"The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" ended its first (and hopefully not only) season by tying up all the story lines and posing just enough questions to leave us hungry for more. And we're going to get more, with the just-announced "Captain America 4," starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. With a hearty "spoilers, ahoy," let's see where the show left our sprawling cast, and what questions those endings pose.
Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan): It seems he's finding a way to live with his Winter Soldier crimes, as he occasionally smiles now. Thank Sam and his "tough love" talk for pointing him in the right direction. He's still not ready for the shield, though, which may be in his future. He seems to be willing to remain Sam's sidekick for now. Also, he'd better not flirt with Sam's sister, if he knows what's good for him.
Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly): I hope you cheered as I did when we saw Wilson had ensured that Isaiah's story gets told, and honored in whatever museum that is. This happened in the comics, too, only it was Steve Rogers who discovered Bradley was experimented on by the government and exposed it to the world. Anyway, in the comics Bradley is suffering from dementia, thanks to the serum, so he's permanently benched. In the MCU he's certainly lucid, and he might suit up somewhere down the road. But the more likely path involves his nephew Eli. In the comics, the younger Bradley becomes the second Patriot, a founding member of the Young Avengers. Since other Young Avengers have been established or are on their way, it seems some version of "Avengers: The Next Generation" is inevitable.
Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp): Yes, as we all expected but dreaded, she's the Power Broker. She didn't get a "Sharon All Along" theme song (dang it!), but she was the background Bad throughout, hiring (and killing) Batroc, hiring (and killing) Karli Morgenthau and financing (but letting Zemo kill) Dr. Wilfred Nagel. This development means she could potentially show up in any MCU property as, sadly, a double-agent supervillain, especially now that she got her pardon.
John Walker (Wyatt Russell): Just like in the comics, Walker washed out as Captain America and became the black-garbed U.S. Agent. In the comics he was specifically a government agent (hence the name), but it's less clear in the MCU. But lest anyone thinks he's a good guy now for saving some civilians in the finale instead of getting revenge on Karli, don't forget all the crimes he committed before that. Also, he's a bully and a jerk, and the super-soldier serum makes you more of what you are.
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie): He's Captain America, and he doesn't need anyone's permission to carry the shield. It's going be rocky, though, if "Sam Wilson: Captain America" comics are anything to go by. That sure is a snazzy outfit, though.
Baron Helmut Zemo: He's locked up in the Raft, but not finished with manipulating events. He directed, from behind bars, his version of Alfred to blow up a bunch of superpowered Flag-Smashers. In the comics, Zemo goes on to create a fake superhero team called the Thunderbolts, and I can't help but think that's in the cards on screen, as well. Let's hope he gets in at least one more dance.
