‘Falcon & Winter Soldier’ Easter Eggs Ep. 2 – A Tale of Black & White Captain Americas
Super-soldier serum is a dangerous thing.
The friendship of the two universe-saving veterans deepens through bickering and therapy, while their ability to play well with and trust others is tested. Let’s jump in…
Spoilers below the GIF.
The show opens with an introduction to the new Captain America. John Walker psyching himself up for a public appearance in the locker room of his high school football team makes him a sympathetic character. He wants to do well, to live up to the legacy of his hero. John Walker is an intelligent, good-looking military man who has taken the mantle. He’s a bit aloof, a bit too practiced – but he doesn’t seem terrible. Yet.
His partner/buddy is Lemar Hoskins aka Battlestar. The history between the two in the comics isn’t terribly flattering, and that lack of not so greatness may come into play in the series (all of the players are in place). Oh, he also worked with Howard the Duck to thwart an invasion of Nazi zombies from an alternate earth. Really.
We got to know more about the Flag-Smashers. The group is fighting against the injustices that have happened since millions returned from the blip, and wants to revert the world to how it was before. Leader Karli Morgenthau (played by Erin Kellyman, who you may recognize from Solo) and her crew are not your average revolutionaries – they’re stronger, faster, they’ve definitely been altered by something. Possibly the super-soldier serum used to transform Steve Rogers, Bucky (via a different Hydra formula), and Isaiah Bradley (we’ll get to his story in a moment).
There was also a name drop of someone who is after them (probably for stealing his wares) – Power Broker. He’s in the business of selling dangerous substances and treatments that give people superpowers in exchange for a percentage of their earnings from the powers they gain. On top of the price, the powers are not permanent so paying for them is endless. His treatments gave John Walker his powers in the comics. Including the Power Broker opens up a whole plotline about the ethics of super serums – from their use to how they’re created.
He’s taken on the look of the traditional comic book mob boss and Wall Street slime for years, but his latest incarnation looks a bit more tech-savvy.
Another face from comics, that was sadly used just as a prop in the show instead of a full-fledged character he should be, appeared halfway into the episode. Isaiah Bradley aka the Black Captain America is the lead in Truth: Red, White & Black – a seven-part series written by the late Robert Morales. Bradley (along with over 300 other Black men) was experimented on early in WWII by the US government. He went on to fight wars and supervillains like Steve Rogers had, but never got the credit for his work or valor. When they were done with him they put him in jail for “stealing” his own costume.
It’s a look at Black history in this country that not everyone wanted to see – its publication in 2003 was protested. It includes commentary on how Black bodies have been used and abused for medical (a nod to the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, among other horrific acts) and military gain, and how the accomplishments of Black people are often pushed aside for other narratives. Its author pulled no punches when he wrote it. The book is out of print, but you can read it on Comixology.
It’s made very clear that Walker, Hoskins, Bucky, and Sam are at odds on how to do this. By the end of the episode, Walker is no longer the soldier trying to fill his hero’s shoes and is now an arrogant jerk. Can’t say that Bucky is making any of the attempts at teamwork easier, but it seems he senses something (maybe due to his experiences) that Sam isn’t. This is more than old guard vs new guard.
Next week Zemo joins the fray. Wondering how he gets out of the supervillain clink to don his purple mask… and which side he’s on.
They’ve got 4 hours left to tell this story. Quick takes:
- Flag-Smashers are the path to the bad guys, but not THE bad guys
- This is all about Power Broker
- I have a small hope that Zemo works with Bucky and Sam
- … for his own gain and escapes to be the supervillain he should have been in Civil War
