Falcon and the winter soldier series#

government for 30 years despite his service to his country, leaving him in a pit of disillusionment. After embarking on an unsanctioned mission to rescue other Black soldiers, Isaiah was imprisoned by the U.S. Slowly, they discover that there is more to the other than meets the eye.īucky introduces Sam to Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), a minor but integral character, an until-then unknown Black superhero who was active during the Korean War.

What might otherwise turn into mediocre schlock is elevated by the chemistry between the two leads. Sam and Bucky, the Falcon and Winter Soldier, make an odd couple, but their banter is what makes the show’s action sequences work. Only Steve believed in him and, now that he is gone, Bucky is in search of a place to belong, where his trauma can no longer hurt him. He has constant nightmares about his past sins, has violent urges and lies to his therapist about his mental health. The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan), chastises Sam for giving away the shield and refusing to be Captain America.īucky, who has suffered his own trauma as a formerly brainwashed assassin, represents the show’s exploration of veterans’ issues. Walker, a chiseled, blonde-haired, blue-eyed white man, looks on the surface much like Steve Rogers, but he turns out to be insecure and paranoid, though well-intentioned. Instead of becoming a museum piece, however, the Department of Defense takes the shield and assigns it to John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who becomes the new, state-sanctioned Captain America.Įven in the Marvel Universe, the fact that you’re a celebrity (or a superhero) cannot override the essential facts of being Black in America. However, believing that no one can live up to Steve’s legacy and that the world is not yet ready for a Black man to wear the stars and stripes, Sam donates the shield to the Smithsonian. At the end of “Avengers: Endgame,” Steve Rogers, the previous Captain America, gives his shield away to Sam and tells him that it is his turn to take up the mantle of Captain America. Sam spends almost the entire show running away from his own destiny. It makes a commitment to examine the realities of race, class and creed in the modern world, and what they specifically mean for the individuals who are fighting to make that world a better place.

Falcon and the winter soldier series#

This exploration of race is integral to the show, a limited series that recently concluded on Disney+. Even in the Marvel Universe, the fact that you’re a celebrity (or a superhero) cannot override the essential facts of being Black in America. The scene, toward the end of the first episode of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” encapsulates the thesis of the show. Despite asking to take a selfie with him, the clerk still denies Sam and his sister the loan. The white bank clerk can’t quite place where he knows Sam, a Black man, from, but concludes that he must have “played for LSU.” Sam diplomatically corrects him and eventually the clerk figures out that he is a superhero. Instead, what happens is all too familiar to a great number of Americans. They are attempting to save their parents’ fishing business from its financial troubles, and Sam is convinced that he can grease the wheels with the local bank because of his status as an Avenger. the Falcon (Anthony Mackie), arrives home in Delacroix, La., to try and help his sister secure a loan. After successfully rescuing a hostage for the U.S.