The second The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode is now streaming on Disney+, continuing the story right where we left off after the premiere. The show has a much different vibe than WandaVision. It’s less of a mystery that will leave you theorizing what’s going to happen next and more like the regular Marvel action-focused movies that you’re used to seeing on the big screen. That doesn’t make Falcon any less exciting. In fact, Episode 2 delivers quite a few interesting developments. We’re introduced to several new characters, including some of the rumored surprises for the show, and we get to see more of the villains.
One of the most exciting things about Friday’s episode has nothing to do with the show’s storyline or any Easter eggs that we expect from new MCU content. Episode 2 features many of the exchanges between Sam and Bucky that we saw in the trailers and TV clips. That means most of what happens in the remaining four episodes is secret, and we have no way of knowing where this series is heading. However, we do have more leaks that might spoil the show’s ending — mind you, several potential spoilers follow below.
Malcolm Spellman, Falcon showrunner and head writer, teased the complexity of the villains in a recent interview. He also suggested that we might grow to love some of them, with particular emphasis on Zemo (Daniel Brühl).
Episode 2 did show us more of the Flag-Smashers in action, which are the antagonists that Sam (Anthony Mackie), Bucky (Sebastian Stan), and the John Walker version of Captain America (Wyatt Russell) have to face — yes, we finally see who replaced Cap following the events of Endgame. We’re also told of the Power Broker, who is after the Smashers as well, and the episode’s finale shows us Zemo in the best possible way.
The scene is enough to partly explain Zemo’s whereabouts. He’s still locked up. We have no idea if he was blipped away or whether he has spent all these years in prison, but he’s now behind bars. That means it’ll be all the more exciting to see how he gets out.
Before we even get to explore Zemo’s ambitions, I have to point out that Episode 2 does a great job at introducing us to another potential villain — or antagonist. Walker was a successful athlete before joining the military, where he received three Medals of Honor. He has experience with counterterrorism ops and a body that warranted a study from MIT. He doesn’t have super strength like Steve Rogers, but he is used to jumping on grenades. Well, sort of. But the episode makes it very clear there’s a dark side of Walker that he’ll have to try to control. As we learn from his friend, he’s quick-tempered. We get to see some of that inner rage when he tells Sam and Bucky to stay out of his way after they refuse to work with the new Captain America to find the Flag Smashers.
There’s no reason to hate Walker just yet, although many Marvel fans already do. That’s because he “stole” the shield that Sam refused. The upcoming Falcon episodes will likely further fuel the conflict between Walker and the two Avengers, to the point where they might find themselves on opposing sides.
Inevitably, we’ll see Sam get the Captain America shield by the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He might not have been ready for the role before Walker got the mantle, but he’s certainly starting to regret his choice. Plus, we already know from a recent toy leak that Sam will get a new suit, and he’ll combine the wings with the shield to become the new Captain America that will hopefully help lead the Avengers in future Phase 4 movies and shows.
Walker will inevitably become an antagonist, but that doesn’t mean Falcon will be his only performance. There might be a future for this character in upcoming MCU content. That’s according to a brand new toy leak that Murphy’s Multiverse found.
The Marvel Legends action figures in the image above show new US Agent, Baron Zemo, and Bucky sets that you’ll find in stores soon. What’s interesting to note here is that Walker is using a different alter ego from the comics. He’s US Agent, not Captain America. And that’s an indication that Marvel is interested in keeping this particular character around.
We can’t speculate about what Walker will do wrong in the remaining four episodes, but we did see leaks indicating that he might resort to the kind of behavior unbecoming of Captain America. While he might lose the shield and the title to Sam, Walker isn’t likely to be killed, and he might not even be punished for whatever bad decisions he’s about to make. So he definitely could have a future in this post-Endgame world as US Agent.
The most obvious development for Walker includes a partnership with Zemo in Marvel’s Thunderbolts, the superhero team made up of Marvel villains that is rumored to arrive in Phase 4. An old rumor says that it’s actually a Black Widow post-credits scene that will set the stage for the Thunderbolts’ arrival. The film was supposed to launch in theaters before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiered on Disney+.
As always, MCU toy leaks do not tell the whole story. But it would be a massive waste for Marvel not to use US Agent beyond Falcon.
