The spoiler part of last episode, re:Cap, was that Sam returns to find Lt. Torres checking on the Flag-Smashers, he was knocked out by a super strong Flag-Smasher. Sarah directs Sam’s attention to the television, an announcement by the Department of Defense, a new Captain America!, who is carrying the shield. This is John Walker played by Wyatt Russell, he was in the WWII horror action movie, Overlord (2018). The character first appeared in Captain America #354 (1989). Sam watches stunned, betrayed? This episode’s title refers to the part of the song from Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). It opens with a zipper dropping before we shift to John Walker, a soldier looking at the football lockers in Custer’s Grove, Georgia. A woman tells him she saw him sneak into the locker room and asks if he is nervous. She wishes him luck and hands it off to another soldier, Lemar Hoskins (Clé Bennett). The actor was in the horror movie, Jigsaw (2017). Lemar Hoskins first appeared in Captain America #323 (1986).
He watches as John goes over his speech. Hoskins checks on John and the suit in the bag. Drums start as the high school band kicks in. The band plays a variation of “Star Spangled Man with a Plan” to a cheering audience. I’m not cheering. Walker comes out in costume, signs autographs, and runs to the stage. The new Captain America is introduced by Sara Haines from Good Morning America: GMA. He gives the show’s tagline, is it a promotion?, I already don’t like this pretender. Chairs are set up and Sara interviews Walker returning to his high school. He has his mask taken off. Sara runs off his accomplishments including winning three Medals of Honor. We see Walker throwing the shield and hitting multiple targets. Walker tells Sara isn’t like the other heroes, Stark and Banner, he has “guts.” Stunned, Bucky watches the interview on the floor of his apartment. Walker admits that he never met Steve Rogers. Bucky knows this is no Captain America and he knows Captain America. Sam looks at the poster of Walker in the uniform at a hangar. A mass market product, not a hero.
Torres says he “seems like a good guy.” Bucky walks towards them and says, “You shouldn’t have given up the shield.” I think that’s the point of this series. Bucky is angry that Sam wasn’t following Steve’s wishes and yes, it is not a great reunion. Sam shows Bucky the cell phone image of the Flag Smasher in central Europe. He says that Red Wing tracked them to Munich, Germany. Sam tells Bucky that the Flag Smashers may be part of the Big Three, very funny. Bucky insists on coming with Sam on his flight to Munich. Yes, while “Captain America” is on tour, Falcon is doing the work. In the cargo plane, Falcon sits rigidly across from the Winter Soldier. Bucky asks what is the plan, this was seen in the show promotion, Falcon of course leaps away from the open door. Bucky asks about a parachute to Torres, rips off his jacket to reveal his cyborg arm, and then leaps off. Sam mocks his fall by saying it was caught on camera as Red Wing hovers above him. Of course Winter Soldier isn’t exactly Captain America leaping out of airplanes and Falcon directs him north.
` The Shield!, in this case for Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015, El Capitan Theatre, photo by the author.
He follows Red Wing to a seemingly abandoned building. Winter Soldier meets up with Falcon who is checking on men moving boxes of suspected weapons. Red Wing is monitoring the men as Winter Soldier heads towards them. Sam was joking to Bucky, not a funny situation with his shield decision. He says Bucky’s time in Wakanda made him White Panther and he’s corrected that it’s White Wolf. This was a hint dropped in Avengers: Infinity War and a character introduced in the comics in Black Panther #3 (1999). Falcon joins Bucky and they see the Flag Smashers are super strong easily lifting the crates. The Super Soldier formula or something like it is out with the new “Cap” and the Flag Smashers? Falcon detects through Red Wing’s heat signature that there is another person in the truck, a hostage, both of them race after the truck. Winter Soldier runs at his cyborg speed to open the door of a truck and finds medical vaccines, this is almost too topical, and he sees a woman.
This is actually Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) who was hinted at last episode. Kellyman was in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) as Enfys Nest. A gender switch of the villain Flag Smasher in the comic books. She knocks the Winter Soldier to the other truck and puts on her Flag Smasher mask. He is dragged up to the top of the truck and held by two other Flag Smashers. Karli destroys Red Wing and Falcon flies in to fight her. Falcon is tossed to the other truck riding by its side and Karli is about to stomp on him. Then, a shield strikes her, and she is knocked over to the side of the truck by Omar on a rope from a helicopter. The fight ends with Falcon and the Winter Soldier knocked to the side. Also a defeat to “Captain America” and the new “Battlestar”, partner to this “Cap”, Hoskins takes the name Battlestar, last name Galactica?, in Captain America #341 (1988). The Falcon and the Winter Soldier covers the duo on a mission, great action, and the consequence of Sam leaving the shield, plus some shocking characters (which would be spoilers!) for the MCU!
Five Redwings out of Five!
#TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier, #TheStarSpangledMan, #CleBennett, #ErinKellyman
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