never accept him as a suitable replacement for Steve Rogers, Wilson becomes Captain America because it is simply the right thing to do.
Like any other property in the MCU, ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ contains numerous teases for what fans can expect in the future. One of the most interesting teases involves Walker, who is now in the employ of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine.
Fontaine cryptically promises Walker, who is now known as US Agent, that things are about to get weird, an assurance sure to tantalize fans due to her morally grey motives in the comics.
Also of note is a new villainous turn for Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter. In an after-credits scene, Carter is revealed to have an avowed interest in selling state secrets and technology to the highest bidder after being given a pardon by the government.
The series surprised fans by revealing Carter as the Power Broker, the omnipresent backer of the Flag Smashers. Once a hero, fans of the MCU will be excited to see how far Carter goes down the road of villainy.
By the far biggest question after the conclusion of ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ lies in what comes next for the show’s two main leads. Fans of the show will not have to wait long for the continuing adventures of the duo, however.
Marvel Studios announced the development of a new Sam Wilson Captain America movie mere hours after the show’s finale premiered on Disney+.
