Marvel’s second MCU Phase 4 story is now complete, as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s finale started streaming on Disney+ early Friday morning. We finally get to see Sam (Anthony Mackie) in Captain America attire, pulling the kind of shield-wielding stunts you expect from this superhero — but with a wingsuit twist. He’s also good with speeches in public settings like the original Cap, as you’ll learn in this episode. Sam’s speech at the end of the final battle is just as important as the action sequences, if not more significant. When combined, all these elements give us a new Captain America that we’ll hopefully get to enjoy for quite a while. We’ll miss Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), but Sam’s Cap is quite something. This Captain America comes with a new suit, new moves, and a new fighting style that combines the best of both worlds. And this Cap isn’t only fighting villains and anti-heroes like Steve did. Sam also has to deal with the racial issues that have impacted him for his whole life, and now he must do all that as Cap. What hasn’t changed is the vibranium shield that Cap wields and the strong moral compass that guides him.
But the conclusion of Sam’s latest journey and the fantastic fight sequences aren’t the only exciting things in One World, One People. The finale comes with a bonus post-credits scene that gives us another mystery to ponder while we wait for more MCU Phase 4 stories. On top of that, the credits might also tease the answer to that other question we’ve had about the show — will there be a season 2? Before we go any further, we’ll warn you that some major spoilers follow below.
The new Captain America
The end of episode 6 gives us the happy ending that we need after the thrilling six-episode run we’ve just witnessed. The world is still in turmoil after Endgame, but things are getting better. Sam has fully embraced his new role and so has the world. And his relationship with Bucky (Sebastian Stan) reached a new level. If they weren’t friends before, they certainly are now.
As the camera fades out, the following screen appears:
Captain America and the Winter Soldier, it reads, instead of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. That right there might answer our questions about a second season. Should Marvel claim there’s no second of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier planned, that will technically be true no matter what. Sam is the new Cap. As the title card makes it clear, we’re now looking at Captain America and the Winter Soldier. If Marvel does do a second season, then Captain America and the Winter Soldier will be the show’s new name. It’s also a great title for a new Captain America movie. Then again, we already have Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which might cause some confusion.
Whatever the case, Marvel doesn’t say that the two heroes will return, which is customary for post-credits sequences. Marvel also replaced “The Falcon” with “Captain America” in the final frame of the first part of the credits:
The message is clear: Sam is Captain America.
Sharon Carter
It’s after the screen above that we arrive at the show’s only credits scene. Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) is pardoned, proving that Sam held up his end of the bargain. She’s invited to rejoin her unit, and she accepts. This is an indication that we’ll see Carter in the future. She’s a former SHIELD and CIA agent who helped the Avengers more than once, even if that meant going against the government.
But episode 6 confirms what everyone was thinking throughout most of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Sharon was the Power Broker. She’s directly responsible for the new wave of super-soldiers and she’ll go undercover to gain access to government secrets and weapons. That’s already an exciting premise right there, which raises so many questions. We have no idea if Sharon is working for someone else or if she’s tied in any way to Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). We have no idea if she’s working for a different villain. And since it’s not easy to accept that Sharon has taken the villainous route, we can’t help but wonder whether her operation as the Power Broker is a deeper undercover job.
Phase 4 is just getting started and we’ll get to see plenty of new heroes and “weapons” in the near future. WandaVision introduced SWORD and its interest in a particular type of superhero weapon: White Vision. Then there’s the X-Men’s Wolverine, who should be joining the MCU soon enough. And Armor Wars will be a Disney+ show featuring War Machine (Don Cheadle). Then there’s the formation of the Thunderbolts, which Carter may very well be involved with in some capacity. That’s just speculation though, since we have no idea where VanCamp might appear next.
