The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Series Review

By Maia Pagán
Culture Columnist 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a new Marvel TV show on Disney+. So far, there have been only four episodes, but within those four episodes, there's a lot to unpack. Fans have been coming up with theories, and the show takes you through many twists and turns, never really knowing who you should trust. Let's start down the paths of characters new and old, soldier serums, societal malaise, and the fight for truth and justice?

This show explores something new which Marvel has not talked about before, racism. Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon, is a Black man who is a superhero and is often treated differently because he is Black. He is an American hero yet is denied a loan to help save his sister's house and family business. This injustice ties to a prior super soldier and his lack of support, recognition, and development, while the white Captain America promoted truth and justice.

The series introduces an old super-soldier that was created at the same time as Captain America. But his presence was erased after he fought for the United States government because the government did not want people to know that a Black super soldier exists (Isaiah Bradley). A new character will emerge from the Black super-soldiers, Isaiah's nephew (Eli Bradley). His character is in the future series about the Young Avengers, also known as Patriot in the Young Avengers series. 

This show has viewers constantly guessing who is the bad guy. Is it the new Captain America or the group (The Flag Smashers) trying to help people who have suffered after the blip? Most people who have watched the show are not fans of the new Captain America as he could never replace the beloved character initially portrayed by Chris Evans.

The new Captain America, former U.S. Agent John Walker, played by Wyatt Russel, and his sidekick Battlestar are also introduced, causing tension for Bucky and Sam. So far, according to the main "Flag-Smasher" named Karli Morgenthau and played by Erin Kellyman says that most of the fan's theories on what's going to happen with the show are not correct, so that leaves more fans wondering what's in store for the show. 

The series also explores the Winter Soldier, also known as James Buchanan Barnes or Bucky, who attends court-ordered therapy because he is a pardoned war criminal. After being taken over by Hydra and having his mind-controlled, he is on the road to making reparations with everyone he has harmed in his past. His character shows the toll of mental health on superheroes and supervillains alike and how lost Bucky seems to be since his best friend Steve Rogers is no longer around. 

Disney+ released a warning that future episodes of the show we're going to be a lot more grotesque and might be hard to watch for some viewers. One thing that surprised fans was that Bucky and Sam, in the most recent episode, helped a villain by the name of Baron Zemo escape prison. Will the Falcon and the Winter Soldier put their differences aside and come together for the greater good, or in the end, will they separate, never to speak again? One thing fans of the show are excited to see the constant sass and chemistry between the Falcon and the Winter Soldier and their adventures.  

In episode 4, although the super-soldier serum has many great qualities, it can turn a person into evil very quickly, and that's what happened to John Walker, the new Captain America. John Walker decides to take Super soldier serum and kills Karli's friend, who said he used to be a fan of Captain America growing up earlier in the show. He killed him because Karli accidentally kills Battlestar, the new Captain America's best friend and sidekick. At the beginning of episode four, Zemo mentions that no one could handle the super-soldier serum like the original Captain America Steve Rogers because he never let the serum take over his whole life. But that's precisely what happens to John Walker. Many fans of the series suspected John Walker would become a villain and not live up to what Captain America used to stand for. 

Let's discuss Sharon Carter (Peggy Carter's grandniece) as an ex-field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She may be the Power Broker who has been threatening the Flag-Smasher leader Karli about the super-soldier serum that was all but destroyed. Sharon is hiding out because she has not been pardoned for war criminal crime by the United States. Her location and technology to track people give her immense power. 

In the last fight scene, Zemo disappears after Dora Milaje (the fearsome warrior from Wakanda) fails to take him to prison again. Zemo has a new goal: killing all super-soldiers; since John Walker took the super-soldier serum, will he be the next on the kill list? Is this the beginning of the end for the era of Captain America or redemption? Which side will Bucky and Sam Wilson choose? Also, where did Zemo go?