By Sam Cooperman ’22 Ever since the release of the massive “Avengers: Endgame”, MCU fans have been dealing with the loss of four major characters from the past 10 years: Iron Man, Black Widow, Vision and Captain America. The most recent Marvel Disney+ original series, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” continues this intriguing new trend of exploring the grief of the characters closest to the ones who sacrificed themselves in the conclusion to the Infinity Saga. Immediately after “Endgame,” fans were shown their first taste of the MCU post blip with the globetrotting “Spider-Man: Far from Home.” This film was all about Peter Parker, Iron Man's former protege, dealing with the loss of the Universe’s greatest hero and stepping out of his shadow to allow Spider-Man to be his own hero and Peter to be his own man. This was recently followed by “WandaVision” which was all about Wanda dealing with the loss of Vision who she dated in the years between “Civil War” and “Infinity War.” While “WandaVision” might have some serious issues in terms of superhero writing, most fans agree the dramatic scenes of grief and acceptance are where the show is at its best. Now two heroes remain: Captain America and Black Widow.
Black Widow has a prequel movie being released later this year, though the date is uncertain due to COVID-19, so while it might not follow our remaining Avengers finally getting some time to mourn her death, it could serve finally to give fans some closure on one of the original six heroes. One character left: Captain America. This is where “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” finally comes into play. Cap’s previous two sidekicks, Falcon (Sam Wilson) and the Winter Soldier (Bucky Barns), team up to take down a group of terrorists determined to restore the world to how it was during the blip. Meanwhile, Falcon must deal with family issues brought on by the blip, and Bucky must finally move on from his murderous years operating as the Winter Soldier. One side of this plot is handled masterfully while the other is left to rot. The character development our two title characters undergo throughout the season is engaging, emotional and exactly what I was looking for in these Disney+ originals. I feel the MCU should leave the fate of the world left in the hands of larger-than-life heroes on the big screen while giving us some time to catch up with the real people who make the MCU what it is on our TVs. “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” walks a fine line in this regard, relegating full episodes to Sam and Bucky living in or adjusting to civilian life but filling others with mindless action. I feel that this mindless action was just thrown in to make some casual fans watch and share with their friends with little investment in the actual story. The very opening of the show is an action set piece of Falcon chasing a helicopter with no context and only serves to give an incredibly basic introduction to the idea of countries borders shifting during the blip. It was boring, poorly choreographed and made me slightly nervous for how this season of TV was going to play out. However, this episode did introduce another element into the plot I absolutely adored: real-world racial issues. The MCU’s history with adding “woke” story elements into their movies has always been one of my most hated aspects as it leads to no room for discussion without someone finding themselves offended, specifically when discussing the issues with 2019’s “Captain Marvel.” I was so pleasantly surprised with how “TFATWS” handles race and integrates it into the plot I could discuss it for hours. To keep it brief and mostly spoiler-free, the best example is the conclusion to African American super-soldier Isaiah Bradley’s storyline. The concept of his character alone is a brilliant way to integrate real-world issues into the MCU in a way that feels natural and real. His final scene had me teary-eyed for the first time in MCU history. The discussions between Isaiah and Sam are exactly what I wanted from “TFATWS,” dramatic scenes featuring talented actors that expand the Universe in ways that keep it grounded. While I do feel Bucky was snubbed a bit in terms of a character arc, the elements introduced were interesting enough to keep me engaged. The show would have benefited from introducing these ideas, but not exploring them very much in the first season and leaving it as the main plot thread for season two. Once again, to remain spoiler-free, all I will say is in the finale his character makes a choice to reveal a secret that would have been much more impactful if his storyline had been more fleshed out. Speaking of season two, this show left an aggressive amount of plot threads open to continue, and most are not particularly interesting. They almost all revolve around the relatively boring villains showing off how they are still around and getting stronger. There is even a twist villain so boring and strange I do not have a single comment on them beyond “but why did you make them a villain?” The only good moment between Falcon and the leader of the Flag Smashers, Karli, is when Sam uses his military training to try and talk her out of being an MCU big bad. The scene allows for Falcon’s characterization and a greater understanding of Karli. There is one aspect that makes this scene so amazing, that I have not yet touched on: John Walker. Walker is declared the new Captain America by the US government but we see that he is no Steve Rogers. Walker is nothing but obsessed with his title and making sure people know he is now the Star Spangled Man with a Plan. Seeing a Captain America who isn’t evil, just selfish, is so exciting, that even after finishing the show, it’s hard to express how much I loved it. While I feel his character does not face the right consequences for his actions, he was still fun to watch and I am certainly enticed to tune in next season to see where he ends up. “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” does an excellent job exploring the MCU post “Endgame” and really digs deep into my favorite aspect of superhero stories: what it means to be a hero. This idea is still best explored in the Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse,” but “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” asks what it takes to be Captain America. And as far as I’m concerned, Sam Wilson is Captain America. 7/10 |
Authors and EditorsArchives
February 2022
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