Falcon & Winter Soldier Confirms The Problem With Cap’s Secret Avengers

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier highlights the biggest problem with Captain America’s Secret Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War — their operation is not sustainable. On the heels of Steve Rogers’ falling out with Tony Stark over the Sokovia Accords and the revelation that Bucky killed Howard and Maria Stark, the Super Soldier went underground with his own team. While they were dubbed fugitives by the government because of their refusal to sign the Sokovia Accords, Captain America, alongside Falcon and Black Widow carried their heroic tasks underground as revealed in the Infinity War Prelude comic.

In the two years in between in Captain America: Civil War and Infinity War, the Secret Avengers traveled the world and neutralized threats internationally. That’s until they emerged just in time in Scotland to help Wanda and Vision who were fighting Black Order members Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive. Not much else has been revealed about their global adventures, and while they have the Quinjet helping them travel from one location to another, it’s clear that it hadn’t been an easy time for the heroes. Even Rhodey pointed this out when Captain America and his team made their way back to the Avengers HQ to draw a plan about the imminent threat.

Now that Thanos has been defeated and the Infinity Saga chapter of the MCU is finished, there’s an idea that the franchise is finally moving forward with a new narrative. However, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s premiere raising questions about how the Avengers members make money, it indirectly highlights the biggest problem with the Secret Avengers — their operations were never sustainable. While Marvel Studios hasn’t revealed what exactly it was like for the trio during their time on the run, it’s safe to say that on top of keeping a low profile, they also had to be thrifty with their resources as they’re limited. Over time, they would be forced to halt their activities due to the lack of funding. Granted that everyone involved was willing to sacrifice and committed to doing good, but realistically, it’s not enough to continue their missions.

Why The Avengers Didn’t Earn Money

While Sam’s financial predicament in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier can be chalked to his disappearance in the last five years due to Thanos’ snap, it’s safe to say that he didn’t have much prior to that. He revealed that the heroes mostly relied on goodwill from other people, but despite Tony Stark not paying the Avengers for their services, he at least provided them with lodging, tech, and other basic necessities. The only thing they had to worry about is their personal spending money. As Secret Avengers, they lost all that, forcing them to scrape the bottom of the barrel to get by. The whole situation ultimately led to Sam working with the government in the show to get his finances straightened out even if they imposed the Sokovia Accords in the first place.

Bar the events of Infinity War, the operations of the Secret Avengers could’ve worked better and longer if they had the funds to support themselves. Even if they operated underground, they could’ve sustained their activities if Iron Man or Black Panther were helping them with their resources, but that didn’t seem to be the case. The harsh truth is, with limited funding, they’re not truly free to do what they wanted to do even if they refused to abide by the Sokovia Accords. While Captain America and Black Widow are now gone in the MCU, seeing Sam dealing with money woes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was sad to see considering how devoted he is to his role as a superhero. Perhaps this is one thing that can be properly addressed when the new roster of Avengers is formed.