The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, last episode: all references and quotes
The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, last episode
One World, One People, the latest episode of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, has finally arrived on Disney +. The series starring Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes kept Marvel fans in suspense for this eagerly awaited finale, in which everyone expected to see Falcon finally accept the hefty legacy left by Steve Rogers in the Avengers: Endgame finale. The previous episodes were a training path for Sam, who did not deal with his role as an individual part of a society in search of more concrete reference roles than superheroes. Strengthened by this emotional framework, The Falcon & The Winter Soldier gave us an exciting last episode, in which Steve Rogers' Shield has finally found a worthy bearer. One World, One People represents a worthy ending to the second Disney series, after WandaVision, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in which are, of course, the much-loved easter eggs.ATTENTION: the following contains a series of major spoilers about the sixth episode of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier
Cap takes flight
The ending of Truth had hinted that the long-awaited moment had finally come. The mysterious box Bucky gave to Sam, the result of the favor asked by the former Winter Soldier to his Wakandan friends, contained Sam's new costume. With a significant variation: the colors are those typical of Captain America.Remaining tied to the run of Captain America: Sam Wilson, the consecration of Sam as successor of Steve Rogers could only be celebrated with a change of costume. In addition to having equipped Wilson's new armor with cutting-edge technologies, the Wakandans have reproduced the visual elements typical of Captain America's uniform. Compared to the original comic book, Sam's new costume has some small differences (such as gloves and a more iconic chest plate), but it is above all the wings that have greater visibility. If in comics these were usually portrayed as folded down when not in use, in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier they remain fully deployed, offering a glance of sure impact.
The spirit of Rogers
Captain America, for all, will remain Steve Rogers. It was he who inspired new heroes, also becoming the guide of the two protagonists of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier. In two moments of One World, One People, both Sam and Bucky show traits that bring them very close to their friend.The first is Bucky Barnes, who during his motorcycle race to stop the Flag Smashers makes a very respectable stunt: sharp braking, wheelie on the front wheel and launch towards the enemy. It is difficult not to see in this stunt a reference to the same action performed by Steve Rogers in Captain America: the Winter Soldier, when the then Cap uses this move to take down a Quinjet of S.H.I.E.L.D. during his escape from the Triskelion.
Sam is rightly allowed to show a more idelogical connection with Cap. During his fight with Karli in the cramped spaces beneath New York, the new Captain America refuses to fight the furious leader of Flag Smasher, merely defending himself from her blows, trying to make her reason. When he is brutally knocked to the ground, Karli peremptorily tells him 'Stay down', only to be answered by Sam with a firm 'no'. Such exchanges have marked some of the most exciting moments in Steve Rogers' life, from the alley fight in Captain America: The First Avenger to the three-way confrontation with Iron Man and Bucky in the emotional climax of Captain America: Civil War.
This reaction is an authentic testimony to the spirit of Captain America, being ready to get up at any cost to fight and defend what he believes in. This intense moment, in hindsight, is the first demonstration that Sam Wilson has effectively become the new Captain America.
The other side of the Carters
The name Carter, in Marvel Cinematic Universe, has always been respected and admired. From Peggy Carter, founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., to Sharon, women who have served their country by working alongside the heroes. At least until the Blip, when everything changed. During the events of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier we saw how Sharon, abandoned by her supposed friends, has carved out a role of power within the criminal community of Madripoor, helping Sam and Bucky to confront Power Broker. Even in this thrilling finale, Sharon appears to be supporting her old friends, arriving on the New York wrestling scene via a hi-tech disguise, similar to the one used by Natasha Romanoff in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.We had some doubts, honestly, but with Un Mondo, un Popolo the confirmation we were all waiting for arrived: Sharon Carter is Power Broke r. This fairly predictable revelation is a point in favor of the series, which is not afraid to show how even a positive character can, in this new social balance, find himself living on the other side of the fence. As shown in the post-credit scene, Sharon will take advantage of this new double life of hers to give new impetus to her crime network, as she announces in a phone call.
But who's on the other side of the line. line? Could we think that Sharon has decided to ally with a new criminal faction, perhaps relying on another infiltrator within the ranks of the government? The idea is that we have witnessed the birth of a new enemy, Leviathan, which in the comics was a secret agency whose founders also included the parents of Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Could it be Val at the other end of the phone?
Prison for criminals
After having named him, finally the superprison for criminals, the Raft, is also showing off. First appearing in Captain America: Civil War, this maximum security prison was designed, in the comics, as a place of detention for criminals with superpowers. It was here that the rebel Avengers were locked up after the confrontation at the Frankfurt airport, while we now know that there is at least one high-profile inmate inside the prison: Baron Zemo.The dark side of the American Dream
In One World, One People, John Walker, after being dismissed as Captain America, returns to action seeking revenge for the murder of his friend, Lemar Hoskins. During the fight with the Flag Smasher, Walker has a choice to make: give in to revenge or act like a hero. His choice to save lives places him, at the moment, among the 'good guys', but Walker does not intend to give up his chance to be a metahuman. Reason why he finally accepts the offer of Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, obtaining a role within her mysterious organization, for which he will operate under the code name of U.S. Agent.The reference is obviously to Walker's second cartoon alter ego, who after leaving the role of Captain America was enlisted as an operative agent for black ops, after having simulated his death. In The Falcon & The Winter Soldier this transition takes place in a less traumatic way, opening up interesting future scenarios for the character.
The new heroes
One of the most emotional moments of the last episode of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier is the acknowledgment of the historic role played by Isaiah Bradley. Inside the memorial set up inside the Smithsonian dedicated to Captain America, thanks to the intervention of Sam, a statue is installed that recalls the role played by Bradley, long denied by the 'official' story. During the discovery of this right tribute, we also see in the background an Avengers logo, the same one used for the promotion of Endgame.Sam's speech as Captain America, as well as emotional turning point, can be seen as the spring that will push two of the characters seen in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier to take the path of the hero. We have already mentioned Elijah Brabdley, Isaiha's nephew, who will surely become Patriot in Young Avengers, but let's not forget Joaquin Torres also has a heroic identity in the Marvel Universe, when he became Sam Wilson's sidekick while he was Captain America, using the name of Falcon. . What is what we will see in the announced Captain America 4?
The Falcon & The Winter Soldier: One World, One People
The Falcon & The Winter Soldier ends with an episode that one side shows a thrilling fight but too fast in development, it finds in its final part an incredibly powerful emotional tenor. Sam's speech and Isaiah Bradley's moving scene are disruptive moments, legitimizing Wilson as Captain America not so much because he carries the Shield, but because he embodies the ideals that have distinguished Steve Rogers as a hero, in addition to the symbol.The care put into the realization of this series has not focused only on the scenic rendering, in some cases not very incisive, but has given the best of itself in wanting to go beyond the narrative limits, in bringing the real world into a narrative context. which, until now, had maintained a sure detachment. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has offered us with this series the product closest to the spirit of Marvel, the desire to tell the world through its heroes. A World, a People is a moment of great superheroic tale, in which the metahuman aspect of the protagonists leaves room for their experience as authentic, contemporary men. The hope is that this evolution of the MCU does not remain an isolated case, but is the new stylistic code of a universe made up of heroes with an increasingly human face (and problems).
