*spoilers ahead*
If you’re a Marvel fan and you’re sad about the end of Wandavison, I have good news for you. On March 19th, the new Marvel show The Falcon and The Winter Soldier aired its first episode. We once again have something to watch on Fridays after taking a one-week break. The first episode was mostly setting up the plot for what’s to come.
If you haven’t seen the new episode yet, stop reading until you have. This isn’t a spoiler I want to be responsible for telling you. It is very clear from the beginning of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier that Captain America is dead. After his time travel to the past in Endgame, Cap decided to live his life in the past as he was meant to. Now he is the old man he should have been. It was unclear how he died, probably from his old age. No matter the cause, it doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking. I still have not fully processed his death and all that it means, and I intend to stay in this state of denial for as long as possible.
Episode one of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier starts before the Falcon, aka Sam Wilson played by Anthony Mackie, and the Winter Soldier aka Bucky Barnes played by Sebastian Stan. They officially start working together. These two heroes were the closest friends of Captain America. Cap and Bucky were best friends since they were kids, back when Cap was plain old Steve Rogers. Their history is long and complicated, but they never gave up on one another. Sam Wilson became friends with Steve after his 70-year slumber. While struggling to adjust to the new world, Sam helped Cap feel like he belonged.
Captain America had given his shield to Sam Wilson now that he no longer needed it. Sam Wilson felt that this was wrong and that it felt “like it’s someone else’s.” He didn’t feel right keeping it, so he donated it to the Captain America section of the Smithsonian museum so everyone could enjoy it. The shock of the final scene of the episode will outrage fans around the world. The government felt that they needed a new hero to stand not for the whole world, but for America itself, just like Steve did in his red, white, and blue. They found a new Captain America, dressed him in Steve’s suit, and even gave him the shield that Sam Wilson had donated to the museum. I think I speak for all Marvel fans when I say HELL NO. No one can replace Steve Rogers, he was one of a kind. The episode ends there, but one can only imagine the anger that Sam and Bucky are feeling while they are still wrapped in the grief of losing their friend.
Time will tell how the Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s storylines will join together and what this show has in store. We have already seen a lot of action and adventure and can only assume more is on its way. The trailer shows that these two are both extremely strong-willed and the only thing they have in common was their friendship with Captain America. Their lack of patience for one another and the overwhelming amount of testosterone will be sure to provide comedic relief. Fans should also be on the lookout for future appearances of Peggy Carter’s niece Sharon Carter who also showed up in the trailers. If you read all of this and still haven’t seen the first episode yet, go watch it now. There’s plenty to see that I didn’t cover– you will not be disappointed.