Disney+ is cashing in on the Marvel content we are receiving. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has become a talking point for fans. The reveal of a new Captain America has stirred up fans’ emotions and caused outrage on social media. Spoilers ahead for those who have not seen the show yet.

Episode Two:

The episode opens with John Walker a.k.a the new Captain America gearing up to make his first major television appearance on Good Morning America. The interview takes place on a football field and John Walker makes his way to the stage. The interviewer relays John Walker’s backstory for the audience. The new Captain America shares his admiration for Steve Rogers as Bucky watches from his own home. Sam spots a poster for this new hero and is reunited with Bucky.

Bucky expresses his outrage for Sam giving up the shield. The two argue and Sam informs Bucky of The Flag Smashers. Sam and Bucky board a jet to Munich and Falcon is preparing to jump. The immortal Winter Soldier jumps out of the jet without a parachute. Bucky proceeds on this mission and the two continue to argue. Falcon uses his technology to spot a hostage in the back of The Flag Smashers’ truck. Bucky breaks into the back of the truck, revealing The Flag Smashers are stealing vaccines. The alleged hostage comes out from behind a unit and smiles. Suddenly Bucky smashes into a truck window and action ensues.

The new Captain America shows up with his sidekick to help Bucky and Sam. Bucky is hanging on to the bottom of the truck and Falcon swoops him away. The two roll down a hill and continue to argue. Back on the truck, The new Captain America fights the Flag Smashers but ends up on the side of the road. As Bucky and Sam walk down a country road, the new Captain America and his sidekick drive by and talk to the dynamic duo. The new Captain America wants to work with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier but they refuse. Bucky expresses that John Walker will never be Captain America. John offers them a lift and the duo hop in the car.

It is revealed that the government has hacked Falcon’s technology. John’s sidekick reveals his name is Lamar Hoskins a.k.a Battlestar. Both pairs continue to argue before Bucky demands they stop the car. In the next scene, we see a young girl and group taking shelter somewhere. As they get settled, the young girl from the truck is receiving texts from an unknown number. The messages read, “You took what was mine” and “I’m going to find you and kill you”. Her name is Karli Morgenthau and they are all apart of The Flag Smashers. Back on the jet, Sam and Bucky discuss Steve and Bucky wants Sam to meet someone important.

The pair are now in Baltimore and Sam is having a spat with a child who refers to him as “Black Falcon”. Sam tells the child off and they make their way to a house. Bucky is there to see Isaiah, an old war friend of his. Isaiah reminisces on his time with Bucky before becoming visibly angry and throwing a gold case into the wall. He reveals he was tested and demands Bucky and Sam leave his house. The police show up and arrest Bucky for missing his therapy.

At the police station, Dr Raynor shows up and introduces herself to Sam. The new Captain America then greets Dr Raynor. The doctor demands Bucky and Sam engage in a joint therapy session. As the two continue to argue they must engage in the “soul gazing” exercise. The two follow instructions but it turns into a staring contest. Bucky expresses his distain for Sam giving up the shield. Sam is willing to squash his beef with Bucky and thinks they should never speak again. The two leave and are once again greeted by John Walker and Lamar Hoskins. The new Captain America reveals Karli Morgenthau is leader of The Flag Smashers. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier once again refuse to work with the new Captain America and walk away.

The Flag Smashers are now boarding a plane with the vaccines. They have been found out and make their great escape. Bucky is telling Sam of someone else who has some intel on Hyrdra. It turns out The Winter Soldier is talking about Baron Zemo.

Reunited and It Feels So Bad:

There is a lot to unpack in this episode and we will get into it. We finally see Bucky and Sam reunite in this episode after having no scenes together in Episode One. Although the two have not been in the same room for what feels like a long time, the chemistry between the two is lacklustre. These characters are marketed to fans as a sort of odd couple of best friends although they are not friendly to each other. Anthony Mackie’s performance is strong however he is still not proving that he deserves to be a main character after being a side character for so long. Sebastian Stan appears tired in this role, his performance of Bucky seems bland and he is not delivering like he did in previous Marvel projects.

The Flag Smashers are stealing vaccines and although this may seem timely it poses a big question. Why do they need these vaccines? What relevance does it have to life during the blip? Karli is the leader of The Flag Smashers however this may be a red herring to reveal another big bad. This character may have a bigger role as the series goes on but we will have to wait and see.

The new Captain America is proving to be an annoyance for fans and our two leads. He is not trying to replace Steve Rogers or so he says. In his pre interview scene, we see fan frenzy taking place similar to the capitalisation seen in Captain America: The First Avenger. This is an interesting commentary coming from Disney and Marvel as they have been a talking point for franchise capitalism. John Walker is proving to be the real villain and this may be the twist coming in future episodes.

Since this is a Marvel tv show, there of course had to be a reveal to hold fans over until the next episode. Baron Zemo makes an appearance in a blink and you’ll miss it reveal. Some of you may be scratching your head and wondering who this is. Baron Zemo was the villain in Captain America: Civil War and a forgettable one at that. He may get some sort of redemption as the series goes on although no one is asking to see him again.

The second episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is an improvement from the series premiere but is lacking in quality. If the series continues on this bland path, this may be Marvel’s biggest waste of time since Thor: The Dark World.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is now streaming on Disney+. Episode Three will be available to stream on 3rd April.