The first episode of Falcon and Winter Soldier shows the present ways of living of both Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes.
Falcon and Winter Soldier finally aired on 19th April with the beginning episode showing the kind of lives Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are living. They have not met each other yet and are living life on their own terms. But their futures have something different in store for them. Here are the highlights of Episode 1 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Introducing Joaquin Torres
Lieutenant (Joaquin) Torres (full name mentioned in the end credits) may seem like a normal military guy to you. But in the comics, he is the one who uses his bird-like abilities (the result of an illegal mutation experiment) to be the new Falcon (half-human and half-bird) when Sam decides to serve as Captain America.
Return of Georges Batroc- Batroc the Leaper
Played by French Canadian former two-division UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, we first saw Batroc in Captain America: Winter Soldier. He appeared as an Algerian mercenary who was holding SHIELD Agent Jasper Sitwell. Remember the guy with whom Captain Rogers fought hand to hand?
Watch: Steve Rogers vs. Georges Batroc. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Flag Smashers Have Arrived
We had this coming. But to have them in the first episode was kind of unexpected but all the more cool. They believe that the “world was better during the Blip,” as Lieutenant Torres says. The Flag-Smashers will play a significant role in the series as one of the main villains.
James Rhodes Is Present
James Rhodes AKA Rhodey AKA War Machine is present. Provided that both Sam Wilson and James Rhodes are working for the government, it is natural to see them share the screen. And that he was the only one there to talk to Sam after the ceremony. We love it and hope to see more of them in their respective suits. We also have James Rhodes upcoming in his own series Armor Wars in the not too distant future. Maybe this story will have effects on that one.
Sam Wilson Tries To Make Ends Meet for His Family
Although the Falcon for us, we see Sam playing his role of a brother to his family, especially his sister. This became evident when despite his role in “international security”, his sister was denied a loan from the bank. And the reason was that there was no income for the last five years. Pulling strings is not possible. Superheroes have become regular people, just with powers and the job of saving the world.
Winter Soldier has Nightmares
The post-credits scene of Black Panther showed us a mentally-recovered Bucky Barnes who later fought along with the Avengers against Thanos and his army. It was clear that he had changed and was now the old Bucky. But here we see Bucky having nightmares as the Winter Soldier. Does this mean that there is still some of it left inside him or is it merely his past experiences coming back?
John Walker is the New Captain America
Sam Wilson returned the Shield as he believes that it belongs to Steve Rogers and no one else. And the government accepted it whole-heartedly. Little did we know that it had other plans. The final scene of the first episode shows the US Commander-In-Chief introducing the next Captain America (carrying Captain Steve Rogers’ shield), the “much-awaited” John Walker.
