Sam Wilson Holds Bloody Captain America Shield In Falcon & Winter Soldier Fan Poster

A The Falcon and the Winter Soldier fan poster sees Sam Wilson holding Captain America’s bloodied shield. Marvel’s second original Disney+ series is examining the complicated legacy surrounding Captain America and the loaded symbolism of its star-spangled shield. Sam chose to give up the shield after Steve Rogers gave it to him at the end of Avengers: Endgame, much to Bucky’s consternation and lack of understanding of what it would mean for a Black man to take on the mantle of Captain America.

With John Walker having taken on the Captain America name, the shield’s legacy has become even more complicated. Walker hoped to make nice with Bucky and Sam, but their rejection of him as an ally sent him down a path that saw him take a vial of Super Soldier serum and become enraged in the process. Episode 4, “The Whole World Is Watching,” ended with what is one of the darkest moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as of yet when Walker murdered a Flag Smasher in cold blood with Captain America’s shield.

The final shot of the episode shows Walker holding the shield, bloodied with the violence of the act he just committed. A new fan poster from ultraraw26 puts the bloody shield front and center, but this time Sam Wilson is holding it. Walker is below the shield, holding Captain America’s helmet in a sly nod to his uncertainty in the role of hero.

Sam is all but guaranteed to end up with Captain America’s shield by the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Recent trailers have shown Bucky and Sam confronting John Walker, and earlier teasers have seen the pair practicing with the shield. The poster above, though, serves to highlight the added complications of the shield’s legacy now that John Walker has wielded it. How that will affect Sam’s mindset going forward remains unclear.

Steve chose Sam as his Captain America successor for a reason, and this was laid bare with episode 4’s tragic twist ending after John Walker loses his partner, Lemar Hoskins. Going forward, Sam and Bucky will have to make some difficult choices that could once again put them at odds with the U.S. government and place them in a complicated position. What this means for their future is a mystery – both Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan have remained quiet about what’s in store for their characters after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, it likely won’t be the end of the road for either of them.