Captain America: Brave New World is the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film in which Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) operates as Captain America rather than Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), but Marvel TV viewers did briefly get to see Sam wield the famous Vibranium shield on the small screen several years ago. Released in 2021, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was a miniseries exploring the aftermath of Steve’s decision to turn the mantle of Captain America over to Sam, who questions what to do with the title in the face of institutional racism. Ironically, real-world racism has unfairly influenced the series’ reputation, which is especially unfortunate as those viewers who do give it a fair chance will discover one of the MCU’s most thoughtful and entertaining stories, which is further elevated by the chemistry Mackie shares with co-star Sebastian Stan, who plays James “Bucky” Barnes/the Winter Soldier.
'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Questions the Captain America Legacy
Set roughly six months after the events of Avengers: Endgame, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier begins with Sam refusing the Captain America mantle and publicly returning the shield to the Smithsonian museum, much to Bucky’s frustration. The pair is further outraged soon after when the U.S. government gives the shield and mantle to John Walker (Wyatt Russell), a soldier with no real connection to Steve or the Captain America legacy. The pair must work through the friction between them (with both dramatic and comedic results) while investigating the Flag Smashers, an activist group seeking to create a unified world without borders whose methods are escalating to terrorism and includes several members with superpowers similar to Steve’s.
The mission leads Sam to learn more about the racist history of America’s super soldier programs after encountering formerly incarcerated hero Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), but this makes his ultimate decision to take the Cap mantle back (after Walker is dishonorably discharged) all the more cathartic and meaningful. Bucky is forced to confront the mental health challenges he has as a result of his time as a brainwashed assassin, a storyline that, despite its heightened nature, also makes many relatable points about the challenges real-world combat veterans deal with. Although many of their scenes together emphasize their hilariously ridiculous bickering, Sam and Bucky also develop a much stronger, more supportive friendship with one another over the course of the series, with Mackie rightly expressing pride in how the show depicted a male friendship that was both platonic and highly affectionate, which is rather unusual for Hollywood products.
'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Is Subjected To Biased Criticism
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The series does have some legitimate flaws, several of which are related to the characters of Flag Smasher leader Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) and former secret agent Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), but even their storylines have silver linings. Karli is never quite as sympathetic or complex as the series’ scripts try to describe her as, but the tragedy of someone so young feeling they have no other way to improve the world than to employ violent radicalism does add to Sam’s larger story of standing against political corruption and injustice. And while the reveal that Avengers ally Sharon had turned to crime understandably upset fans of the usually heroic comic book character, VanCamp did excel at playing the darker, more jaded sides of her personality.
However, many of the other criticisms of the show are plainly unreasonable, coming across as thinly veiled ways for those who make them to disguise bigoted objections to the show’s focus on diverse characters and socially conscious themes. A sequence in the series finale in which, after embracing the Captain America identity, Sam chastises an obviously corrupt U.S. official (Alphie Hyorth) and other politicians from various countries and urges them “to do better” at serving vulnerable communities received especially pronounced criticism, with detractors noting the lack of specific suggestions in Sam’s speech. This is evident of a racist double standard, as Steve made similar speeches in many of his appearances without receiving the same levels of backlash as Sam did.
Opinions vary on the MCU now more than ever, even after the success of Deadpool & Wolverine, which earned over $1.3 billion at the global box office. During the post-Endgame era, Marvel has had other box office hits, like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, both of which feature previously established characters as the lead. With Captain America: Brave New World hitting theaters later this week, do you think it’s going to fall more in line with the major hits of Phases 4 and 5, or will it fall short of other Captain America movies? Even The Winter Soldier grossed $714 million globally after opening with $95 million, which seems like it might be out of reach for Brave New World.
Furthermore, it also misunderstands both characters’ roles in the story (possibly intentionally). Although both come to recognize and utilize the symbolic and influential values of the Captain America role, neither Sam nor Steve claims or aspires to be a politician. Their main chosen responsibility is to protect public safety and while they sometimes do so in more proactive, provocative ways, such as when Sam calls for an end to the status quo that created the Flag Smashers, they leave actual decisions about public policy to the people who have been chosen by the public to make them. So, not only is expecting the fictional superhero character of Sam to single-handedly plan changes that will resolve complex societal issues ridiculously unrealistic, but it also betrays a lack of understanding of both his story and his predecessor’s.
Something else that was likely unhelpful for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s reputation was its release date, with the show premiering soon after Marvel’s first Disney+ series, WandaVision, which, admittedly, is an even more creative take on a superhero story. But hopefully, in the future, more viewers can look past this and the other criticisms of the show, both the legitimate ones, and, especially, the biased ones, because there is much to love about it, including generally strong writing about important topics, high production values, and memorable performances from cast members such as Russell, Lumbly, Daniel Brühl, Florence Kasumba, and most of all, the leading duo of Mackie and Stan, who cement their characters as two of Marvel’s best, both individually and, especially, when paired together.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is available on Disney+ in the U.S.
Custom Image by Zanda Rice
Image via Disney+
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