The finale gives Walker a rote “redemption” and Sam’s summative speech almost completely bypasses him in favor of the show’s third antagonist: the Flag Smashers. The problem becomes, because the show won’t venture into a radical critique and needs delineated lines between hero and villain, it also isn’t willing to commit to Walker as a villain. The message of America’s history being one tainted by violence is clear, but it’s still something most images in the MCU are not – provocative.

The final frame of Episode 4, low-angle “hero shot” of Walker holding a shield smeared with the blood of a surrendering enemy. Plus, FATWS clearly wants to comment on race in America – having the next Captain America be a white guy nobody’s ever heard of instead of a black Avenger is a good premise for realizing these ambitions.

Of the characters in the story, he’s the most fitting opposite for Sam, as the two are essentially competing to be Captain America’s successor. Then there’s the best antagonist – John Walker. There’s some motivation with him being opposed to the very notion of superhumans, but it’s under-explored and well-tread ground from other stories. Aside from how he feels like an entirely different (albeit more comic accurate) character than he was in Civil War, his involvement is the least organic of any major player it’s telling that he barely shows up in the finale. At the same time, it feels like the show is serving him and not the other way around. Daniel Brühl is a delight and putting Zemo in a team-up with the titular pair definitely makes for the most entertaining dynamic in the show. Let’s start with the least thematically relevant villain, Zemo. I think this indecision is most clearly shown through the series’ multiple villains. It never committed to what kind of story it wanted to tell and had no clear vision of what it wanted to say. It had its moments but they were just that – moments. Falcon And The Winter Soldier was a muddled series.

Legend of the red falcon