![]() The blue-eyed and blonde-haired Walker even gets a Black sidekick, Lemar Hoskins/Battlestar (Clé Bennett), like the original Cap. But to be frank, the subtext is that when the government resurrected Captain America, they chose Walker because they felt that America’s symbol needed to be white. On paper, Walker is qualified for the position: a special ops combat vet who graduated from West Point, testing off the charts in speed, endurance and intelligence. Rn Another major part of racial subtext found within “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is John Walker. ![]() For much of the show, what the audience gets instead is Wilson feeling like Captain America’s shield “belongs to someone else.” This is mostly how race is dealt with until Episodes 5 and 6 (more on that below) – racism is clearly real to the characters, but the most biting critiques about racism are left unsaid, the most candid conversations left unspoken. Marvel fans likely already know that Sam Wilson eventually becomes Captain America, but as far as the show is concerned, he sidesteps the elephant in the room about the racial expectations of who gets to become Captain America. At this point, we don’t see Wilson talk about his experience as a Black man and Black superhero with any of the white characters on the show. In the same episode however, Wilson corrected a young Black kid who called him “Black Falcon,” saying his name was “just Falcon.” Though different viewers may interpret his correction in a variety of ways, I find it odd that the first time Wilson pushes back on being a racialized subject is with another Black person- and a Black child at that. The police stop to make sure that Wilson is not “bothering” Barnes. We also see Wilson experience racism in Episode 2, when the police see Wilson and Barnes arguing. This is evident in a scene where Wilson says to his sister, “You know I don’t play with these white folks,” assuring her of his preparedness to go to the bank and secure a loan to save their family boat. Wilson is aware of the discimination African Americans face and how Black people are forced to comport into forms of respectability to preempt anti-Blackness. Rogers passes the baton to the Falcon, but Wilson decides that retiring Cap’s symbolic shield is the right thing to do. Sam Wilson served as Steve Rogers/Captain America’s flying sidekick and friend. The two characters that highlight this ambivalence the most are Sam Wilson and John Walker. Race and racism are clear and present subtexts, but the series frequently sends mixed messages regarding what it thinks about these issues. Though the plot carries the usual “good guys vs bad guy” intrigue, the main backdrop is how individuals and society wrestle with the complicated legacy of Captain America. The series has been enjoyable, but “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” has been a mixed bag on the topic of race. The duo tries to work independently of Captain America’s replacement, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who is trying to call all the shots. ![]() Taking place after the events of Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” film, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” follows Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) pursuing a group of anti-nationalist super soldiers called the Flag-Smashers. NOTE: This article contains episode spoilers.
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