WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 1, "New World Order," now streaming on Disney+.
In its first episode, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier makes big inroads into Phase Four, showing fans the positives and negatives of the Blip, while also pushing Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) along. Ultimately, fans want to know who'll wield the shield, but while it's clear this series will provide definitive answers, a couple of key moments also indicate it'll be picking up on Black Panther's biggest theme.
This is, of course, addressing white privilege, something the show's head writer, Malcolm Spellman, has already hinted at. That aura's created very early on in the premiere when Sam decides not to take the shield on, admitting he feels like it belongs to someone else. The government's happy to get it back, telling him at the ceremony he's doing "the right thing." However, when they reveal their own Captain America at the end in John Walker (Wyatt Russell), it's clear to them, Cap always had to be white.
Now, Black Panther waded into this when Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa let Agent Ross (Martin Freeman) and even the Avengers know the world was built on the backs of Black people. All outsiders like them have done is appropriate, steal and pillage, which is why Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) goes on the warpath. As seen in the museum scene, he wants to take back what belongs to his people, and while he goes about things in an unethical way, the fact that Black people continue to be exploited still remains an issue.
This ties into the state of the world, especially today's America, and provides room for relevant social commentary. In recent years, anti-Black sentiment has run rampant in the political, sporting and entertainment arenas, mostly in the form of opposition towards the Black Lives Matter movement. There's also been an increase in white supremacy, with the common thread among hate groups being people of color shouldn't be seen as equal to them.
One can see it in Sam's eyes at the end of the episode when he sees this new Cap being present to the media that he understands why he was passed over. The powers that be were never interested in asking him to reconsider because he was never their choice, which stings because Sam's someone whose back the future has been built on. After all, he's taken down Hydra with Cap, fought Thanos with the Avengers and saved the world with Earth's Mightiest Heroes many times.
Sam's earned his status, yet, when it's time to get something as simple as a bank loan, he can't, which once again shows how the underprivileged are forced to suffer. He was gone for five years due to the Blip and still returned to help create a future for everyone, but all the bank worker can do is insult him by asking for a selfie. There's no empathy or compassion, and this speaks to the issue of privilege.
People like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers didn't have to endure this, but Falcon's essentially told he doesn't deserve the right to earn a living and wear America's flag on his chest. It's clear the show will be addressing how marginalized people of color are treated in a way, just like Black Panther showed, that forces them to kick doors down themselves, and in that way, Sam's the perfect mix of T'Challa and Killmonger, having to protect his people, while also fighting for them to have a voice in a land where they don't feel equal to everyone else.
Directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly and Daniel Brühl. The series is currently streaming on Disney+.
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