top of page

9 predictions for Falcon and The Winter Soldier

  • Writer: Jordan Croft
    Jordan Croft
  • Mar 17, 2021
  • 8 min read

ree

We are not long away now from the premiere of Falcon and The Winter Soldier. With the hype starting to rise and excitement circulating across the marvel fan base, we have started to speculate as to what will happen in the series. We know speculation about WandaVision caused many fans to become frustrated, but in all honesty fan theories and predictions is what makes the viewing experience even more fun. With that in mind, do not take all of our predictions as fact and just allow your imagination to go wild as we give our 10 wild predictions for Marvel Studios 2nd Disney+ live action show.


Falcon’s backstory will be explored:


ree

A side to Falcon (Anthony Mackie) which has been forgotten about in the MCU is his backstory. We got some details on Sam Wilson’s past in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as Sam used to be in the Air Force. We also learnt that Sam lost his wingman Riley, which hasn’t been mentioned since. Understanding what this loss meant to Sam would be something new to explore. Combine this with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) no longer being of fighting age then there may be a similarity between Sam’s feelings to both Riley and Steve as he no longer has his 2 main partners.


Moreover, we haven’t seen any explorations into Sam’s family life. In the comic All-New Captain America where Sam first took the mantle of Captain America we visit the past of Sam in a number of flashbacks which act as a motivating factor for his missions. With Sam looking likely to be the next Captain America within the MCU a similar exploration into his past could be done to further the backstory of Sam and allow for viewers to relate to him on a deeper level.


The MCU could take this one step further and go fully into the comic book routes of Sam. In the comics Sam had a life of crime before becoming the Falcon and as we know little about Sam’s past other than 2 tours of Afghanistan, there is a chance that he could have been the famous ‘Snap’ Wilson before he served his country. If this is something that Marvel Studios brings to the MCU then the character journey of Sam would be much stronger.


A Steve Rogers funeral:


ree

Trailers and promotions for the show seem to suggest that old man Steve Rogers may have breathed his last breath. During all the trailers there has been footage of Sam paying some kind of respect to Captain America. In a location which looks like the Captain America museum Sam contemplates a life without Captain America.


With Chris Evans not scheduled to appear in the show it adds further possibility that we may pay tribute to America’s finest hero. This would also explain why Sam and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) are teaming up as both would know Steve would want to see them continue doing the work that helps the people and continue the legacy of Captain America.


We think that a funeral for Steve Rogers will feature in the first episode as it sets up the theme of the series which is the legacy of the shield. As well as this the final trailer showed Sam speaking at some kind of conference about the symbol of the shield. Dressed in dark colours, it gives the impression that Sam is honouring his old friend and speaking at his funeral. If this is true then I think many tears will be flowing when Friday comes.


Zemo will be focused on Bucky:


ree

One of the most exciting parts of the show will be the return of famous Captain America villain Zemo (Daniel Bruhl). Although not following much of his comic book origin in the MCU, his villainy is still up there with the big players. Donning his famous purple mask we are expecting that Zemo will thrive even more in the show and continue his work that he began in Captain America: Civil War.


During Civil War one of the key parts of Zemo’s plan was to unleash the Winter Soldier using the Hydra mind control. This was successful during the movie and we wouldn’t be surprised if Zemo tries something simular during the show in order to bring Bucky under his command. The trailers teased an encounter between the two men so whether it works is a different question, but Zemo’s interest with Bucky will likely continue.


Also, in the trailer Zemo’s main motivation seems to be the eradication of superheroes. His first target being the demise of Bucky would fit with his character and be the perfect hero he looks to destroy. This could be what sparks Sam and Bucky to team up in order to stop what Zemo has planned which will have affected Bucky first hand.


The Flag Smashers will be part of Hydra:


ree

One of the new factions coming to the MCU is the group which are known as the Flag Smashers. Within the comics Flag Smasher is actually one person called Karl Morgenthau and his aim is to achieve freedom by destroying all nations and their flags. Obviously in the show the Flag Smasher looks to be a group although Erin Kellyman’s characters is rumoured to be called Karli Morgenthau which would make her seem as the group leader.


However, in a recent interview Kevin Fiege said that the MCU will always have an inherent need for groups like Hydra. This immediately sparked the idea that the Flag Smashers may be an off shoot of the Nazi based group and how they got their powers which the trailer has put on display could be traced back to Hydra.


Also, a line from Captain America: The First Avenger that the Red Skull says makes an interesting connection to the primary motivation of the Flag Smasher from the comics. He says “I have seen the future Captain, there are no flags”. Once again I have to remind you that this is just a prediction, but the connection between what the Red Skull says and what the Flag Smasher in the comics tries to achieve is a clear similarity. That being said the MCU don’t always follow the comics and may alter the motivation of the group opposing Falcon and The Winter Soldier.


War Machine’s appearance will set up Armour Wars:


ree

It has been confirmed that Don Cheadle will be making an appearance during Falcon and The Winter soldier and with his own series coming to Disney+ we wouldn’t be surprised if in some way that Falcon and The Winter Soldier sets up the Armour Wars show.


Firstly when we look at the shows and movies coming out before Armour Wars, there isn’t many that are focused on Earth based American threats. Most of the content seems to be focused on setting up the Multiverse of new characters. As such it seems right that Falcon and The Winter Soldier would lead into Armour War and Don Cheadle’s War Machine just adds to this speculation.


It is also likely Don Cheadle will only cameo which means that something which happens in the show will cause a ripple effect that leads into Armour Wars. Either way, the appearance of War Machine will be an exciting moment for fans and it is unlikely that the MCU will pass on the opportunity to set up one of their future products.


The Thunderbolts will be set up:


ree

Many fans have been speculating that a team lead by Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) will be coming to the MCU in some form in the near future. William Hurt returning during Civil War and in the upcoming Black Widow movie has helped the speculation grow. On top of this the return of Zemo cannot be ignored.


In the Comics Zemo established the Thunderbolts as a new version of the Masters of Evil, but rather than being villains the group works for Thunderbolt Ross and take on missions he assigns them. As such, with the role of Ross growing within the MCU and members of the group like, Taskmaster and Abomination (Tim Roth) making returns and debuts into the MCU we wouldn’t be surprised if an established team is set up during the show.


During the trailers there has been a clip of Zemo walking with Falcon and Winter Soldier which adds to the speculation that Zemo could be working for the government in some form as why would Sam and Bucky be willing to walk with him.


Sin will make her debut:


ree

Easily our most outlandish prediction of our list is that we think that the daughter of the Red Skull will make an appearance. For those who don’t know Sin was born to Red Skull but was always seen as a disappointment to her father due to his desire for a son. This caused her to take up a more insane personality which meant her actions were not always thought out but would always have the most severe consequences.


We know there has been no indication that Sin will make an appearance during the show but we just have a sneaky feeling that Hydra may be involved in some way. Without Red Skull to lead the organisation what better surprise would they be than his daughter to take control?


Also, she has been heavily involved with the comics when Falcon and The Winter Solider were directly involved with the Captain America story at the time. As such encounters between them are not the furthest thing from a dream. We do understand that this is one our wildest theories but I don’t think anyone could argue Sin in the MCU would be so cool to see.


Visiting Madripoor will tease the Mandarin:


ree

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is set to bring the ‘real’ Mandarin to the MCU after the disappointment of Ben Kingley’s Trevor Slattery. With the film set in Asia we believe that when we visit in Madripoor in Falcon and The Winter Soldier that some tease will be given to the crime lord.


Madripoor is a city near Singapore in the comics and is traditionally known for being a place where criminals of all kinds hang out. The top tier crime lords live a life of luxury while there is also the darker parts of the city where drug traffickers work in the shadows. Madripoor seems like a place which The Mandarin visits in order to complete his criminal actions which makes the speculation of a teaser for him likely.


We don’t know why the hero duo of Sam and Bucky will be visiting the criminal city but we expect many Easter Eggs while they visit there city and an Easter egg or reference to one of the MCU’s top crime lords seems likely.


Isiah Bradley’s origin will be explored:


ree

One of the aspects of the show which has been speculated already by fans is the appearance of Isiah Bradley. In the comics Isiah was given a serum just like Steve Rogers but due to the colour of scheme was not celebrated anywhere near the level that Steve was.


With the show likely exploring racial issues in America we wouldn’t be surprised if reference or an appearance from Isiah would occur. Moreover, we expect some kind of exploration into the superhero serum will be part of the series due to the Flag Smashers seemingly having some enhanced powers. Bringing up the history of Isiah also seems like something which would come up when the super soldier serum is brought up.


Also, with the Young Avengers being set up during phase 4 we wouldn’t be surprised if Isiah’s grandson Eli Bradley makes an appearance as his comic book character Patriot.



Images:

Marvel Studios

Marvel Comics

Dinsey+

Comments


IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ME OR THE SITE, PLEASE DROP US A MESSAGE AND WE WILL RESPOND

Thanks for submitting!

© 2021 by InDepthMarvel

Jordan Croft

Email: jordycroft25@gmail.com

bottom of page