Throughout the first phases of Marvel’s cinematic stories, I’ve come across many works penned by fans pairing up some combination of Captain America/Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson/The Falcon, and James “Bucky” Barnes, sometimes in a casual friendship or a full-blown romantic fling. And after watching Disney+’s new action miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I can safely claim that there’s a lot more of that kind of material on the way.
I wouldn’t say there’s an *overwhelming* level of possibly queer subtext in the series, because it’s very heavily focused on Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Bucky (Sebastian Stan), the new Captain America named John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and their hunt for Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) and her dangerous terrorist group of Super-Soldiers called the Flag-Smashers, out to destroy the regulations imposed by governments after Thanos’s snap.
But there’s plenty of drama, past reflections, banter, and frenemy-brand tension to fuel the imaginations of creative MCU fans. Having to rely on the help of Civil War villain Baron Zemo (a very smug Daniel Bruhl) and Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) while also trying to figure out how a mysterious figure called the “Power Broker” fits into the situation only adds to the possible creative juices.
The plot isn’t shy about wanting to have major, world-altering stakes that feel tangible and as believable as a comic book-themed property will allow. And yet, the show doesn’t lose its sense of fun, thanks to Sam and Bucky’s engaging buddy-cop chemistry. Both heroes have their own personal journey and hurdles to get over, and they have their tiffs which are as entertaining as they were in the films, but they’re also allowed to understand the other more and even give each other advice.
And trust me, my goal isn’t to overly romanticize every single instance of characters connecting with each other, there’s tons of value in platonic relationships. But even the actors themselves have stated in the press that they’re aware of how hard fanfiction writers ship Sam and Buck together, and it’s hard to deny the sense that some of their moments together, like Bucky helping Sam out on his family’s fishing boat while they wait for Karli to strike again, are like catnip for the amateur writers out there.
There are some story elements that are designed to how differently America would perceive Sam with the shield, namely in his struggle to get a loan for his family business and his conversations with former WWII super-soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumby). You can tell that there are clear messages and topical themes in this show when you listen to Karli’s motivations for her crimes.
And at some points some of the themes do feel a bit on-the-nose, but it’s worth considering that these sorts of heavy, politically toned stories are part of the Captain America franchise’s wheelhouse, so it helps to know what you’re walking into beforehand.
Just as one would expect a specific type of action-comedy from a Guardians film, the mythology involved in a Wonder Woman plot, or how Batman normally works with a film noir context, tacking major social topics has been a basic CP series component since Steve’s adventures in comics through the 1960s. Though thankfully (in between the quieter character moments, obviously) they manage to keep it wrapped in a thrilling, popcorn-worthy package.
Director Karl Skogland and head writer Malcolm Spellman (of Empire fame) are able to successfully walk a tightrope between cool fight scenes (beyond the budget of a normal Netflix Marvel show) and calmer scenes like Bucky having cute spots with Sam’s sister Sarah Wilson (Adepero Oduye).
Sam’s transition to the Cap mantle is pretty interesting, having an understandable amount of reluctance on what the symbolism of the role means to him, on top of honoring his friend Steve. I’ve read a number of think pieces from people claiming they’d have preferred if Sam had listened to Isaiah and used his own mantle, but I think that’s getting in the territory of taking what’s supposed to be an optimistic and hopeful superhero show a bit too cynically. Sam’s already donned the CP identity in comics and dealt with its ramifications, so the writers aren’t doing much out of the ordinary in this regard.
One particular scene where Sam rescues hostages from a helicopter and battles his arch-foe Batroc (UFC icon Georges St. Pierre) allows him to showcase his range, showing a badass side as well as an empathetic one, and also bits of humor as he taunts Batroc with French wisecracks.
He’s not the only character struggling through issues here, as John Walker, Bucky and Karli all have their own personal demons to confront- adding to even more fanfiction potential, as angst is a magnificent plot generator. The creators set up Karli’s personal backstory and motivations for her crimes well, so the audience can understand why she’s doing these awful things despite wanting to see her inevitably lose.
Walker’s struggle to live up to the Captain America name in spite of his temper and often unhinged attitude is a key story point, and Bucky’s actions while under mind-control as winter Soldier impact many of the relationships around him in a poignant fashion (Stan’s strong performance helps a lot here).
Also, for those who say Sharon isn’t getting enough screen time in the MCU, she’s actually pretty hardcore on this show. At one point she takes out a henchman in a surprisingly gruesome way, where I thought to myself “dang, Disney+, wasn’t expecting that from you.”
If The Falcon and Winter Soldier has any glaring hiccups, it sure as hell isn’t because its narrative tried to do little. There are so many concepts and ideas packed into a briskly-paced six episodes, lots of stuff going on in this show. But I think enough about it works to serve as a worthy continuation of Sam and Bucky’s arcs post-Endgame, and if the rumors are true about Spellman working on a fourth Captain America film starring Wilson, it’s a pretty decent setup.
Whether you’re a Falcon/Soldier shipper, or if you were partial to Sam/Steve or Steve/Bucky, hell maybe you’re really out there and you pair up Sam with Zemo; I feel this project is going to keep inspiring this fanbase a ton. If you’ve streamed it, let us know how you personally felt at FAN’s social media outlets!