Warning! This article may contain spoilers for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Read at your own risk!
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier literally wrapped up with a happy ending for almost everybody as it brings justice to the story of each character, most especially with Sam finally embracing the legacy of being the new Captain America. By the end of the episode, the series has been given a new title card of "Captain America And The Winter Soldier" but what does this mean for the series and in the MCU?
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: A Narrative to Sam Becoming the New Captain America
The series mostly went around the shield of Captain America. It could be remembered that Steve personally gave the shield to Sam in Avengers: Endgame following his retirement of the moniker as he is now an old person who seemed to found a new way to relive his life once more when he returned the stones in the past and never went back through the time machine that they have.
In the said moment, Sam was clearly hesitant to take the shield that when Steve asked him about what he feels, he immediately answers "like it's someone else's" indicating he doesn't feel like the shield was his. In the first episode of the canon series, Sam gave the shield to the Smithsonian Museum where the exhibit of Captain America is, only to end up with the government's new Captain America, John Walker.
Along the way, Walker seemed to have lost his way in proving himself as a hero, like a Captain America of his own that he struggled to stay faithful to the legacy of the shield, even using it to kill someone else in public come Episode 4. In Episode 5, Sam and Bucky managed to take the shield back. Sam approaches Isaiah Bradley for advice and what went wrong where Isaiah said being black affects taking on the shield.
By the time the finale arrives, Sam is finally embracing becoming his very own version of the Black Captain America and his debut is well-loved by the people around that one of the bystanders called him the Black Falcon only to be corrected by another that Sam is the new Captain America. By the end of the episode, Sam's community celebrated him.
What The New Title Card "Captain America And The Winter Soldier" Means?
As Sam fully takes on the mantle of Captain America, he finally leaves his moniker of being the Falcon and let go of his past with a clear view of the future. Sam had a tough journey throughout the series and he had various moments to think it through if the world is really ready for a Black Captain America.
In his moving speech while conversing with the GRC, he said being black, not having blonde hair and blue eyes, and carrying the stars and stripes has its challenges that millions would be hating him for being such but his point was duly noted when he said that nothing could change that but he's still there, even without superpowers, leaving the question to the GRC senators, "how are you gonna use it?"
With this, he proceeds to be the hero that Steve wanted him to be, that he himself wanted, though hesitant at first. Sam finally redeems and proves himself worthy that even someone without any superpowers or serum, for that matter, can be Captain America and could continue the legacy of the shield. Steve, after all, was right when he gave the shield to Sam.
Sam did justice on his very first day as the Black Captain America and even dealt with racial politics that he made his stature in the community a historic and memorable one, standing up for the people like him, struggling in life and still making it out as a hero of their narrative.
The new title card could also mean that there is more to the series. Various reports turned up recently on the possibility of the series having more than one season like its Emmys category under Best Drama Series rather than being under the Limited or Anthology TV Series. Of course, it could be considered that they wouldn't want two amazing Marvel Disney+ series competing for one spot with WandaVision in that category.
Still, with the storytelling and the path of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, even having a new title for it the moment it ended, it could be indicative that there is really more to come with the series. There are still more to unravel like John Walker finally becoming the US Agent with the help of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and the mid-credits scene of Sharon being pardoned and secretly the Power Broker.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Finale is now available on Disney+.
Related: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Finale Features A Black Widow Reference
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