Note: (SPOILERS AHEAD)
“I’ve never seen the Falcon movie—oh no there isn’t one sorry..”– Tom Holland
From his debut in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and minor role in Avengers: Age of Ultron, fans have been obsessed with Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie). He appeared in The Winter Soldier, Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Infinity War, Endgame, and his own show with Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan) Falcon and the Winter Soldier throughout his time in the MCU.
To playful interactions with Sebastian Stan and the rest of the star studded Avengers cast and his immediate charm in interviews, fans were looking forward to a solo Falcon movie for years. However, before one could be made, the ending of Avengers: Endgame revealed that Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) gave the shield to Wilson, and all the ramifications of becoming Captain America were explored in Falcon and the Winter Soldier with Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes.
On February 14th, 2025, Sam Wilson finally got his own movie. The movie takes place in a new age with no Avengers where Harrison Ford plays Thaddeus (Thunderbolt) Ross, the new president of the United States who eventually becomes the Red Hulk. The movie incorporates the current MCU with The Incredible Hulk movies of the early 2000s.
Throughout the movie, Sam Wilson goes on a mission with the new Falcon (Danny Rameriz) to clear former super soldier Isaiah Bradely’s name in an attempted murder on President Ross. The duo uncovers a twisted conspiracy that eventually goes all the way to the top. Wilson tries his best to keep the situation under control, but he feels overshadowed by the shoes that Rogers left for him to fill. This movie helps him figure out his own identity as Captain America, apart from the super soldier serum.
Despite critic reviews, as a long time Marvel fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It did a great job of balancing the playfulness of superhero stories we love while also remaining serious enough to keep a balanced plot and character arc. In comparison to recent Marvel projects, this movie has risen above the old multiversal plot line that fans are tired of seeing and has brought back the feeling of old Captain America movies while establishing that Wilson is not Steve Rogers. The lack of humor from Wilson himself is something held against this movie frequently, but we still get to see a few quips and snarky remarks from him, and I believe that his guidance to Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) lets us see a more playful side of his character while also passing the torch down to the new Falcon. I truly believe that this movie did a great job of building Wilson’s character to his core and really enforcing his identity to the shield.
Along with the plot line, other Easter eggs are hinted at throughout the movie. In the very beginning, Ross asks Wilson to help him build the new Avengers, which means in a future movie it might finally be revealed who bought Stark Tower and who will be on this new generation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. We also see a sneak peak of a new Thunderbolts plot line, where in his cameo, Bucky reveals that he is running for Congressman, which might complicate his role as a vigilante in Thunderbolts. Lastly, in the post credit scene, we saw Samuel Sterns acknowledging the existence of the multiverse, which was enough multiversal hints for now before Avengers: Doomsday.
Overall, this movie did a great job of providing a cemented place for Sam Wilson as Captain America in the MCU. Now Anthony Mackie can finally call up Tom Holland and (playfully) rub his movie and TV show in Holland’s face.
