We all presumed that the Marvel Cinematic Universe would fall after the Infinity Saga, and phase four would turn out to be boring without our favorite Avengers. But as promised by Marvel Studios, Marvel’s phase four would blow our mind. Phase four started with the web series WandaVision – the most trending web series in 2021. Friday turned out to be the favorite day of Marvel’s fans, and they started hating the words “Please stand by”. WandaVision was acclaimed worldwide and ended with a boatload of questions. And while people were questing for the answers, Marvel gifted us its next series – The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

SPOILER ALERT!

Time to back paddle if you haven’t seen the first two episodes of TDATWS!

The first episode was aired on 19th March, and in the first episode itself, the actions flit between Tunisia, Washington, Louisiana, Switzerland and New York. It opens six months after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Half of the universe reappeared after the Blip creating chaos in the chaotic world. The beginning shot is of Washington DC, where we see Sam packing Captain’s shield in the same leather bag that we saw in Avengers: Endgame. The timeline shifts back to Tunisia, where Sam is shown serving for the United States Air Force and is on a mission to rescue a military liaison from a criminal organization. Here, Sam flaunts his new suit with Stark-level technology, Redwing, and his striking air moves. After the victory, we find Sam in some Tunisian Market, where he is introduced to a new terrorist gang – The Flag Smashers. We will get back to them later in this article. The timeline leaps forward to Washington again, where Sam surrenders Cap’s shield to the US government. Rhodey takes Sam for a tour to a museum dedicated to Steve. The only place where we can experience the entire life of Steve. There’s Steve everywhere but not Steve!

Bucky, the Winter Soldier, the White Wolf, is shown living a civilian’s life in New York. We watch him suffering from nightmares about his time as the Hydra’s most deadly assassin. The US government has appointed a psychologist for Bucky, and he is shown compensating for the sins he did under Hydra. Down in Louisiana, Sam sees his sister and nephews. He receives a call from a US military soldier who was brutally beaten, by The Flag Smashers, in Switzerland. Here, we recognize that The Flag Smashers are no other than the Super Soldiers, just like our very own Steve Rogers. Episode one finished with the US government revealing the new Captain America — the most awful thing in this web series.

Aired last Friday, the second episode of TFATWS unfolds the mysterious man behind the new Captain America. It commences with a US military officer in the changing room of some stadium in Washington, where we notice him with the new Captain America’s suit. John Walker, the most patriotic and the strongest soldier of the US Army, is the new Captain America. Geez, I hate that guy!

We see John parading in the stadium and giving an interview. Meanwhile, Sam departs for Munich for his new mission to knock the Flag Smashers. Here, Bucky reaches Sam — the reunion we all were waiting for. Bucky questions Sam’s decision of surrendering Cap’s shield and associates Sam in his new mission. While the duet was investigating and fighting with the Flag Smashers, John surprisingly bumps into them and offers to work with him.

Episode two reflects the current issue of racism prevailing in the United States. Back in New York, we find Sam and Bucky strolling down the street where a kid addresses Sam as “Black Falcon.” We then see cops ill-treating Sam until they realize he is Sam Wilson – The Falcon. Bucky and Sam visit Isaiah Bradley — the only Black Super Soldier in MCU. Bradley whines that he was jailed for thirty years and was used for test purposes. I guess even this has to do something with racism as he was the only Black Super Soldier. I didn’t expect such scenes in TFATWS, and I believe we would see how racism is put to an end in future episodes. The episode concludes with Sam and Bucky planning to see Zemo — the prime Hydra guy — in the German jail to get more information about the Flag Smashers.

There’s plenty to look forward to with TFATWS. We have so many mysteries to solve and a handful of questions to ponder over the next week. What I await in subsequent episodes is how Sam achieves Captain’s shield back and rises as the new Captain America!