If you’re one of the many who can’t stand John Walker masquerading as Captain America in Falcon & The Winter Soldier, rest assured – Sam Wilson will take over as the real new Cap before long. Steve Rogers’ MCU retirement was a long time coming, but few predicted his chosen successor would be Sam Wilson, especially with Bucky Barnes standing right there. While Steve’s selection was a shock, no one doubted that Sam Wilson would make a fine job of carrying the Captain America legacy forward. No one except Sam Wilson himself, that is. When Falcon & The Winter Soldier begins, Wilson has precisely no intention of becoming the new Cap.
Relinquishing his shield, Sam is blindsided when the U.S. government appoints decorated military serviceman John Walker to inherit the Captain America title. At the beginning, Walker is earnest enough about his new career, if a little desperate to be adored, but very quickly, John’s desire to prove himself takes a bloody turn, and Captain America is now little more than a flag-waving thug posing for selfies.
As of Falcon & The Winter Soldier episode 4, Sam’s Captain America hesitation shows no sign of fading, but it’s inevitable that, sooner or later, he’ll honor Steve’s wish and accept the shield. Here are all of the clues in Falcon & The Winter Soldier that point towards Sam Wilson taking John Walker’s place as the genuine Captain America.
Falcon & Winter Soldier’s Imagery
The simplest and most obvious hint that Sam Wilson will make the leap from Falcon to Captain America lies in Falcon & The Winter Soldier‘s visual imagery. Marketing for the Disney+ series sends a very clear message that Sam is still the rightful heir to Steve Rogers through three prominent images, all connecting Anthony Mackie to Captain America. First, he’s staring solemnly at the shield before handing it over, next he’s standing in front of Steve Rogers’ face during the Smithsonian ceremony, and then he’s throwing the shield into a tree. Falcon & The Winter Soldier can’t help but foreshadow Sam Wilson’s future as Captain America, and that road can only lead to one destination. Comparisons could be made to Avengers: Age of Ultron visually teasing Steve Rogers being able to wield Thor’s hammer, and the eventual payoff coming in Avengers: Endgame. In much the same way, Falcon & The Winter Soldier‘s visual hints must surely result in Sam Wilson accepting the Captain America job.
The World Needs Change (& “Falcon” Can’t Do It)
In stark contrast to WandaVision, Falcon & The Winter Soldier is a deeply political series. Through Sam’s sister Sarah, the poverty and struggle of ordinary citizens in the MCU is highlighted, while Sam being accosted by police (until they realize he’s an Avenger) demonstrates an undercurrent of racism that Wilson is all too familiar with. Elsewhere, the Flag-Smashers are striking back after being displaced by the controversial GRC (Global Repatriation Council), fighting for a fairer post-blip world, and while their methods are suspect, their cause is just. Falcon & The Winter Soldier is setting up Sam Wilson as a voice of the underrepresented but, with all due respect, “Falcon” simply isn’t going to deliver that level of social change. As Captain America, however, Sam Wilson has a platform to address deeper issues of equality and justice that Falcon could never hope to influence.
Making People “Feel Safe”
It doesn’t take a brain the size of Bruce Banner’s to see that John Walker has absolutely no idea what Steve Rogers stood for. During his Good Morning America interview, Walker claims that “guts” qualify him to step into the Captain America breach, spectacularly missing the point Steve was trying to make. But, perhaps without even realizing, Walker does offer one valid observation – Steve Rogers would always make others feel safe. As a crowd of bystanders watch him pummel a man to death on the street, Walker has some way to go in that regard.
But one Falcon & Winter Soldier character certainly has been putting others at ease – Sam Wilson. Whether it’s the fellow seafood merchants of Delacroix, an understandably bitter Sharon Carter, or the skeptical residents of Latvia, Sam Wilson constantly does his best to accommodate the fears and insecurities of other people. Nowhere is this more obvious than in his conversation with Karli Morgenthou, where Sam could’ve made a vital breakthrough were it not for John Walker bursting in with all the subtlety of a fart at a dinner party. If John was right about making folks feel safe being in Captain America’s job description, Sam Wilson is the only hero doing that right now.
Sam’s Reluctance Comes From Self-Doubt
He doesn’t like talking about it but, broadly speaking, there are two main reasons Sam Wilson refused the call to become Captain America, one of them being his own self-doubt. Sam has repeatedly stressed that he’s “not Steve Rogers,” while the former Cap takes on a mythic quality in the MCU after disappearing from the public eye. Those are mighty big boots to fill, and anyone would be intimidated by the prospect of following such an impressive act. Conversing openly with Rhodey in Falcon & Winter Soldier‘s premiere, Sam explains that the shield still “feels like it belongs to someone else,” clearly unsure about his ability to fill the patriotic void at Avengers HQ. Concluding that he’s not worthy of being Captain America after all would hardly represent a satisfying end to Sam Wilson’s character arc. In narrative terms, Sam must overcome his doubt, realize his worth, and take the next challenge in his superhero career.
Falcon Wouldn’t Be The First Black Captain America
Living up to Steve Rogers isn’t Sam Wilson’s only concern about becoming the new Captain America. More than any of his previous MCU credits, Falcon & The Winter Soldier highlights the ingrained institutional racism that Sam and other Black characters face. Naturally, this means Sam has a very different set of experiences, and a very different view of his country compared to a white man from the 1940s. Cap’s vibranium shield then adds its own baggage to the ever-growing pile. A symbol of the super-soldier program, the shield carries a shadowy history of failed experiments and scientific wrongdoing, with Steve Rogers the lone success story in an otherwise abhorrent quest for unnatural power. Upon meeting Isaiah Bradley, Sam also learns that the U.S. military incarcerated and experimented on a Black man for the sake of spawning more super soldiers, suddenly making Steve’s shield much, much heavier.
As harrowing as Isaiah Bradley’s story is, the world’s forgotten super soldier may provide Sam Wilson with enough motivation to accept the Captain America mantle. Like Steve, Isaiah fought bravely for his country, but didn’t receive the same recognition. Becoming the next Cap, Sam could honor Isaiah’s legacy, shine a light on his missing chapter in the history books, and ensure others never suffer the same fate.
Steve Rogers Can’t Be Wrong About Bucky
The impromptu therapy session between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes is, without question, one of Falcon & The Winter Soldier‘s funniest moments, but Dr. Raynor must be doing something right because, between the laughs, some good points are raised. Most telling of all, Sam asks why Bucky is so invested in him becoming the new Captain America, to which the Winter Soldier replies that if Steve was wrong about Sam, he must’ve been “wrong about me too.” Bucky makes a good point here; Steve stood by his BBF when the entire world wanted him locked up, or worse. Steve pierced through the “Winter Soldier” facade and saw the Bucky he knew rattling around inside, risking everything to save his best friend from HYDRA’s control. Though he’s now rid of the brainwashing, Bucky is still haunted by his crimes and questions whether he deserves the second chance he’s currently enjoying. Unless Falcon & The Winter Soldier has a really downbeat ending in store, Sam Wilson finally becoming Captain America will prove that Steve Rogers was right about both of his friends.
Sam Wilson Is A Good Man, Not A Good Soldier
To paraphrase Dr. Erskine, Steve Rogers succeeded in the super soldier program because he was a good man who would do the right thing, not the perfect soldier everyone else had in mind. While Bucky, Zemo, Sharon and Walker all occupy varying shades of moral gray, Sam Wilson is the one Falcon & The Winter Soldier character consistently doing his best to be a “good man,” and not for any kind of recognition or reward, but because it’s the right thing. From packing up meals for those in need to promising Sharon Carter a path home, Wilson is routinely on the right side of events. Just like Steve, however, Sam isn’t afraid to defy the law if his moral compass points in a different direction, agreeing to work with Zemo, and giving Karli the benefit of the doubt. In many ways, Sam Wilson is the antithesis of John Walker. Falcon & The Winter Soldier makes clear that Walker is a good soldier – the best, apparently – but he’s very far from being a good man.
“Blood Isn’t Always The Solution”
Perhaps the most “Captain America” line spoken by Sam Wilson in Falcon & The Winter Soldier comes while he and Baron Zemo are discussing the philosophy of super soldier serum. Asked why he wouldn’t inject himself if given an opportunity, Sam boldly replies with “blood isn’t always the solution.” This proves exactly why Steve Rogers chose Falcon as his successor – not because he could fight, but because he knew when not to fight. Even when Sam and Bucky confront John Walker in the teaser for episode 5, it’s the Winter Soldier who’s ready to throw punches, while Sam still hopes for a peaceful resolution. The more Sam strives for non-violence, the more he proves himself worthy of the shield.
Sam Better Represents Modern America
Everybody loves Steve Rogers, but few could deny the original Captain America was, through no fault of his own, a bit of a dinosaur. Exemplified by his instructional video cameo in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Cap was an old-fashioned relic of a bygone era – an anachronism in a rapidly changing MCU landscape. Phil Coulson famously pointed out in The Avengers that “people could use a little old-fashioned” and his words rang true throughout the Infinity saga. But as the MCU slowly inches into Phase 4, the world no longer needs a vintage Captain America, and Steve Rogers understood this. The Blip recovery continues, and America deserves a superhero who not only represents their ideals and aspirations, but also understands the injustices they suffer, and the definition of patriotism in a global society. Steve Rogers the man knew this, but his iteration of Captain America could never escape the shadow of the past. By reinventing the mantle in Falcon & The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson can drag Captain America kicking and screaming into the 2020s.
