Falcon and Winter Soldier is a comic book by writer Derek Landy and artist Federico Vicentini from Marvel Comics. Released in February 2020, it was mainly meant to promote the Disney+ series of the same name that was intended to be released later that year, before it became one of the countless delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An office of dead government agents. A gifted new killer. Two ex-Captain Americas...When a dramatic attempt on the life of Bucky Barnes reunites him with Sam Wilson , the two old friends are plunged headlong into a race to uncover the new leader of Hydra before a mass casualty event announces the terror group’s resurgence to the world. The clock is ticking...
The series provides examples of....
- The Ace: Why the Natural has his name, easily taking out Bucky and Sam simultaneously.
- Affably Evil: The young Hydra Agent in Veronica Eden’s apartment is a pretty polite Loony Fan of Buck and Sam who gushes over meeting while beating them both to a pulp and trying to kill them.
- Blatant Lies: A Hydra agent tries to surrender, claiming that he knows the person Sam is looking for, but he can't remember whether Sam shouted "Sally" or "Sandra".
- Break Them by Talking: Sam pulls a subversion. He and Bucky face a Hydra platoon, two potential leaders for it, and a teenager who is doubting his allegiances. Sam proceeds to argue game theory, convincing the other parties to help him and Bucky gang up on the biggest threat present – twice.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: Sam and Bucky engage in friendly banter while they beat the crap out of bunch of Hydra agents.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Downplayed with the Hydra agent who, given his choice of posting, would choose Delaware.
- Continuity Nod: Bucky is meditating at his home in Indiana, accompanied by his cat, all elements established in his previous solo title a year earlier.
- Embarrassing First Name: Apparently the reason The Natural insists on going by The Natural is that his real name is Bert Jr.
- Exact Words: Invoked. Arguing about whether or not to kill the new Baron Zemo, Sam asks Bucky if he can at least shoot to wound. Bucky replies that a bullet between the eyes is a wound.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: When we first see Veronica at home, she wears her plain blonde hair down. When she is revealed to be Hydra's aspiring new leader, she wears platinum blonde hair in a high ponytail, with her bangs dip-dyed pink.
- Fanboy: The parents of the Hydra Agent The Natural are devoted fans of Captain America. The Natural too, so much he even has his own Captain America costume.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Sam mentions the possibility that Eden sent out a welcoming party for them in the same panel said welcoming party arrives on the quinjet, but his back is turned.
- Freudian Excuse: Subverted. Two Hydra members are shown to have very loving and supportive parents.
- Friendly Enemy: The Natural is an Agent of Hydra, yet he's so nice and welcoming to Bucky and Sam. He even gives them a Captain America's shield replica to protect themselves from gunfire.
- Insult Friendly Fire: Sam repeatedly draws a line between a soldier and a killer. Bucky feels like he is trying to tell him something.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: Bucky, who isn't amused when his feline companion Alpine is threatened by a kill squad sent after him.
- Misaimed Fandom: In-universe; the Natural was raised on devotion to Captain America but is so oblivious to his ideals and what he fights for that he's eagerly volunteering for Hydra entirely from their propaganda.
- Mistaken for Racist: The Natural double subverts this. He has some pretty racist ideology, but he seems unconcerned with things like skin color.
- Mythology Gag: Taken practically straight from Tony and Rhodes' dialogue in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Bucky says something uncomfortable for Sam.Bucky: "If it's any consolation, your hands were gentle."
Sam: "You always have to make it weird, don't you?" - Noodle Incident: Whatever happened when Buck tried to drop his cat off with Misty Knight is not shown or explained but is given a lot of negative words.
- Running Gag: A character making an offhand joke about Hawkeye.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Sam and Bucky are forced to work alongside Baron Zemo against an unknown rival of Zemo who sent the young Hydra Agent.
- Title Drop: Veronica says to her mother on the phone: "Right now I've got Falcon and the Winter Soldier coming after me."
- Too Clever by Half: The Natural. He understands everything Sam and Bucky are saying to him, and even agrees with most of it, and yet he rationalizes joining HYDRA in the name of Captain America.
- Wham Line:The Natural: I didn't abduct your handler Mr. Barnes. It was all her idea. Victoria Eden's gonna be the next Hydra Supreme.
Veronica Eden: Well...crap. - Woman Scorned: Invoked by Veronica, who tries to pull this on Bucky, accusing him of sleeping with her, then putting their relationship second after his duty to his country. He points out that that never happened.
- The Worf Effect: Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson, both former holders of the Captain America title, both former Avengers who have taken on several opponents on their own are taken down at the same time by a new young Hydra agent easily in the first issue.
