We’re at the halfway point in the new Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (FWS) and things definitely started heating up in episode three. Let’s jump right in – Spoilers ahead!
Baron Zemo Returns
The episode was set up with the ending to episode 2, where Sam and Bucky decided to visit their former nemesis Baron Zemo to get his inside info on Hydra and where the new super-soldier serum might be coming from. Was I the only one who got all kinds of Hannibal Lecter references from their trip to see Zemo in prison? Much like Clarice Starling’s trip to see Dr. Lecter, Bucky connects with Zemo and makes a bargain with him for information. However, Zemo drives a harder bargain than everyone’s favorite serial killer (there’s a new series about Clarice Starling on air right now as well) and gets Bucky to help him escape.
There are lots of interesting interactions between the characters. The last time we saw Zemo, he was trying to tear the Avengers apart from within (in Captain America: Civil War) and while he was defeated in the end, he did indeed split up the Avengers into Team Cap and Team Iron Man. So, it’s interesting that we get a more entertaining Zemo in FWS, happy to be out of prison and at least temporarily helping Sam and Bucky – although we all know we can’t trust him – right?
While he helps them follow the trail of the elusive super-soldier serum to Madripoor and possible lead on the serum, he obviously has his own agenda that we can expect to be revealed at a crucial moment.
So does Agent Sharon Carter!
There are a LOT of characters in the MCU. So many, that character development for some of the side characters doesn’t get a lot of attention. We’re hoping that one of the purposes of the ongoing MCU series on Disney is to help facilitate some of that character building and potentially help us get to know some currently underutilized movie characters. Case in point, Sharon Carter. We last saw Sharon Carter in Captain America: Civil War, when she took Cap’s side against the government. Much like Captain America (the real one), Black Widow, Sam, and a few others, Carter went on the run after the events of that movie. But, that’s pretty much the last we heard from her.
So, it’s great to see her turn up in FWS. It turns out that, unlike Cap and his crew, she didn’t get a pardon and is still on the run. But, we knew she was resourceful and she used her skills to set herself up as a dealer in stolen art… and maybe more? Sharon arrives in the nick of time to help save Sam, Bucky, and Zemo after a meeting with a potential source (Selby) goes sideways. She then helps them track down the former Hydra scientist who created the new serum. After a big firefight and an escape by our main trio, Sharon gets into her car and tells her driver that they’ve “got a big problem. Actually, a couple of them.” I’m going on record saying that Sharon Carter has a much bigger role in what’s going on than we know currently.
New Cap has a Temper
New Cap (#NotMyCap) is also searching for the source of the serum and we start to see that there are lines he is willing to cross to get what he wants. Until now, he’s been just a bit innocuous as a character. We know we’re going to end up not liking him, but should we give him the benefit of the doubt, since he’s a military hero?
Well, we’re getting glimpses now that those initial suspicions were on the money. He is a bit less than diplomatic in dealing with some potential information sources on the Flag Smashers. It’s hard not to look at his reaction and compare it to how the Original Cap would have responded.
Madripoor and Wakanda
We get our first MCU visit to the island of Madripoor. It’s been a staple in the comics, as a haven for criminals and mutants. We’re also given a bit more information on the ambiguous Power Broker who has been mentioned in previous episodes as looking for the Flag Smashers, perhaps because they double-crossed him (her?) regarding the super-soldier serum. The Power Broker apparently runs Madripoor. So, we can expect to see more from the character in the final three episodes.
But the best reveal is the last as Bucky follows some interesting-looking breadcrumbs to a meeting with Ayo, second in command of Wakanda’s elite forces who acted as Black Panther’s bodyguards. Since Baron Zemo was behind the assassination of Wakanda’s ruler, it’s a safe bet she is there to exact vengeance. Things are about to heat up.
