As with all MCU projects, more and more questions are posed about the Marvel world with each new release. Marvel's new Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is no exception to this rule and, despite only being three episodes in, has opened up a whole load of new opportunities and storylines.
With new character introductions and an opportunity to delve into the lives of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in deeper detail, the series has so far been a great combination of epic action and deep storytelling with plenty more to offer. But even in the three episodes released so far, a lot of questions have been raised.
10 Who Are The Flag Smashers & How Do They Have Superpowers?
Introduced as one of the many antagonists of the show, the Flag-Smashers are a terrorist cell who believe the world was better during the blip and are fighting for a nationless Earth. Bucky and Sam tracked them down and went head to head with the Flag-Smashers, only to find out something even more frightening—they are all super-soldiers.
With enhanced abilities, the group has become even more of a threat, but it also makes one wonder where they got their powers from? Well, the answer appears to be from a new super-soldier serum created by the scientist Nagel who, after initially making it for the US Government, went on to work for the Power Broker in Madripoor. While The Flag-Smasher is a single character in the comics, with radical political motives, the MCU's version of an anarchist faction led by Karli Morgenthau is proving to be a dangerous threat.
9 Who Or What Is The Power Broker?
The recent trip in episode 3 to Madripoor answered a few questions about the Power Broker, while many remain. It is now known that they are a shadowy figure behind the Flag-Smashers power enhancements and they are based in Madripoor, but they have yet to be shown on screen. In the comics, the Power Broker is a criminal businessman who undergoes dangerous experiments to give ordinary people enhanced abilities for profit.
Who the Power Broker could be is still a mystery, but some clues suggest it has to be someone with possible links to SHIELD or HYDRA—someone like Thunderbolt Ross fits the bill. Or perhaps a more shocking twist could reveal Sharon Carter as the Power Broker, after seeing her pretty luxurious crib and watching that suspicious car scene in episode 3.
8 What Effect Did The Snap & The Blip Have On The Rest Of World?
Avengers: Endgame gave a brief look at the effect of the snap on the world, but mainly from the heroes' perspective, so it would be interesting to see how both the snap and the blip affected the so-called normal part of the human population. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has already given glimpses at the chaos caused by these two events.
Sam and his sister's attempt to get a loan, the Flag-Smashers motives, and the introduction of John Walker as a new Captain America, gave us insight into the ongoing social and economic problems since the blip. Finally after only briefly seeing its impact in Spider-Man: Far From Home and WandaVision, some light is being shed on the impact of the blip.
7 How Much Does Baron Zemo Know About HYDRA?
Baron Zemo was the main antagonist of Captain America: Civil War, and in an attempt to destroy the Avengers as a way of revenge for the damage caused to his home Sokovia, Zemo spent a couple of years learning as much about Hydra and the Winter Soldier as possible so that he could frame Bucky for the murder of T'Chaka.
His plan worked to perfection but ended up with his arrest, and he has been stuck in a jail cell counting the days ever since, so how does he still have so many Hydra contacts and how did he learn so much about the evil organization in so little time? As it turns out, Zemo doesn't just know about the Winter Soldier, he actually knows tons of information about them, and given his power and money as a Baron of Sokovia, he was not restricted in his pursuit of answers.
6 Could Bucky Barnes Ever Become The Winter Soldier Again?
With therapy sessions mandatory by the state, Bucky Barnes looks like he is finally back to his own self in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. After his little calm in Wakanda, it was presumed that the Winter Soldier part of Bucky was removed, and it looks like Bucky is now fully himself after watching his encounter with Baron Zemo in episode 3.
Could he ever become the Winter Soldier again? Probably not, and hopefully not as Marvel seems to want to keep him on his path of redemption as he works with Sam and completes his book filled with amendments from his past life. However, there is still an incredibly slim possibility, as Zemo said a little part of the Winter Soldier is still inside of him.
5 Who Is Isaiah Bradley & Where Has He Been All These Years?
Bucky showed a glimpse of his past as the Winter Soldier when Isaiah Bradley was introduced in episode 2. Isaiah Bradley is a former super-soldier who worked for the Government in secret missions without the public ever knowing his name. He was then jailed and tested on for thirty years.
In the comics, Bradley had a similar backstory as the Black Captain America, who was also imprisoned by the Government and hidden from the world. He gained his powers as part of an experiment that involved injecting a new super-soldier serum to hundreds of African Americans with Isaiah as the sole survivor. In fact, he even spent 17 years in jail in the comics as he was seen as treasonous by the military. Hopefully, Bucky and Sam will give Isaiah the recognition he deserves for his heroism and the world finally finds out the truth.
4 Is That The Last Of The Super-Soldier Serum Remaining?
One of the main plot points for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier appears to be the meaning of the Captain America mantle and the history of super-soldiers in the MCU. With a pretty treacherous past being revealed, one has to question whether the last of the super-soldier serum has been shown in the series.
The Flag-Smashers appear to have the last remaining doses of the serum, and after Nagel's lab was destroyed, it looks like that could be the last of it. But, some might have to question who'll get those final jabs, or if someone can re-engineer them once again. Or maybe John Walker will get an enhancement as he does in the comics.
3 What Has Sharon Carter Been Up To Since Captain America: Civil War?
The last time fans saw Sharon Carter, aka Agent 13, was in Captain America: Civil War, when she helped Steve Rogers and Team Cap break the law on multiple occasions, persecuting herself in the process. It remained a mystery as to what she was up to afterward, especially since she wasn't on the run with Cap and Sam, and wasn't under house arrests like other heroes such as Clint Barton and Scott Lang.
As it turns out, Sharon was hiding out in Madripoor, selling famous art pieces, and living a fairly luxurious life in the pirate-bay of Earth. How she has been living such a comfortable life is a complete mystery and has to be explored further in the coming episodes. It's likely that she has been up to something other than just selling art in the past few years.
2 What Does The World Think Happened To Steve Rogers In Avengers: Endgame?
While Natasha Romanoff, Vision, and Tony Stark, in particular, were given superhero memorials after their tragic deaths in Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers' decision to live out a life of happiness with Peggy Carter was hidden from the public, so what do they think happened to Captain America? After, the opening memorial video in Spider-Man: Far From Home, it can be presumed that the public thinks Steve died in the battle against Thanos, but there could be something more to it.
He didn't seem to get a memorial like Tony, and even people like Torres think Cap is actually living a life in hiding on the moon instead. It's fair to say that the public probably presumes he died in battle, but conspiracy theories about his death are likely to come out.
1 Who Is The New Captain America?
The cliffhanger at the end of the opening episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, left fans gasping, as the US Government unveiled their very own new Captain America, John Walker. Walker, who is also known in the comics by his previous alias US Agent, is a special operations officer in the US military, who now faces new responsibility as Captain America.
As the episodes have gone on, John Walker has become increasingly frustrated with his lack of answers when it comes to the Flag-Smashers and with Sam and Bucky, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the so-called perfect man's dark side will be unleashed. A possible storyline that follows the comics, where he gains superpowers from the Power Broker, seems likely later in the series.
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