Marvel’s new and exciting show, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, just began streaming on Disney+, and while we only have four episodes to review, we are met with unprecedented depth and complexity. Tackling a timeline after Avengers: Endgame is already difficult, but now adding in elements of the current socio political environment outside the realm of television, it adds even more layers to dissect. Sam Wilson and James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes are the Falcon and the Winter Soldier who each have their own internal struggles that they must come to terms with. Bucky had been previously tortured and forced into performing violent acts for enemies. This show follows and subsequently allows Bucky to overcome his traumas. Sam is faced with the challenge of being one of the few African American heroes in the MCU, and what this condition entails for his character. However, this is not our first introduction to strong African American characters. Sam, played by Anthony Mackie, Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes, played by Don Cheadle, King T’Challa, played by posthumous actor Chadwick Boseman, along with the entire cast of Black Panther, has paved way for further representation within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or MCU). Falcon and the Winter Soldier look to tie the narratives of black characters, the reality within the MCU, and the current human climate all together to create a story that is powerful but also enjoyable for Marvel fans. Of course, this series is best understood with a bit of background information, so I’ll do my best to summarize as quickly as I can.
Throughout what is labeled the “Infinity Saga” in the MCU, the villainous Thanos manages to wipe out half the population of the world by collecting all of the Infinity Stones and snapping his fingers. This event was named “The Blip”, and it took the work of the Avengers team to bring back everyone while also defeating Thanos and his army...it sounds complicated because it is. Through this process, the team loses some of the fandom’s favorite characters. One of the surviving and most notable characters that relates closely to this TV series is Steve Rogers (Captain America). Steve and Sam Wilson developed a close relationship throughout the movies, and this series picks up in the time after Steve’s departure from Sam. Before Steve departs, he presents his shield to Sam and tells him that it belongs to him now. Sam reluctantly takes the shield, but it is through this hesitation that we find the base for Sam’s inner conflict within the show. Bucky and Sam both must learn how to navigate a world where there is no Captain America, and many are trying to adjust to life after being gone for five years from “the Blip”.
Through the many examples from the first four episodes thus far, we can see how Sam must come to terms with what Captain America’s shield represents. He believes that he is not worthy of the power yielded through that piece of vibranium, so he hands it away to a museum to instead be honored through a glass case. Through a conversation with Rhodey in the first episode, they agree that the “world is broken” and that “nobody is stable” (15:36-15:48). Another impactful moment the audience witnesses appears in episode 2, where Sam follows Bucky to meet a super soldier from the 1950s. This super soldier, Isaiah, is black and has not been known by any of the Avengers. Bucky chose to keep Isaiah’s identity and the knowledge of his existence private because “he [Isaiah] had already been through enough” (31:40). While Bucky is labeled a killer, he claims that he is not that person anymore. It is Isaiah who asks, “You think you can wake up one day and decide who you wanna be?” (29:20). In reference to his African American identity, Isaiah asserts that his repercussions for past misdeeds were more harsh than Bucky’s. He was punished far worse by being thrown in jail and becoming a test subject, and “even your [Bucky’s] people weren’t done with me” (30:15). After leaving the house, Bucky and Sam have an altercation in the street, leading to the police showing up and questioning Sam… but only Sam. Bucky stands there and tries to defend Sam, and it’s only when the cops realize that Sam is an Avenger that they ease up on him. There is a clear division between Bucky and Sam’s identities, and Marvel chooses to tackle this issue because it relates to what is going on in the world today.
I can’t help but see a correlation between “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and the feelings of underrepresentation and subsequent oppression that Sam faces. Malcolm X was told early on that “you need to think about something you can be” (41). With everyone telling him that because of his race he’s unable to achieve the same things, it reinforces Malcolm’s own internalized racism and perpetuates ideas of white supremacy within him. Malcolm further goes on to say that “the white man taught him [the black man] to hate everything black”, and that “everything white was good, to be admired, respected, and loved” (178). Sam Wilson is unable to believe that he can assume the role of Captain America, not only because a white man initially embodied the title, but also because he is a black man becoming a symbol for the nation. He doesn’t see this newfound title as being agreeable with the masses, nor does he see that within himself, so that is why he chooses to give it away.
In correlation with the BLM movements today, this TV series highlights that black character representation is now more important than ever. The protests that rallied through the streets across the country throughout the summer of 2020 only increased the necessity for representation and diversity in Hollywood. Marvel does a good job of combining the “action movie” narrative with the real conflicts the world faces today, and we as an audience are anxious to see how Sam Wilson will manage his new role and come to accept his identity as a black superhero in the MCU.
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