The New Captain America, Falcon and The Winter Soldier season finale rundown

In a series which has been emotional, action packed and funny it was only right that the finale delivered on all 3 of the common theme. Falcon and The Winter Soldier has truly set the bar for action packed Disney+ shows and with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) becoming the new Captain America there was a satisfying ending to boot. This wasn’t the only conclusion which gave us chills as every character’s ending delivered on what had been built up during the series. All except Sharon Carter (Emily Van Camp) who let’s just say is now my most hated character within the entire MCU.

The finale’s plot was easy to follow as all of the parts at play collided in the final battle in New York. Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) accelerated her terrorist actions by attempting to kill those deciding upon the Patch Act. Obviously her plans were foiled by the new Captain America and Bucky (Sebastian Stan). As well as them, we also got to see the redemption of John Walker (Wyatt Russell) which was a turn not many fans expected in the finale. The only issue I had with the episode was Sharon Carter and the fact she was involved in the death of Batroc (Georges St-Pierre) and directly killed Karli, but the reveal that she was the Power Broker all along annoyed me and took me out of the action for a small period. Despite this after the conflict had been resolved Sam Wilson showed his worth as the new Captain America as he influenced the GRC and helped restore the memory of Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) to the world in a moment which had me in tears.

The Legacy of the Captain:

With the episode starting off hot, it was only right that we got to see Sam Wilson fly in wearing his new vibranium Captain America suit which was comic book accurate. Seeing Sam suited up had my jumping out of my bed and set the tone for the episode. The new suit also has boosted Sam’s abilities even further as his protection is increased from the vibranium and the thrusters in the suit give him some extra strength which he displayed when stopping hostages from falling to their deaths. As a whole the new look Sam Wilson served the perfect fan service to many comic book and Marvel fans.

Even if the suit hadn’t delivered the fan service, Sam’s actions after the battle certainly did. Making a speech to GRC officials, which was recorded to the nation, we got a sense of how Sam views the world which sent a powerful message to everyone watching. What was also nice to see is that Sam accepted the flaws that come with the job making him seem more grounded just like he has been throughout the series. As he had mentioned in the last episode he isn’t taking up the mantle for selfish reasons, he is taking up the mantle because he knows he can make change and change for the good.

Throughout the series the legacy of the shield had been brought up, with the memory of Isaiah Bradley being the dark side of the history which had been forgotten. In the ending we got closure on this matter as Sam made sure Isaiah’s memory was no longer ignored as Isaiah was honoured in the Captain America museum. The look on Isaiah’s face spoke volumes to what this meant for him and had me in tears. Again, Sam did the right thing and honoured the men before him which is just what Captain America should do. Without question Sam proved he is worthy of taking up the shield and is a worthy successor to those who came before him.

Disappointing Power Broker:

Although the finale did deliver in many aspects the one aspect which still annoys me is that Sharon Carter was revealed to be the Power Broker. As well as this we discover that Batroc was hired by Sharon to help her take down the Flag Smashers. In the end Sharon killed Karli to prevent her secret to be revealed and to stop her from completing her mission. This was a sad end for Karli as her descent into darkness was, at least for me, a strong part of the series.

But, the problem I have with Sharon being the Power Broker is a line from episode 3. Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) says that he knows the Power Broker by reputation. I’m not thinking too much into this when I say that this line heavily implied the Power Broker existed before Captain America: Civil War. It makes little sense for Zemo to learn of the Power Broker in prison so he must have learnt of his presence before Civil War which was when Sharon worked for the CIA. This reveal just seems to be a mess and I wasn’t fan.

Despite my thoughts on the matter I am going to have to get used to the fact Sharon is the Power Broker as after receiving her pardon she makes a call saying with her influence returned she can use her power in the states to further herself as the Power Broker. With access to experimental weaponry and classified information she looks set to continue her new villainous ways and my early theory is that she has potential to be involved in Armour Wars which we know will be loosely based on technology falling into the wrong hands. That technology may fall right at the feet of the Power Broker Sharon Carter.

US Agent & the mystery of Val:

In the previous episodes credits we got the tease of John Walker crafting a new shield for himself so he could finish his mission and kill Karli after the death of his partner Lemar Hoskins (Cle Bennett). I think most people and definitely me expected to see the continuation of Walker’s new aggressive side and to begin with we saw this as he attacks the Flag Smashers. However, after remembering his friend and the man who he is, he puts the mission of saving lives above his revenge in a moment that continued the theme of a torn hero for his character. This redemption for Walker was massive and completed his unstable character arc for the series.

After the battle we then got even more fan service as Walker walked out in front of his wife and let’s just call her Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in his new US Agent suit. This is the perfect next step for Walker’s character and we cannot wait to see where this goes. The next question is what Val’s role is. We can theorize as much as we want but we won’t know until something is announced.

We cannot accurately predict what her role will be because of the mystery she creates for herself. She teases that she could have been the one to help Zemo kill the remaining Flag Smashers but we won’t know who is truly responsible for that other than Zemo’s butler. As well as Walker’s redemption it was also nice to see that once again Zemo finished his mission as he removed the threat of the Flag Smashers.

Closure for Bucky:

After helping defeat the Flag Smashers we also got to see some closure for Bucky as he crossed off every name in his book. Although I would have liked to see more of his interaction with Yori (Ken Takemoto) it was nice to see that the weight of his past actions has left him and he can finally enjoy his life. This has concluded the story of Bucky and his struggles as The Winter Soldier and I am looking forward to seeing what he will embark on next.

Verdict:

As a whole the finale was the epic we expected. There isn’t much wrong with the series either. As we look to the future for the characters there is no clear picture. Fans are wanting a 2nd series but with the new Captain America it is likely that a movie may be the new direction for the characters we have fallen in love with over the course of the Disney+ series.

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