The Surprising Connection Between The Falcon And The Winter Soldier And Captain America: Winter Soldier

Contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 1

You weren't alone if you had a few questions at the end of Avengers: Endgame when Old Captain America (Chris Evans) gave his shield and all the responsibility that comes with it to Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) instead of Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). Now, fans will get a chance to see a side of these characters as they've never seen before thanks to the release of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+.

Taking place some time after the Blip, the show starts off with Falcon refusing the call to become the next Captain America in the public's eye, instead opting to continue helping out with the military on his own terms. Naturally, things take a turn when a mysterious organization known as the Flag-Smashers emerges, forcing Sam and Bucky to team up to make the world a safer place during uncertain times. The group may be new, but there will also be familiar faces entering the fray, most notably with Zemo (Daniel Brühl) from Captain America: Civil War returning to cause even more trouble. And his presence isn't the only callback fans should keep an eye out for. 

The first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier contains a sequence that's particularly reminiscent of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and brings back a once-forgotten antagonist in the process. 

As fans might remember, the opening sequence of Captain America: The Winter Soldier consists of the shield-wielding hero jumping out of an aircraft without a parachute to engage in a military operation, which results in a fistfight with Batroc the Leaper (Georges St-Pierre). If that sounds familiar, it's because the opening action sequence of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier involves Falcon ... jumping out of an aircraft without a parachute to engage in a military operation, leading to a fistfight with Batroc, who's still sporting his signature purple and yellow getup.

It's hard to look at these scenes and not view their similarities as coincidental. In fact, it would make sense for those behind the scenes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to give Sam Wilson an introduction that specifically calls to mind Captain America. We learn later in the first episode that Sam gives up the shield because he doesn't believe he's worthy of assuming the mantle of such an important figure in American history. Seeing him do more or less what Cap accomplished signifies to the audience that if anyone should hold the shield, it needs to be him.

Later in the episode, when John Walker (Wyatt Russell) dons the suit, it feels like a betrayal. We've seen Sam earn the stars and stripes, so John comes across as even more of an imposter. It's likely going to take to the end of the season before Sam realizes his potential, so expect plenty more references to the Captain America movies along the way.