Marvel's latest Disney+ original series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has taken viewers
on an action-packed thrill ride full of twists and turns. And now there's only one episode
left. Here's the ending of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's penultimate episode,
"Truth," explained.
In response to the brutal, public murder he committed last week, John Walker is stripped
of his shield and the Captain America title. In the opening sequence of "Truth," he engages
Sam and Bucky in a brutal fistfight, from which the two Avengers narrowly walk away.
While Walker rips Sam's Falcon wings off, Sam still walks away from the battle with
the bloody Captain America shield in hand.
After facing that humiliating loss, the now-injured Walker then has to stand before the U.S. government
and learn he's no longer Captain America and has lost all of his military honors and privileges.
Understandably crushed by this verdict, Walker takes some time to reflect-and then he's approached
by a mysterious woman.
She introduces herself as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, otherwise known as Madame
Hydra in the pages of Marvel Comics, and explains to Walker that she can turn his luck around.
She leaves him with a seemingly blank business card before departing, telling him to take
her call when the time comes.
The next time Walker appears on screen is for the episode's post-credits sequence-the
series' first so far-in which he's shown constructing a brand-new shield for himself.
"I am Captain America!"
At this point, it's apparent that Walker is headed into U.S. Agent territory, just as
he does in the comics. What role Val, and/or the organization she represents, will play
in his story going forward remains a mystery. Is HYDRA back? Is this version of the character
representing a new, different bunch of baddies in the MCU?
After making a quick escape from the Dora Milaje last week, Baron Zemo visits his home
of Sokovia. Bucky catches up to Zemo there, however, and pulls a handgun on him, seemingly
planning to kill him where he stands. The viewers-and Zemo-learn, however, that the
gun is empty-nothing more than a distraction so the Dora Milaje can approach Zemo and take
him into their custody. When the Dora Milaje escort him away, Zemo is essentially written
out of the story.
Something worth noting in this scene is that Ayo mentions they're going to take Zem o to
the Raft. For those unfamiliar, the Raft is an underwater prison for super-criminals that
made its live-action MCU debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War-the same movie that brought
Zemo to the screen as well.
Could Zemo's time in the Raft lead to the establishment of the Thunderbolts team of
villains, similarly to how it's created in the comics? Either way, this is certainly
not the last time we'll see Zemo in the MCU.
A major point of "Truth" is Sam's quest to understand the legacy behind Captain America's
shield-for better or worse. Educating himself completely isn't possible without speaking
to Isaiah Bradley, a Black super soldier whom the U.S. government unceremoniously wiped
from the history books.
He tells Sam all about the atrocities visited upon him, including the government's penchant
for experimenting on him without his consent while he was imprisoned for rescuing his fellow
Black super soldiers from an enemy prisoner-of-war camp-a twisted echo of Steve Rogers' own heroics
in Captain America: The First Avenger.
Isaiah even refers to the real life Red Tails-also known as the Tuskegee Airmen-when he tells
Sam his story. Isaiah being involuntarily subjected to torturous experimentation reflects
that of the tragic, real-life story of the Tuskegee Experiment, in which Black men were
experimented on by the U.S. Government without their consent or knowledge.
This chat seemingly presents Sam with only one choice: leave Captain America's shield
behind and let it lose its luster as a relic of American "greatness." However, it seems
clear by the end of the episode that Sam instead decides to reclaim the shield for his own,
and stand as the Black Captain America that Isaiah deserved to become and be remembered
as.
An extremely small amount of time in "Truth" is dedicated to catching up with Sharon Carter
and her shadowy exploits back in Madripoor. She's appeared a handful of times in the series
so far, shown as having redefined herself as a successful illicit art mogul with plenty
of wealth and power, leading many to wonder what her life post-Captain America: Civil
War has actually been like. Sharon's presence this week raises even more questions-particularly
because she apparently conducts a phone conversation with MCU villain Batroc the Leaper about working
on another job for her for double the pay.
Toward the end of the episode, Batroc appears with a suitcase full of supplies for Karli
Morgenthau and the Flag Smashers. He notes that he doesn't care about their cause and
only wants to kill the Falcon, causing viewers everywhere to scratch their heads. If Sharon
is really Sam's friend, why would she align herself with someone who wants to kill him?
Also, was she the one behind Batroc's heist in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's premiere
episode? This whole situation lends itself to the theory that Sharon Carter is secretly
the Power Broker, suggesting that she's using Batroc as a way to get close to Karli in hopes
of securing her revenge for her theft of the Super Soldier Serum. Then again, as a former
agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Carter may still somehow be conducting some double-secret espionage
that we have yet to fully understand.
With Karli hiding out and John Walker a relative non-factor for the bulk of the episode, Sam
finally heads back to his family home in Louisiana. He bands the whole community together to help
repair his family's fishing boat. That includes Bucky, who shows up to give Sam a suitcase
from Wakanda - and flirt a bit with Sam's sister Sarah. After spending the night and
putting the finishing touches on the boat the next morning, Sam and Bucky start working
with the Captain America shield a bit, and share a nice conversation about what it and
they stand for.
For Bucky, this scene reinforces the concern that he's still not so far removed from his
Winter Soldier persona. The nightmares persist, and, as Sam notes, he's constantly looking
for someone or something to tell him his goals and worth as a person. Their conversation
heavily implies that Steve Rogers may have indeed died, leaving Bucky as his own man,
free to start over in the modern world.
As for Sam, this conversation with Bucky shows that he finally has a better understanding
of what the shield represents and how to wield it properly. Sam doesn't want to just be the
next Captain America-he wants to redefine what it means to carry that title.
The two part ways shortly after their talk-and after agreeing that they're just "co-workers"
and "a couple of guys" and not really a legitimate team. Something tells us that the series'
final episode may still prove those assertions wrong.
"Truth" is fairly light when it comes to showing the Flag Smashers and Karli Morgenthau, but
it wasn't for nothing. It's mentioned in the middle of the episode that they're preparing
to mobilize and execute their grand plan, something we begin to see by the installment's
closing scenes.
The Global Repatriation Council is preparing to vote on the Patch Act-a piece of legislation
that would deport more than 20 million immigrants and displaced people back to their home countries.
Considering their anti-nationalist message, the Flag Smashers are against the idea entirely-and
are prepared to act to oppose it.
As the GRC's leaders give their final statements on the vote, the lights cut to black and the
Flag Smashers-who have just met with Batroc and taken advantage of his cache of weapons-move
in. What their actual plans might be aren't made clear, though, since the episode quickly
moves from this scene to one of Sam Wilson at home.
Sam puts the box Bucky gave him earlier on his bed and finally opens it, growing wide-eyed
and taking a deep breath before the credits roll. Considering Sam left his broken wings
behind for potential Falcon 2.0 Joaquin Torres, the Wakandan crate more than likely contains
a vibranium-powered set of wings for the new-new Captain America.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will debut its final episode next week, and we can only
hope that Marvel Studios will wrap up every loose thread. No matter what, though, we can
count on the show closing in similar fashion to how it opened: with plenty of action, drama,
and maybe even more hints toward the future trajectory of the MCU.
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