7 Biggest Questions After The Falcon & The Winter Soldier Finale

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has come to an end, and it’s left some big questions in its wake about the future of the MCU. The series has primarily focused on the individual arcs of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, but it’s also introduced new characters, visited new locations, and teased new storylines for the future of the MCU. Many of those threads are left hanging after Falcon & The Winter Soldier episode 6, opening up a lot of possibilities for what’s to come.

Episode 6 jumps right into the action with Sam and Bucky suiting up to save the members of the Global Repatriation Council from Karli Morgenthau and the Flag-Smashers. Sam tests out his new Wakandan Captain America suit to great effect, successfully saving the hostages along with the help of Bucky, Sharon Carter, and John Walker. In a final confrontation, Carter, who is secretly the Power Broker, kills Karli, much to Sam’s dismay. Walker is rechristened U.S. Agent by the enigmatic Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Sam helps to get Isaiah Bradley’s story told, and Sharon is reinstated in the U.S. intelligence service, all in the interest of her new nefarious goals.

It was an action-packed finale and a solid conclusion to most of the show’s story arcs. Sam and Bucky end up as good friends, each having conquered some inner demons with the help of one another. Not everything in the series wraps up cleanly, however, and many threads are left hanging for future MCU projects to pick up. Here are the biggest questions after the Falcon & The Winter Soldier finale.

Will Zemo Escape Prison Again?

By the end of Falcon & The Winter Soldier, Baron Zemo has been imprisoned again, this time on The Raft – a high-security prison in the middle of the ocean. With the Flag-Smashers all dead, it seems like Zemo may be able to rest peacefully knowing their super-soldier threat has been eliminated. However, because of the many other superpowered people present in the MCU, Zemo could easily find a new reason to get out and continue his crusade.

The character has become incredibly popular with fans over the course of Falcon & The Winter Soldier, which could be reason enough to bring him back. The MCU’s Zemo is quite different from the version seen in the comics, but he could still play a major role in future movies and shows as an antihero. That would require him to escape from The Raft, of course – a task that seems particularly challenging, even for him.

What Will Sam Do Now That He’s Captain America?

Sam was never officially commissioned by the U.S. government as Captain America, but after his public heroics in the face of Karli’s attack, it looks like no one’s going to take the shield from him again. But now that he’s officially the new Cap, what will Sam do? He’s still an agent of the U.S. military, which means his work will likely be similar to that of Steve Rogers’ during his time with S.H.I.E.L.D. The Avengers don’t really exist anymore after the events of Avengers: Endgame, but now that he carries the shield, Sam could be a major player in the MCU’s next crossover event. Since it was announced that Captain America 4 with Sam Wilson is a go, that may be his next step.

Will Torres Become The New Falcon?

One of the new characters Falcon & The Winter Soldier brought to the MCU is Joaquín Torres, the soldier who helps Sam through his fight against the Flag-Smashers. In the comics, Torres becomes the new Falcon after Sam becomes Captain America. The series already teased that transformation when Sam left his old wings with Torres, but unfortunately, the new Falcon didn’t fly into battle in the finale. Still, there’s a lot of potential for more Torres in the future of the MCU. Danny Ramirez did an excellent job with the role, and given all the new young heroes being introduced in Phase 4, Torres could become a much more central character down the line.

Who Is Contessa Valentina Really?

One of the biggest mysteries left by Falcon & The Winter Soldier is that of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who strikes up an alliance with John Walker after his discharge from the military. At the end of the show, Val gives Walker a new suit, renames him U.S. Agent, and tells him to be ready for her call when things get “weird.” Val creates a lot more questions than answers, but there are some hints as to who she is and what she wants in the MCU.

In the comics, Val is a HYDRA operative who goes undercover with S.H.I.E.L.D. for an extended duration, eventually being revealed and arrested. That story already looks like it’s being majorly changed for the MCU, but the core of Val’s character may remain the same. Some have theorized that she is assembling a new – possibly evil – super-team, likely the Thunderbolts or the Dark Avengers. Since both of those groups could play into the upcoming Secret Invasion storyline, that may be the case. Val’s vague allusions to weird things coming could be referring to the Skrulls of Secret Invasion, which might tie Val to Nick Fury. Or she could be connected to a hidden HYDRA remnant yet to be revealed. Either way, it looks like Val will be a major player for quite some time.

What Will Happen To John Walker’s U.S. Agent?

John Walker is now tied up in the Contessa’s mysterious schemes, making his future as uncertain as hers. Walker has had comic connections to both the Thunderbolts and the Dark Avengers, so if Val creates either team in the MCU, he’ll likely be a part of it. However, nothing has been confirmed yet. For now, Walker is a super-soldier without a mission. He seems to have learned a lesson about true heroism by the end of the show, but he’s still an impulsive, aggressive, and hot-tempered person, and his apparent redemption doesn’t really feel earned given what he’s done. If Val’s motives are sinister in nature, Walker could easily turn fully to the dark side.

Why Did Sharon Carter Become The Power Broker?

The heavily-suspected twist that Sharon Carter was the Power Broker all along is confirmed in Falcon & The Winter Soldier episode 6, but the how and why of her transformation are barely touched on. Karli has one line about Sharon wanting to get back at the world that betrayed her, suggesting Sharon’s turn was motivated by vengeance after being ousted from the U.S. in Captain America: Civil War. Still, that explanation feels woefully inadequate to explain such a drastic change in values.

Sharon had every right to hold a grudge after being labeled a criminal for helping Steve Rogers, but that doesn’t explain why she would have turned into a complete supervillain in a relatively short amount of time. The post-credits scene of the Falcon & The Winter Soldier finale shows Sharon being reinstated and immediately scheming to sell U.S. weapons and secrets to nefarious groups. She could become a compelling villain as the MCU continues, but she’ll need a lot more fleshing out to explain how she took such a dramatic turn toward breaking bad so fast.

What Will Bucky Do Next?

Bucky manages to find some closure at the end of Falcon & The Winter Soldier, checking off every name in his book and moving onto a new chapter in life. But what will that chapter hold? The ending scenes of the finale show Bucky hanging out with Sam and his family, suggesting that the two will maintain a close relationship following the events of the series. It’s possible Bucky in his new post-Winter Soldier life could be a consistent partner to Sam’s Captain America, or he could simply fade into the sunset, leaving his life of crime and crimefighting behind him. Whatever the future holds for Bucky, Falcon & The Winter Soldier gives him a pretty satisfying conclusion to the story that he began in Phase 2.