The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: a new, exciting, and overwhelmingly human entry into the MCU

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Let's talk about the most recent Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier! 🦾✨ Or, should I say, Captain America and the Winter Soldier. 😉

When Marvel announced the slate of movies and shows that they had coming out this year, TFATWS immediately piqued my interest. James Buchanan Barnes, aka Bucky, aka The (former) Winter Soldier, aka the White Wolf, has long since been my favourite character in the MCU. I felt as though he was somewhat sidelined after Civil War, so I was extremely excited to see him again. Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon, aka CAPTAIN AMERICA (!!!) is also an incredible character who, until now, hadn't been given a great deal of attention in the MCU, so I was similarly excited to see more of him.

Now, if you know me, you know that I didn't necessarily like the way Avengers: Endgame ended (in terms of what it did with Steve Rogers), but that is an entirely different post altogether. However, for all my gripes, I definitely felt as though Sam was the right choice for the shield and couldn't wait to see what he would do with it. I was also interested to see how Steve would be handled in the show, although we didn't really get an answer to that beyond the fact that he is "gone now".

I found it a bit difficult to get into TFATWS in the beginning; the first episode felt a bit slow to me, and I was concerned that I wasn't going to enjoy the show as much as I had anticipated. However, I ended up absolutely loving it. The show dealt with some heavy yet extremely important topics that I hadn't expected it to, such as the racial issues surrounding Sam's ascension to Captain America, as well as the treatment of supersoldier Isaiah Bradley. I felt as though the show dealt with these issues in a measured and graceful manner, expressing their importance and relevance to current society in a very natural way.

Seeing Sam finally take on the mantle of Captain America in the finale was incredible, and the reveal of his new suit is probably one of my favourite MCU moments. It is important for us to realise that Sam Wilson is not Steve Rogers. That does not make either of them any less important, though. Steve Rogers was the Captain America that the world once needed, and Sam Wilson is the Captain America that the world needs now. Whether the world deserves him is another question entirely, but Sam's prerogative is to change things for the better.

Sam has long since been one of the best, most underrated characters in the MCU. He was introduced in The Winter Soldier as a former pararescue airman now working at the VA. Despite the fact that he becomes friends with Steve Rogers and is subsequently surrounded by superheroes, he never once loses touch with reality. He was the obvious choice to take on the shield after Steve's retiral, despite what many people had to say about it (both in the films, and in real life). Throughout the show, Sam maintains his morality and humanity; he is practical, level-headed, and always does what he thinks is right. He always sees the best in people - particularly Karli - and does what he can to help them in whatever way he can. His commitment to ensuring that Isaiah Bradley is - finally - honoured is both touching and extremely poignant. Sam's power lies not in his fists or in his fighting skills, but in the pureness of his heart. He is truly one of the most amazing characters, and I am so excited to see what the future holds for him.

Something that TFATWS did well was humanise its heroes. We see Sam experiencing real-world struggles alongside his family - his sister Sarah, and his nephews Cass and AJ. For all it is a show about superheroes, it is still very much grounded in reality. The characters suffer from real, human emotions and issues: grief, loss, self-doubt, PTSD, to name but a few. TFATWS exists on a level that most of the MCU thus far doesn't. That's not to say that fantastical, intergalactic films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange aren't great or relevant, but TFATWS is able to connect with its audience in a different, perhaps more authentic manner.

Bucky's journey in TFATWS is one that is both heart-breaking and beautiful to watch. One of my main gripes with the show, both before I had watched it and still, is the title. I love the fact that it changed to Captain America and The Winter Soldier in the finale, but I would like to see that go one step further. Bucky is not The Winter Soldier anymore; we see him overcome this in the show, going to great lengths to make amends to those he harmed - against his will - while under HYDRA's control. In Avengers: Infinity War, T'Challa referred to him as the White Wolf, a name that returned numerous times in the TFATWS. Not only did Ayo - one of the Dora Milaje and a total badass - call him the White Wolf, but he even said it himself. Now, I've been told that the White Wolf is a different character in the comics, but the MCU has previously established that that title refers to Bucky in the universe of the films and shows. Thus, it would be really cool to see him officially given the title in the future.

(Top: Bucky's writing in the notebook, bottom: Steve's writing in the same notebook)

Bucky has a bit of an emotional dependence on Steve; as expressed by the line "If he was wrong about you then he was wrong about me", a significant portion of his self-worth is derived from Steve's opinion of him. This is understandable; he and Steve were soulmates - in whatever sense of the word - and had been together since the 1930s. Time after time, Steve sacrificed himself - in terms of his morals, values, property - for Bucky. Steve consistently reassured Bucky of his worth, especially in Civil War (the events of which are literally directly derived from Steve's want to protect Bucky). Thus it is no surprise that Bucky relies on Steve to foster a sense of assurance. We see him grapple with this in the show; he associates the shield with Steve, and is devastated when Sam gives it up. Because of what the shield means to him, Bucky is unable to understand what it means in a wider context (in terms of nationalism, and what it means for a black man to take up the shield and the mantle of Captain America). However, after talking candidly with Sam, Bucky is able to move beyond his emotional dependence on the shield - and Steve - and understand what Sam has been grappling with, with regards to its legacy. At the end of the show we see Bucky give his therapist his notebook, with all of his amends completed. That notebook had formerly belonged to Steve; in giving it away, Bucky is - finally - moving on from Steve and letting him go.

One of the show's most beautiful yet agonising sequences occurs at the beginning of episode 4, when we see Bucky officially free of HYDRA's programming. He is clearly terrified as Ayo begins rhyming off the words that once controlled him: longing, rusted, furnace, daybreak, seventeen, nine, benign, homecoming, one, freight car. However, when the words don't take effect and he is declared free, he breaks down. The exhausted relief on his face is palpable. Sebastian Stan's performance throughout the entire show is sheer perfection; he embodies Bucky so completely, and his chemistry with Anthony Mackie is wonderful to watch. Seeing Bucky so light and happy at the end of the show is extremely affirming, and all I could've hoped for. While the trajectory of his recovery may seem a little superficial at times, that is to be expected. The show has a lot of other things going on, so we as the audience must use our imagination as to what takes place offscreen.

The show brings back some old favourites, in the form of Sharon Carter and Helmut Zemo. It is interesting to see them again; they are both pretty different from the last time we saw them, in Civil War. Sharon - Emily Vancamp - has been exiled as a result of her former allegiance to Steve, and is holed up in Madripoor. The final episode reveals her to be the famed Power Broker, a twist that had been predicted by many fans. Sharon has changed quite a lot - which is understandable - and the version of her that we meet in the show is bitter and disillusioned, but no less powerful. Her shooting - and killing - Karli Morgentheau is something that I definitely didn't see coming and I do resent her for, but I am excited to see what she does next. The credits scene revealed that she was - finally - pardoned by the government, and her smirk suggests that she has something sinister up her sleeve. It is great to see Sharon as her own character, rather than being reduced to Steve's forced, heteronormative love interest. That was just weird, especially considering the fact that she's Peggy's niece.

Similarly, Zemo - Daniel Bruhl - is somewhat different from the Zemo we met in Civil War. There were a great many memes made about the fact that he was acting as something of a sugar daddy to Sam and Bucky, what with his private jet and lavish accommodation. He is a complicated character; some of his actions are positive, others are a bit problematic. Either way, it will be interesting to see if he will also return in the future. He definitely got the last laugh at the end of the episode, orchestrating murder from his cell on the Raft. Civil War made it easy to dislike Zemo, but TFATWS made it easy to love him (even just a little bit). Especially when he's dancing in Madripoor.

As well as bringing back old characters, TFATWS also introduced new ones (new in terms of the MCU, that is); the aforementioned Isaiah Bradley, John Walker, and Karli Morgentheau. Bradley's story is utterly heart-breaking, especially when you realise the parallels between his story and Steve's, along with the disparity in the way they were treated. When Steve disobeyed direct orders and broke into a HYDRA facility to rescue Bucky and other POWs, he was venerated. When Bradley did a similar thing, he was not given the same respect; as he tells Sam, he was imprisoned and experimented upon, hidden away and tortured for years. The show's finale sees him given just a fraction of the respect that he deserves, with Sam orchestrating for a section of the Captain America exhibit to be dedicated to Isaiah. He is an incredible character, and his inclusion in the show is instrumental to Sam's own journey.

John Walker was another extremely interesting new character that the show introduced us to. From the beginning, he was positioned as the antithesis to Steve. While Steve was, as Dr. Erskine said, "Not a perfect soldier, but a good man", it seemed as though Walker was the opposite. He becomes unhealthily obsessed with the shield and with the power that it brings, and this worsens tenfold when he takes the supersoldier serum. The ending of episode 4 is legitimately terrifying, especially seeing the shield streaked with blood in a way that it never was when Steve held it. The parallels between Walker and Steve - and Sam, too - are astounding, especially in relation to Battlestar (Lamar Hoskins, Walker's best friend.

The aforementioned ending of episode 4 sees Walker brutally murder one of the Flag Smashers in response to Lamar's death. If we take this situation and compare it to the first time Steve lost Bucky, the differences between Walker and Steve are even more apparent. Both Walker and Steve are clearly devastated over the losses of their best friends - the way that they deal with it, however, is different. Walker immediately goes on a rampage in search of retribution, while Steve's immediate reaction is all-consuming grief. He does say that he "won't stop until all of HYDRA is dead or captured", which is fair enough, but this is completely different to the single-minded, bloody warpath that Walker embarks upon. Steve's prerogative is to take down a criminal organisation and all involved, while Walker's is to hurt Karli the way he has been hurt. What is terrifying about the situation is the realisation that, were Steve a different person, he could've just as easily had the same reaction following Bucky's 'death'. It is difficult to imagine, considering what we know of Steve, but it is interesting nonetheless. There is another parallel between this scene and the three-way fight between Steve, Bucky, and Tony at the end of Civil War. Steve uses the shield to incapacitate Tony, while Walker uses it to kill Nico.

There is a moment in the finale where it appears as though Walker has turned 'good'; he teams up with Bucky to capture some of the Flag Smashers. It is probably the strangest and most unexpected team up of the show - even more so than Sam, Bucky and Zemo. However, it doesn't seem as though he will stay good, considering his transformation into US Agent. Ultimately, I am interested to see when he will return. Wyatt Russell did an incredible job with the character; I don't think I've seen a character as unanimously hated as him for a while.

Karli Morgentheau and the Flag Smashers were certainly an intriguing group, given the kind of grey area that they seemed to occupy. A lot of what they said made sense, there's no denying that, but unfortunately their methods were often extreme. Karli's death was unnecessary - Sam says as much in the powerful speech that he delivers in the aftermath. Karli wasn't beyond reason - her conversation with Sam in episode 4 proved as much - and she may have had a chance at redemption had things not gone the way they did. Her cause was necessary, though her methods sometimes weren't. Her apology to Sam in her final moments is also indicative of her true character. Ultimately, her actions were a result of sheer desperation, but she did not deserve to die for them. I'm not excusing what she did - she did kill and plan to kill quite a few people, after all - but her character was certainly nuanced and very interesting to watch, thanks to Erin Kellyman's great performance.

Honestly, there is so much more I could say about this show. I really did end up loving it, and I can't wait to see if it gets a second season. It has already been confirmed that there is a fourth Captain America film in the works (!!!), and I am so excited to see more of SamCap. Have you seen the show? If so, what did you think of it? Be sure to let me know! Thanks for reading. :)