Point of Review: Falcon and Wintersoldier

Just a week after WandaVision’s season finale, Disney + released a new Marvel show: The Falcon and Wintersoldier. The post-blip series showcases six episodes on the rise of an extremist group: The Flag Smashers.

The previous minor characters Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes return to their somewhat normal lives after saving the world from the blip. Sam is faced with the decision of taking up the responsibility of being the new Captain America. On the other side, Bucky has trouble adjusting to his new life after being pardoned for his crimes. Although they are both living separate lives, a new threat rises that requires both of them to partner up. The introduction of the Flag Smasher, an extremist group that consisted of anti-nationalist super soldiers, brought Sam and Bucky back together.

This show was very different from WandaVision. I felt that WandaVision included a lot of visual and artistic elements while The Falcon and Wintersoldier was a typical Marvel production. It had action, adventure, and opened up more questions than it answered. The comedy in the show wasn’t sit-com-like, but every now and then the characters would take a break from the seriousness to make hilariously sarcastic comments. WandaVision is hard to follow, but I think The Falcon and Wintersoldier cast and crew did an outstanding job.

Many fans, including myself, loved seeing more of the iconic Bucky and Sam friendship. The characters are often viewed as side characters in the previous movies, but, finally, we got the insight into these characters' emotions and backstories.

In the Marvel Comics, the leader of the flag smashers was Karl Morgenthau. However, the Marvel Cinematic Universe changed the character to Karli Morgenthau, a 19 year old female super soldier. As a young teenage girl, Marvel changing the character made me feel a sense of empowerment. While Karli’s ways to get justice were extreme, her movement had good intentions. No matter what age or gender you are, you can always fight injustice, and Karli is a great example of that. However, blowing up buildings and hurting people probably isn’t the best way to do that.

The show also included much needed commentary supporting African American people. Sam had to deal with a lot of controversy with possibly becoming the first Black Captain America. He met Black super soldier Isaiah Bradley, who was hidden from the public eye. He was treated terribly and used as a government guinea pig. Bradley said, “they will never let a Black man be Captain America.” Sam later said “But we built this country. Bled for it. I'm not gonna let anybody tell me I can't fight for it. Not after what everybody before me went through.” The show inspired many to push through the boundaries of racism. It opened the doors for a new phase of inclusivity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Another thing that I really liked was the acting. The bond between Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan is found on and off screen. Sebastian Stan specifically stood out to me. He has this ability to display all of this character’s emotions with just his eyes. It’s a skill that many actors have trouble mastering and is a skill that is needed even more these days because of masks.

Overall I thought the show was great, but somewhat mediocre. There wasn’t anything special about it, but there was nothing wrong. It had the style of a basic Marvel movie. However, as I learned more, I found that the themes were much more complex. The Falcon and Winter Soldier shed light on social injustice and motivated people to find acceptance.