The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, first episode: all references and quotes

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, first episode

After taking the first step in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with WandaVisio n, it's up to Falcon and Winter Soldier to offer us the next chapter of the adventures of the heroes of the House of Ideas on Disney +. The streaming service of the entertainment giant, in fact, will broadcast The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, a new series in which the two historic friends of Captain America will have to face the consequences, both personal and social, of Steve Rogers' farewell to his role as Sentinel of Liberty. An event that we saw in the finale of Avengers: Endgame, and which will have major repercussions in the metahuman community.

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier kicks off with The New World Order, an opening chapter that intelligently mix action and emotional construction, as we told you in our preview. But being a Marvel product, could the much-loved Easter eggs be missing? Of course not, here are the ones we found.

WARNING: the following contains a series of important spoilers on the first episode of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier

Old acquaintances

On his mission to the edge of Libyan space, Falcon faces a gang of mercenaries who are trying to kidnap an American officer. This group is led by an old acquaintance of MCU fans: Georges Batroc. Known in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Batroc was the leader of the pirates who had tried to hijack the Lemurian Star, when he had clashed with Captain America, being defeated after a choreographic fist fight.

In the comics, Batroc is a deadly fighter in the body, gifted with incredible agility, so much so that he is nicknamed 'the jumper'. First appearing in Tales of Suspence # 75 in 1973, Batroc has no superhuman powers or abilities, but he is one of the most lethal and prepared fighters on the planet, moving through the world of mercenaries following his own code of honor. Always a rival of Cap, whom he sees as a worthy opponent, he has even sided with the Sentinel of Freedom on several occasions, especially when innocent lives were at stake.

In the MCU we have not had the opportunity to to see this character trait emerge, at least for now, but his fighting skills continue to be a guarantee of spectacularity.

Another adversary of the paper Captain America makes an appearance within the new Disney series: Flag Smasher. By this name was known Karl Morgenthau, a man who felt a strong aversion to all manifestations of concepts such as homeland honor and love for the nation. An opponent created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary in 1985, who in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier may not only be a person, but even an entire terrorist faction, even if a name very similar to that of the printed Flag Smasher.

During the ceremony in memory of Captain America, James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, aka War Machine, also glimpses among the ranks of those present. Right arm of Tony Stark, Rhodey first appeared in Iron Ma n (2008), played by Terrence Howard, later replaced by Don Cheadle starting with Iron Man 2. The character appears in the Marvel comics in 1979, as a faithful friend of Tony Stark, but only later earned the armor of War Machine, not before having replaced an unable Tony Stark as a Tin Head. What Rhodey's role is in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier is still a mystery, but the Armor Wars announcement hints that War Machine will soon be able to don his armor again.

Sam's allies

Redwing takes care of Sam's back in flight, a small, well-armed drone can be launched from Falcon's flight pack. First appearing in Captain America: Civil War, Redwing proves his usefulness in i, assisting Sam during his aerial confrontation.

The name of this drone is a clear reference to Redwing, the hawk it accompanied Sam Wilson in the Marvel Comics. In comics, Falcon was endowed with the power to telepathically communicate with birds, most notably his loyal Redwing falcon. In the MCU, this metahuman trait, caused by none other than the Red Skull, disappears, making Sam Wilson a highly trained soldier with a flying device.

During his mission, Sam is also supported by an officer US military, Sergeant Joaquin Torres. In the Marvel comics, when Wilson agrees to take over from Steve Rogers as Captain America, the role of Falcon passes to young Joaquin Torres, a human-bird hybrid. From what we saw in the first episode of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, Torres could be the MCU version of this comic book character.

Remembering Cap

In one of the most exciting moments of the episode, we see Sam hand over Captain America's shield during a Rogers memorial ceremony. From the ending of Avengers: Endgam and we know that Cap lived a happy life with his Peggy, choosing to stay in the past after returning the Infinity Stones to their place, reappearing as an elder to leave his shield to Sam. >
The celebration is held at the Smithsonian, the famous Washington DC museum, also mentioned in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when Natasha Romanoff retrieves Cap after her first meeting with Sam:

“Ehi bei drums, do any of you know where the Smithsonian is? I should recover a fossil ”

An exhibition dedicated to Cap, seen later in the film, was set up at the Smithsonian. Some of the items from Steve Rogers' past seen in The New World Order are part of that installation, such as the motorbike used by the Captain in Captain America: The First Avenger and his previous uniforms. On this occasion we see the bike used by Cap at the time of the Howling Commandos, which appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger, and his first uniform, which had been taken up by the Captain during the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Facing the past

The definition of Bucky's inner fatigue is particularly intense in this first episode of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier. James seems to face the same difficulty Steve experienced after waking him, finding himself completely out of time. During his nightmares, the man relives the murders he committed when he was Winter Soldier, the occasion in which you hear the music that accompanied his presence in that role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. A theme perfectly inserted also in the new Disney + series, whose soundtrack is composed by Heny Jackman, already author of those of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.

To sleep, Bucky doesn't uses the bed, but falls asleep on the floor. The scene recalls an exchange between Sam and Cap:

"It's because of the bed, right? The bed. It is too soft, I slept on the ground at the front, the stones were the pillow, like a caveman. Now at home, when I'm in my bed, it's like .. "

" ... lying on the jam, it feels like falling to the floor "

Apparently, Bucky is experiencing the same sensation mentioned by the two veterans. Another aspect that brings him closer to Steve is having a list to follow, which helps him regain control of his life. If for Cap it was about catching up with movie songs, for Bucky there is a list of people to deal with, included in this 'forgiveness list'. A list featuring well-known names such as Helmut Zemo, who we know will soon also appear in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, or Rostov, better known as Colonel Andre Rostov, who in comics, with the nickname of Red Barbarian, had been before a rival of Iron Man and later commander of the gulag in which Bucky had been held captive during his years as the Winter Soldier.

Bucky's spirit, free from the conditioning of Hydra, lets his nature resurface, to the point that we see him intervene in a dispute between neighbors in an alley. Difficult not to see in this exchange a similarity with the scene in Captain America: The First Avenger in which he ran to the rescue of his friend Steve in a similar situation.

A new Captain

The Shield of Cap is a heavy legacy, which Sam still cannot carry on his shoulders. But people, especially after the events of the Blip, need a symbol to look forward to, which is why the new Captain America is shown to the world at the end of The New World Order.

The new Cap has a different look than the more reassuring Steve Rogers, but in such a complex period dominated by insecurity, as also demonstrated by WandaVision, a stronger and, if desired, less idealistic figure than Cap is needed. It is no coincidence that John Walker is taken as a model, a character created by Mark Gruenwald and who first appeared in Captain America # 32 3 in 1986 as SuperPatriot, only to become the U.S. Agent, a name with which he is still active in the Marvel Universe today.

Seeing him wearing the colors of the Captain and wielding his Shield is the cathartic moment of this first episode of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, a choice that it will not fail to have repercussions for Sam and Bucky too.

You can watch Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other streaming services thanks to the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K