WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 1, "New World Order," now streaming on Disney+.
The premiere episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes place several months after the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. At the end of the film, after living a full life, an elderly Steve Rogers passed on his red, white and blue shield to Sam Wilson, entrusting him to become the new Captain America. Yet, when the Disney+ series begins, Sam gives the shield back to the government, believing he simply can't replace the man everyone knew as Captain America.
As for Steve Rogers, his fate remains a bit of a mystery, but the series reveals what the public at large believes happened to Captain America -- and it might be a nod to the cosmic future of Bucky Barnes.
In "New World Order," Sam's Air Force contact, Joaquin Torres, asks him a bunch of questions about the Avengers. Talk eventually turns to Steve Rogers, and the fate of the original Captain America is brought into question. Joaquin asks if a theory some people believe is actually true: is Captain America holed up in a secret base located on the moon? Now of course, the theory sounds incredibly ridiculous. After all, we know that Steve is now an old man and retired, and the idea of him being secretly active on the moon as some sort of space superhero doesn't seem remotely likely.
However, while this may be nothing more than speculation on the public's part, the theory actually serves as a potential hint to the Winter Soldier's cosmic future. In the comics, Bucky Barnes operated as the Winter Soldier, assassin, spy, one time-Captain America and super-soldier. For most of his superhero career, Bucky has been likened to a street-level superhero, a super-spy who keeps to the shadows. But, at some point, the character became a full-fledged cosmic hero.
Indeed, in the 2014 event series Original Sin by Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato Jr., it was revealed that Nick Fury had become the Man on the Wall, a cosmic role that saw him secretly protect the world from all manner of alien threats. At the event's conclusion, Fury was seemingly killed and it was Bucky Barnes who took on his duties as the new Man on the Wall. In this role, Bucky became a cosmic superhero, operating throughout the universe as Earth's protector.
Now, this isn't a role we necessarily expect Bucky Barnes to take on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but The Falcon and the Winter Soldier may still be hinting at it. The public believes Captain America is now on the moon, operating as a protector against potential alien threats. The theory isn't plausible for Steve Rogers but it could always foreshadow a position Bucky Barnes will occupy. After all, the MCU appears to be shifting greatly towards a more cosmic angle with the likes of Eternals, Secret Invasion, the introduction of S.W.O.R.D. and the upcoming returns of Thor, Captain Marvel and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
With such a great focus on the cosmic side of the MCU, the Winter Soldier could eventually become an important space hero in his own right, enabling him to continue to take part in whatever Marvel has planned next.
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. New episodes debut on Fridays on Disney+.
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