The moment we have all been waiting for is here. The series finale of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has dropped on Disney+. Marvel fans have been on a journey with this series but was the payoff worth it? Spoilers ahead for those who have not seen the series as of yet.
The Series Finale:
The episode picks up from where Episode Five left off. Karli and The Flag Smashers have taken over the GRC and the building is on lockdown. Bucky is outside and is talking to Sam via an earpiece. Sharon shows up acting as backup for the pair. The Flag Smashers release some sort of gas into the GRC, suddenly the famous Captain America shield is thrown through the window and Sam comes flying in. In his brand new super suit, Sam informs a hostage he is Captain America.
Karli talks to Bucky on the phone and he pleads with her to stop. After the phone call, more chaos ensues as Bucky goes to search for Karli. Sam fights a Flag Smasher and flies away. Karli plots to kill her hostages in order to stop the GRC vote. Bucky fights a Flag Smasher as Karli is preparing to kill the hostages. John Walker comes out of the dark shouting after Karli. He throws his man made shield and she kicks it back. Bucky attempts to save the hostages as this is going on.
Sam infiltrates a helicopter and demands one of the hostages fly it. John continues to fight Karli in a never ending sequence. She knocks him out and drives away with the hostages. Karli jumps out as the van is about to fall. As the hostages are about to plummet to their death Sam saves them to the dismay of Karli. The Flag Smashers drop more gas bombs and begin to escape.
Karli hears a whistle and is greeted by Sharon holding a gun. The two square off and Sharon pleads with her. Sharon is The Power Broker and has been spying on Karli. Batroc demands his money and shoots Sharon. Sam wants to help Karli but this leads to another fight. John and Bucky stop some Flag Smashers and the police show up. Sam isn’t fighting back and Karli is about to shot him. Suddenly, Sharon shoots Karli and she dies in Sam’s arms.
He carries her out and hands her off to the paramedics. Sam is greeted by reporters and he gives a speech about feeling helpless and the impact of the government after the blip. He reunites with Bucky and they attempt to leave. Sam flies away to locate the last Flag Smasher. The arrested Flag Smashers die in a suicide bombing. Back in prison, Zemo hears the news and lies down. Meanwhile in Washington, Valentine Allegra de Fontaine is waiting for John Walker to put on his new super suit. She calls him the US Agent and walks away.
Back in Brooklyn, Bucky is reunited with his neighbour Yori. Bucky confesses he killed Yori’s son and he leaves his old notebook with his therapist. Sam visits Isaiah Bradley and says he has something he wants to show Isaiah. In the museum, Sam shows Isaiah a statue of himself. Sam and Sarah are throwing a party and its a happy ending.
In true Marvel fashion, we get a post credit scene. Sharon is standing before the senator. He offers her a new job and she accepts the offer. As she leaves, she is talking on the phone and is looking to take full advantage of her new position.
Captain America and Winter Soldier:
As with every episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier there is a lot to unpack here. This episode was too long, it should have ended after The Flag Smashers blow up the van and Sam flies away. There was way too much exposition and it became reductive.
The biggest take-away from this episode is that Sam is the new Captain America. It could not be anymore perfect. Sam is the only person who can take on Steve’s legacy and do it justice. Marvel has announced they are making a fourth Captain America film. This news has divided fans however Sam’s MCU future is bright and we will have to wait and see how it plays out. Anthony Mackie has been carrying this entire series on his back with no assistance from Sebastian Stan and his bland performance.
It is revealed that Sharon Carter is The Power Broker. Probably the most underwhelming revelation in TV history. We all knew Sharon was The Power Broker and if you were to take this moment out of the episode it changes nothing. The post credit scene presents Sharon as a possible future villain which could be a great move for the MCU.
This series fell victim to the classic “Villain Problem”. Karli may be the most boring villain of the entire MCU. Her motives were ridiculous and she became more of a whiny teenage girl. Another unfortunate thing to come out of this episode, John Walker is US Agent. No one wants to see him again but yet we are getting more of him.
As mentioned, Sebastian Stan has been bland and boring for this entire series. He does nothing in this episode and I think it is time for Bucky to bow out. Bucky confesses to the murder of his neighbour’s son, which is a plotline I think we all forgot. This was just used to humanise Bucky however that doesn’t help when the actor appears bored and lazy.
Although this series had it highlights, it may the weakest instalment in the MCU and felt like a filler in the storyline. Hopefully the upcoming Loki series will be so much better and we have that to look forward to.
All episodes of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are on Disney+ now.
