But in the comics, John Walker is an über-nationalist who started his career arc as Super Patriot and U.S.
It’s early yet, so we don’t know where Disney+ will take Walker’s character. And Sam wonders about how things would’ve gone if he’d kept the shield, whether a black Captain America would’ve even been acceptable to much of the country. And while the blond-haired, white-toothed guy may look like a good new Captain to some, there’s a question about whether the fellow truly embraces Cap’s old ideals. When the Falcon turned Cap’s shield over to the government, the suits promptly handed it to John Walker. Meanwhile, there’s a new Captain America on the loose, and it ain’t Sam. The Bad (Guys)Īnd then, of course, you’ve got the real trouble in post-blip Denmark.Ī new terrorist organization that calls itself the Flag Smashers is agitating for a world without borders and, if possible, a whole lot fewer people. And let’s face it: Being a superhero may be rewarding, but it’s usually not a great way to get rich.
Sam’s dead set against it, but his own credit is shot from being five years out of the workforce. His sister’s struggling to make ends meet, and she’s contemplating selling the family houseboat that she and Sam grew up in.
Sam’s doing just fine emotionally, but his family isn’t. There’s no way he can make up for all the pain he’s inflicted. Now that his life is returning to normal, though, he’s remembering all the terrible things he’s done as a HYDRA assassin. It’d be like dealing with a herky-jerky COVID-like schedule for roughly 90 years. That’s gotta be particularly jarring for Bucky, who’s spent most of his considerable lifespan in brainwashed catatonia (not to mention a lengthy, sleepy sabbatical in Wakanda). The Good (Guys)īoth Sam and Bucky have their share of problems, too.īoth recently returned from a five-year absence from life (a result of the infamous “ Blip” that halved the universe’s population, thanks to extra-terrestrial villain Thanos). Now they’re not just sharing a car: They’re sharing a show. Sam soon became the flying daredevil Falcon and a full-fledged member of the Avengers, and Steve Rogers thought so highly of Sam that he wanted him to become the new Captain America after he was gone.īut despite their history with the First Avenger, the most meaningful conversation Sam and Bucky had before Cap left was a 10-second exchange in Captain America: Civil War, as the two sat in a car-Sam in the front seat, Bucky in back.
This, as you might imagine, caused a bit of strain in their relationship that took a whole movie to work out.īut Cap made a new friend while Bucky was MIA: Sam Wilson, a former pararescueman in the Air Force who also lost a close friend in the line of duty. When both came back, Cap was much the same, while Bucky had become a brainwashed, uber-wicked assassin called The Winter Soldier. After that, their relationship hit what you might call a cool period: Bucky plunged into an ice-cold river and Cap purposefully plunked himself (and the massive plane o’ destruction he was flying) into the Arctic Ocean, where he spent a good 70 years frozen solid. Both were childhood friends and besties in the 1930s and ‘40s. Steve and Bucky Barnes have known each other for roughly a century-and that’s barely an exaggeration. Perhaps it’s not so surprising, given they met Steve “Cap” Rogers in very different times. But his best friends are still around, and they’re still fighting the good fight.