Every Captain America Power Sam Has That Steve Rogers Didn’t

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 6, “One World, One People.”

Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) finally took ownership of the Captain America mantle in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale, and he showcased several powers he now harnesses that Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) never had. When Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) and the Flag-Smashers attacked the GRC Summit in New York City, Sam had no choice but his embrace the role Steve passed to him. Not only did he have the symbolic shield, but Sam was also given a brand new suit made by allies from Wakanda. The long-awaited Falcon/Captain America hybrid suit showcased the long list of powers Sam will have at the ready.

Since Sam’s debut in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it was made clear the figure shouldn’t be underestimated. Despite his time using early versions of the EXO-7 Falcon wingsuit while fighting for the National Guard in Afghanistan, Sam was more than willing to fight in situations above his paygrade. That enthusiasm aligned him with Captain America before officially becoming a member of the Avengers. His suit and combat skills made Sam an integral part of the team, but his internal mindset and moral code made him the perfect candidate to replace Steve as Captain America.

Though Sam had plenty of experience fighting the most dangerous of enemies, he had a disadvantage for not being a Super-Soldier. There was no doubt Steve had heart, but many physical powers stemmed from the serum he received ahead of his Captain America transformation. Due to the serum, Steve attained enhanced strength, speed, physiology, intelligence, and stamina. Equipped with his circular shield, Steve was a force to be reckoned with, and he would have been even more threatening had Sam’s new Captain America suit. Without the serum, Sam will need to rely on external tech, which doesn’t seem like an issue considering his powers that Steve never had a chance to experiment with.

Wings/Flying

There was no doubt Steve had his own arsenal of abilities at the ready as a Super-Soldier, but he would have benefited from the power of flight. Sam’s original EXO-7 Falcon suit from The Winter Soldier proved resourceful. Since then, the prototype was only updated, but the experts from Wakanda took the wings to a new level. The wingspan alone with the Captain America suit looked bigger than previous versions, indicating Sam had more control in the air. He could also get to point A to point B much faster than Steve ever did with his reliance on his wings.

Wing Defense

Sam’s Captain America wings also had another benefit outside of flying. Based on the Wakandans’ involvement in constructing the new suit, it was presumed the wings were made from Vibramium, making them nearly indestructible. With that, Sam put their defense on display during his face-off with the Flag-Smashers in the city. When a falling helicopter exploded, Sam used his enormous wings to shield his entire body. The wings were also able to defend against bullets and other weapons. In addition to the Captain America shield, Sam had an array of defense options.

Sam’s Thruster Boost Charge

To strengthen Sam’s Captain America suit, the Wakandans implemented several thrusters on the back of the updated EXO-7 Falcon wings. When the truckload of hostages was about to fall multiple stories into an empty construction site, Sam came to the rescue. Without super-strength, he couldn’t rely on his own power, so he used the thrusters in his wings to propel the vehicle upwards. The charged boost allowed him to get the government officials to safety without the need for Super-Soldier serum abilities. It then helped Sam find extra brute power when battling Super-Soldiers like Karli.

The New Redwing

The first Redwing featured in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier served as a key resource for Sam until Karli destroyed the drone. Thankfully, the Wakandans provided Sam with a brand-new Redwing device incorporated into the modified Captain America suit. While this version had all of the capabilities as Sam’s previous tech sidekick, the advanced drone had a few advancements. The primary device was equipped with two smaller drones that Sam could fully control. The updated Redwing also had the power to scan the faces of the helicopter occupants to identify anyone with a history of flight experience. Steve was forced to rely on his own intel or information gathered from his allies instead of having a mobile technological drone.

Arm Gauntlets

Since his time as Falcon, Sam was equipped with arm gauntlets over his wrists. Though they were previously used as weapon systems, the new gauntlets incorporated into the Captain America suit had a more practical purpose. The strengthened material acting as the gauntlets were presumably meant to protect Sam when catching the shield when he retrieved it in mid-air. The gauntlets were additionally shown to cushion the blow when taking hits from enemies. Steve never wore any type of gauntlets and instead stuck to gloves.

Heat Sensor Goggles

Sam always wore a pair of combat goggles when wearing his Falcon suit. Since then, however, the eyewear had been upgraded to include a communication interface to allow communication with Redwing. More recently, Sam showed off the goggles’ ability to track enemies using the heat sensors built-in. When Georges Batroc (Georges St-Pierre) used smoke grenades to allow the Flag-Smashers to flee, Sam used to heat sensors to determine which area the group was heading in. Steve never used any type of goggles when fighting as Captain America.

Footstep Tracking

In addition to the heat sensors, Sam’s goggles were revealed to have footstep tracking capabilities. When following Karli and her loyal followers toward the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s series finale, Sam was able to identify their footsteps to find the direction they ran in. Since the tracks were split up within a warehouse, Sam went after Karli while Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) hunted down the other Flag-Smashers. Steve, on the other hand, would have been forced to use other forms of tracking during his time as Cap.