The New Captain America
Episode 6 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier begins with Karli mobilizing her troops. Sam and Bucky both show up too, with the former confirming that he’s called on back-up to stop her. Well, that backup comes in the form of Sharon who reveals herself after shedding her disguise. Wearing a brand new stars and stripes suit, Falcon introduces himself as Captain America. While he fights with Batroc, Karli rings Bucky and questions whether he’s fighting on the right side or not. Well, Bucky ignores this and instead tasks Falcon with abandoning his fight with Batroc to stop a helicopter full of hostages. Meanwhile, Karli decides to kill the other hostages she has, believing the movement is strong enough to go on without them. She also tells the others this is the only way to make people listen to their message. Bucky appears though and puts a massive spanner in the works as he begins fighting against them all. Karli, unable to see her plan fail, decides to start a fire as a distraction. It doesn’t work though, as wildcard John Walker marches up to Karli. “Let’s finish this.” After some antagonizing chatter about hostages and Lemar, Walker is enraged. While he fights the Flag Smashers, Bucky frees the hostages from the back of the truck. John Walker and Karli both fight, with the former finding himself morally conflicted. The choice is between apprehending Karli or stopping a jeep full of people falling. It’s either saving lives or getting revenge. Eventually he chooses the former, which sees Walker pounced on by Karli and the others. The jeep rests precariously on the edge. Up in the air, Sam continues to play a game of cat and mouse with the helicopter. Thanks to some perfect timing, he teams up with Ayla and manages to thwart the threat, freeing the prisoners up in the air while making sure the pilot makes a splash landing. Falcon jumps into the thick of action at the right time, saving the truck as Isaiah Bradley happens to be among the crowd cheering. “That’s black Falcon right there!” He exclaims, pointing at Sam. The other crowd members turn to him though, “Nah, that’s Captain America.” Damn right it is fella! Karli sneaks off but finds herself face to face with the Power Broker – who reveals herself to be Sharon! Batroc appears too and demands he be paid for his services. This eventually leads to his death. Sam is brought over by the sound of the gunshot, leading to a stand-off with Karli. Only, Sam refuses to fight back. He takes Karli’s blows and tries to convince her to see reason. Just before she fires her gun, Sharon shoots Karli in the gut. As she bleeds out, she apologizes to Sam. The new Captain America helps Karli to the ambulance and speaks to the reporters on the scene. Given the senators are there too, he directs his qualms toward them. He tells the politicians that they have just as much power as an insane God and asks them all how they’re going to use it moving forward. At The Raft, this floating Wakandan prison ship, Zemo listens to the news and hears that the Flag Smashers (and Karli) have been stopped. Meanwhile, John Walker is reassigned as a US agent, complete with a black and red outfit. Bucky and Sam both tie up loose ends too. This includes taking Isaiah to the museum where a new statue has been erected to commemorate his sacrifice for the country. During the mid-credit sequence, Sharon Carter is given a full pardon and also introduced as the new Agent Carter. As she walks away, she phones her contact outside and informs them that super soldiers may be off the table but that’s only the start. She now has access to weapons and Government plans, which are definitely a good start. Looks like we’ve got a new antagonist on our hands!
The Episode Review
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier bows out with a largely predictable and formulaic ending. For much of this six-episode series, Marvel’s latest series has felt like business as usual at MCU HQ. The only difference here comes from the political slant – and in particular the emphasis on racial bias and hatred toward Sam and Isaiah. I’ve said it before in these recaps but that angle is absolutely fine if it’s consistent with the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe…which it’s not. Civil War, Black Panther and all the other MCU movies (especially those including Nick Fury and War Machine) have never been a target of racial hatred throughout the Marvel universe. In fact, if you’ll remember War Machine was actually rebranded as Iron Patriot and heralded as an American symbol. The final speech, while powerful, also feels a little shoehorned and likening big corps and senators to an immortal God is pretty ridiculous. After all, I’m sure Galactus has something to say about all that! After WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier bows out with an indifferent slice of superhero action. While it’s been a fun ride at times, it’s also a show that’s unlikely to be remember for years to come next to so many other heavy hitting series.
