WMG / The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Potential Season 2/Captain America 4

A possible second season will retitle the show to "Captain America and the Winter Soldier" or "Captain America and the White Wolf".

• Confirmed, in that the show does change its name to "Captain America and the Winter Soldier" in the end credits of the Season 1 finale, but there is no word if there will be a Season 2 yet.

Potential Villains

• The Serpent Society: a snake-themed criminal organization who, in contrast to the Flag-Smashers, are motivated by their desire for personal wealth.
  • Seth Voelker/Sidewinder
  • Rachel Leighton/Diamondback
  • Tanya Sealy/Black Mamba
  • Gustav Kruger/Rattler
  • Cleo Nefertiti/Asp
  • M'Gula/Rock Python
  • Blanche Sitznski/Anaconda
  • Teresa Vasquez/Fer-de-Lance
  • Klaus Voorhees/Cobra
    • Alternatively, it'll just be Black Mamba, Diamondback (or possibly Impala), and Asp as B.A.D. Girls, Inc. A smaller group would probably make more sense in terms of story.
    • The Serpent Society would be fitting, especially since the Civil War movie was fan-named Captain America: Serpent Society before the official reveal.
• Sinthea Schmidt/Sin: a descendant of the Red Skull, who is now out to destroy the shield.
• Diamond Head: a masked gang leader in Louisiana who has it out for Sam.
• Samuel Saxon/Machinesmith: a Robot Master who was seemingly killed years ago by the Hydra-controlled Winter Soldier. He actually survived by turning himself into a cyborg and has been plotting his revenge against Bucky ever since.
• Ulysses X. Lugman/Slug: the morbidly obese leader of a dangerous drug cartel.
• Madcap, an anarchist with a healing factor and hypnotic abilities. Firstly, since the last season was all about questioning the validity of large, out-of-touch or biased groups making decisions for the whole, season 2 will feature a villain who represents an overcorrection. Secondly, since the "threat" of Karli Morgenthau was her charisma in swaying people to her cause, and her weaknesses were stubborn refusal to compromise and being mortal, having an immortal villain who can't be defeated with violence or reasoned with, who can also sway people's allegiance to him against their will, would be a significant step up in challenge. Finally, it would pay off Sam's comments about "Karli 2.0" in his "One World, One People" speech, with an anarchist who actually knows what they're doing and has a plan.
• Todd Ziller/American Kaiju: US Corporal Todd Ziller is the test subject for a procedure that is latest attempt by the American government to create a completely loyal super soldier. Though it succeeds, he becomes a very different type of living weapon. Somehow, they've made their own Godzilla. Naturally, it goes horribly wrong.
• Edward Whelan/Vermin: a geneticist working for the Power Broker who ends up mutating himself with a serum that contained the DNA of various rodents.
• William Burnside/Grand Director: A Steve Rogers fanboy in the 50's who took a flawed version of the Super-Soldier Serum, which turned him insane. The US captured and froze him, trying to keep him under wraps. In the present, while combing through old records, Sharon finds and wakes him up in order to gain the Serum in his blood. Burnside, however, escapes and goes on a rampage.
• Abdul Al-Rahman/Colonel: A teenager who becomes another super soldier via a brand new serum. Abdul lost some of his loved ones due to the actions of the American military and is now a jaded and spiteful young man who seeks to punish the United States government for doing nothing to atone for their actions in other countries. While Sam tries to stop Abdul from doing something he'll come to regret, Sharon will try to seize the serum used to give him his powers for herself.
• Hate-Monger: A dangerous, murderous domestic terrorist who leads a militarized white supremacist hate group that target Sam for "stealing" Steve's legacy. Instead of being a clone of Adolf Hitler, he'll be a controversial "political commentator" who has his own web show that he uses to radicalize young people who think he's cool for spouting off "edgy" offensive jokes and supposedly "telling it like it is".
• Antonio Rodriguez/Armadillo: A man who allowed himself to be experimented on by a shady figure called "Malus" in exchange for money needed to pay for a surgery for his very ill wife, Bonita. The experiment turned Antonio into an armadillo-like Beast Man, who Malus deemed a "failure" and dumped in the street, never giving him his money. Desperate to save his wife, the now monstrous Antonio tried to force the doctors at the hospital to give her the surgery for free. Sam comes and tries to talk Antonio down, even offering to use his position as Captain America to raise funds for Bonita, only for cops to come in and open fire, inadvertently killing Maria when the bullets bounce off Sam's suit and Antonio's armored skin. Understandably enraged, Antonio flees and then sets out to hunt down and kill all the cops involved, and begins to reject his true name in favor of "Armadillo". Sam now finds himself in the awkward position having to defend these cops from Armadillo while still pushing for them to be held accountable for the death of Bonita.
• Daniel Leighton: A blade throwing right hand man for the actual Big Bad. He could be used to introduce his younger sister, Rachel Leighton, aka Diamondback.
• Edward Cobert/Gargantua: a scientist working for Sharon who decides to try to create his own super soldier. When she rejects the method he devises, refusing to believe he could accomplish such a thing, Cobert elects to prove her wrong by using it on himself. His process gifts him with the ability to grow in both stature and strength, but of his precious intelligence. Sharon decides to take advantage of this, renames the altered Cobert "Gargantua", and manipulates him into serving as her ultimate weapon.
• Jonathan Swift/Blue Streak: a criminal who bought an advanced battle suit off of Don Thomas, a former SHIELD scientist (and colleague of Sharon) who took the suit for himself during the fall of SHIELD. The suit has rocket powered skates that can help the wearer to move at incredible speeds, hydraulics that enhance their reflexes, and wrist mounted (laser?) guns.
• Johnny Horton/Griffin: a small time crook who Sam took down shortly after he first started operating as the Falcon. Horton's life subsequently feel to pieces, which lead him down a path that eventually resulted in him being mutated into a monstrous being with feline and avian features (Not sure how they'd explain it, but they could). Now he's out for revenge on Sam, blaming him for all his woes.

Jesse Black Crow will appear

Instead of being a Magical Native American like in the comics, he'll be made into a non-enhanced Handicapped Badass who helps out Sam and Bucky with a dangerous task. It'll include some commentary about the mistreatment of the physically disabled.

Joaquin Torres' original arc will be moved to Season 2

Malcolm Spellman said that in a ten episode season, Joaquin had a "giant storyline". Perhaps it will be the crux of the plot for Season 2, with all the development of Season 1 out of the way.

Second Season will focus on Bucky's transition from Winter Soldier to White Wolf

Since the first season was more of Sam's story and his transition from Falcon to Captain America, I think the second season should focus on Bucky's story and his transition from Winter Soldier to White Wolf... maybe him getting a White Wolf costume from the comics? Anyway, By the end of the potential second season, the title will go from "Captain America and the Winter Soldier" to "Captain America and White Wolf".

Sharon is secretly a Super Soldier

She produced the serum. Who's to say she didn't keep some for herself?

Eli is now a target of the Power Broker

All knowledge of Erskine's original formula and Dr. Nagel's modern-day formula have been lost. All that's left is the dangerous, unreliable formula that was used on Isaiah and his friends. The secret to making that formula work is in the Bradley family's genes. Isaiah would be too difficult to capture but Eli is still just an ordinary person.

• From the post-credit scene, it looks like the Power Broker has moved on from Super Soldiers, and has now set her sights on selling out government secrets, so Eli is likely safe from her.

Similar to Karli in the Season 1 finale, U.S. Agent will continue to grow increasingly unhinged every time he suffers another setback.

Things are looking up for John right now, but he is still showing the odd twitch he seems to have developed after taking the serum - this is a hint that he is still far from stable, and might resort to unhinged rage and violent outbreaks again at some point in the future.

Bucky will not move on from the Winter Soldier name, but try to rehabilitate it instead like his comic counterpart

The meta reason for this would be brand recognition - the Winter Soldier name is synonymous with the character with the metal arm who was forced into being an assassin by his enemies and is now trying to make amends for his past, it seems too complicated to change that for a superhero mantle that is pretty obscure (in contrast to changing Falcon to Captain America, for example).

In universe, for better or worse, the Winter Soldier is a part of Bucky that he can't entirely get rid of - he cannot stop being a super soldier, so it makes sense for him to use his enhanced powers for good instead of pretending they don't exist.

Sharon is going to start targeting enhanced/superpowered humans like the Inhumans and Mutants

The government already knows about inhumans existence and it seems likely they are at least aware of Mutants existing but are keeping them a secret for one reason or another. Sharon will find out about them and use them to her advantage by either hiring a new bunch of superpowered mercenaries and/or use them to create drugs like the Mutant Growth Hormone.

Sharon will still try to recreate the super soldier serum

It's still inside John Walker, and if it could be remade once it could be remade again.

Jimmy Woo will appear and investigate The Power Broker

An Ensemble Dark Horse, Jimmy Woo's FBI Status gives him the In-Universe license to look into The Power Broker

Sam will get his superpowers from talking to birds like in the comics in Captain America 4.

In the comics, Falcon gets his superpowers thanks to Red Skull and the cosmic cube, Falcon get communicate telematically with birds, especially with his pet falcon Redwig, but in the MCU, Red Skull and the Tesseract are unrelated to Falcon and he has no powers thanks to the Tesseract, rather he is a Badass Normal, The writers considered introducing Sam's comic book ability to telepathically talk to birds, but it was left on the cutting floor since they couldn't figure out how to implement it properly. Malcolm Spellman did express possible interest in trying it again with the fourth Captain America movie however.

Red Skull and Arnim Zola (in his version with his android body) will appear in Captain America 4.

In Avengers: Infinity War, it was revealed that Red Skull had not died and was still alive and was sent to the planet Vormir as guardian of the soul stone as punishment for selfish wishes for the space stone, after Thanos obtained the Stone of the soul, Red Skull freed himself from his curse and now he can leave the planet Vormir and still continue with his objectives, it is possible that Red Skull was affected by Thanos' snap and it would be an explanation about why he did not appear during the 5 years In Avengers: Endgame, after Hulk reversed Thanos' snap, Red Skull returned after 5 years of absence, and he managed to return to planet Earth and now he will return to be the former leader of HYDRA in Captain America 4.

In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it was revealed that Arnim Zola had downloaded his mind to a computer from the 70s in a military camp, then the computer where Zola's mind was is destroyed. Originally in Ant-Man, in the 1989 flashback we were supposed to see a cameo of Arnim Zola in that flashback with his android body much like the one from the comics, suggesting that he had a copy of his mind, but that idea was discarded. Possibly in Captain America 4, we will see the return of Arnim Zola with his android body very similar to the one in the comics where Zola would be helping his former boss Red Skull to regain the old leadership in HYDRA.

Sharon Carter will get a Karma Houdini Warranty in Captain America 4

The Darkest Hour will be a result of Sam and Bucky finally learning that Sharon is the Power Broker.

Peggy will be Sharon's Relative Button.

The reason for Sharon's Face–Heel Turn partly has to due with discovering her grandfather Michael's actions.

The Original Power Broker was Male

Despite being turned out that Sharon Carter is the Power Broker, it is heavily implied that the original Power Broker was male.

Valentina was responsible for Sharon becoming The Power Broker

Well, despite Sharon not working for anyone, she does appear to have power over Madripoor during the Blip, but how else would she be able to take over Madripoor? Valentina, was likely the one who gave her some weaponry.

Sam and Bucky will find out that Sharon is The Power Broker in Captain America Four

Well, they do not know that Sharon is the Power Broker, and that they have accidentally helped her rise to power.Despite not being aware that their friend was the Power Broker who was responsible during the events of the series, it is possible that they will find out that she is the Power Broker, causing them to become shock.

Sharon Carter/The Power Broker is helping Sinthea Schmidt/Sin

Well, while we at least don't know yet, Sharon may be helping Sin.

Sin will be the Big Bad of Captain America Four

Well, we don't know for now on what role she will have, but she may become the main antagonist, where she is planning on taking down Sam Wilson/Captain America.

Season 1

Zemo deliberately set up the bar fight in Madripoor as a form of entrapment.

It's not the first time Zemo has successfully manipulated the Avengers in the past to do his bidding for him to prove a point. Getting Bucky to publicly violate all the tenets of his pardon would be an easy way for him to damage his reputation and that of other Super Soldiers like Steve in the public's eye.

When he grabs his mask from his car, a golden pistol can be seen next to it. One of the mercenaries inside the bar is also shown wielding a similar-looking golden gun, and given that Zemo is already well-known among the bar's patrons, it's not impossible for him to be in Zemo's employ. Zemo makes sure to make the Winter Soldier's presence loudly known, to the point that someone catches Bucky's actions on her phone camera, and also goes beyond having Bucky serve as a bodyguard by actively pushing a bystander into the fray to give Bucky more people to fight.

Ayo is undergoing a Face–Heel Turn

Saying the Dora Milaje have jurisdiction wherever they find themselves isn't a good guy line, and while Walker was out of line in getting personal with Ayo, they were pretty soon going for fatal strikes on him and Hoskins.

• To be fair, It’s not like Walker and Hoskins had jurisdiction either. They were looking for Bucky, Sam, and Zemo the same as the Dora Milaje.
  • Actually, they might. Walker and Hoskins seem to be working for the GRC, which has global scope and even has a presence in Latvia. Latvia is also, like the US, a NATO member so them having jurisdiction is possible and likely. Either way, she wasn't pointing out any hypocrisy about jurisdiction, she was basically saying might makes right.
  • Is them working for the GRC actually confirmed or just implied?
  • I'd say so. We even see them in a GRC van with a bunch of cops in ep 3.
  • Even so, didn’t Walker say he was going “off the book” to pursue Sam and Bucky?
• To me, that came across more as a boastful counter to Walker's patronizing attitude.

Karli father is/was a Swiss diplomat

Lemar will get resurrected somehow.

Considering he's still alive in the comics and the MCU has ways of bringing people back like Project T.A.H.I.T.I. he will get brought back, for better or worse.

Eli Bradley will be inspired by Sam

• Seeing Sam take up the Captain America mantle publicly will inspire him to do good in his own way, setting him on his path to become Patriot, leader of the Young Avengers.

Zemo's mask is a mask that he wore as part of Sokovia's special ops.

That's why the camera lingers on it for a bit and why Zemo seems to smile as he grabs it. It's a memory of his past and of Sokovia.

Bucky is a Wakandan war dog.

Why else would he choose to live in the United States as opposed to peacefully in Wakanda? Chances are he feels just as out of place/time as Steve did when he first came out of the ice. Also, how was he able to contact Ayo despite not having any Kimoyo beads? Simple, the Wakandans built his new arm, they could've built the Kimoyo beads into his arm. Another thing to note that no one would suspect Bucky of being a wardog making him a perfect candidate to keep an eye on the US for Wakanda.

• Wakanda is probably one of the few countries HYDRA never sent the Winter Solider into - with their level of defenses and anti-infiltration tech, even he most likely couldn't have gotten in and out unscathed - so Bucky wouldn't have the chance to make amends for his past misdeeds there. The guilty nightmares he's trying to lay to rest would plague him as easily in Wakanda as anywhere else, making the prospect that he might have lived "peacefully" there a hollow one. Furthermore, a Wardog would never be authorized to undertake the kinds of personal-agenda vigilante missions he's been pulling on the sly, especially after the debacle arising from when Killmonger's father went off-mission for a personal crusade.

Karli's descent into madness.

It could be dues to Nagel's knockoff version of the serum being defective in some way. It didn't help that she wore The Chains of Commanding, and her mother-figure Donya Madani passed away from a curable disease.

Confirmed

We will see more of the history of the Super Soldier Program, including Isaiah Bradley.

In the trailer, we see the shield on display in an exhibit, and Sam saying that "[its] legacy is complicated". In the comics, Isaiah (the "Black Captain America") took up the costume and shield for a time after being used as a test subject in an attempt to recreate the serum, becoming something of a legend in the African-American community, but shunned by the government and military. Sam's knowledge of this could have something to do with him hesitating to take it on (hence him retaining the "Falcon" moniker, despite Steve giving him the shield personally).

If we do see Isaiah, it could also open the door for his grandson Eli "Patriot" Bradley (who was planned to be introduced in Black Panther before being phased out) to appear alongside the rest of his team in a later MCU installment.

• Highly likely, should this casting announcement be true.
• Confirmed, we see both Isaiah and Eli in Episode 2 and learn how the government discarded Isaiah after using him for tests after giving him the serum.

The Power Broker will appear

In the comics, the Power Broker was responsible for giving powers to U.S. Agent, Songbird, and others. With U.S. Agent appearing in this series and rumors Songbird will also be appearing, it’s possible this character shows up along with a few other surprises.

• Perhaps he will be linked to Zemo and have operations in Madripoor?
• There is also a possibility of Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation (a superhuman wrestling federation many of the above-mentioned characters were involved in) showing up or something similar.
• Probably confirmed by the end credits, which invokes his name onscreen.
  • Confirmed in Episode 2, which shows the Flag-Smashers fleeing from his men, with a Flag-Smasher referring to him by name.

Flag Smasher will be a Well-Intentioned Extremist

• Confirmed throughout Episodes 2-3 (in that they see it as such, and others support them for it too). Considering they became privy to blowing up policemen though, one wonders if it will stay there.

The Flag-Smashers have their own Super-Soldier Serums

• In the latest trailer, Sam and Bucky establish that the Smashers are stronger than normal humans. Sam thinks they're either aliens, androids, or wizards, but it's most likely from the Power Broker, who will be The Dragon to Zemo.
  • Somewhat confirmed. There may be other hi-jinks going on (the Marvel universe is big), but as of episode two, Sam and Bucky are looking into the history of the serum to see if they can track the flag smashers that way.
  • Episode 3 ties it up neatly: the Flag-Smashers were desperate refugees who double-crossed the Power Broker (who commissioned the serum in the first place), taking it for themselves.

John Walker's shield

It's either....

• The alternate timeline shield Steve gave to Sam. John will either forcibly take the shield from Sam and Bucky, or be given it for plot reasons (Sam feeling he's unworthy/etc and/or the fact that it's technically a stolen government item as the CIA so graciously stated in Civil War). Or....
• Steve's original shield that was broken by Thanos, somehow reforged. Or...
• A replica made out of a different strong metal. Bonus points if it's made out of adamantium (alluding to the X-Men Madripoor WMG above); symbolizing that John is a pretender to the throne that is the Captain America title.
• Or it's just the one given to Sam by Steve that he donates to the Smithsonian in episode one.
  • Y'know, with the benefit of hindsight, this should have been the first theory.

John Walker is going to get "fired" from Captain America

Flag Smasher or not, he just killed an unarmed man after taking (presumably illegal) drugs, even if the government initially created them. To avoid a PR disaster, they drop him.

• Confirmed. And he doesn't take it very well.

Sam will struggle to use the shield properly until the end.

In the mini-series, he'll make several attempts to throw and catch the shield with often hilarious results. Then comes the climax where he throws the shield to take out the Big Bad (perhaps John Walker?) and catches it, cementing him as the worthy successor to Captain America's identity.

• In the trailer he's throwing it pretty well, but has to use 2 hands to catch it. Also, it’s unclear when that scene happens in the timeline of the show.

• Confirmed for the most part. While it isn't an ongoing subplot and it's resolved before the climax, episode five does include a Training Montage in which Sam learns how to properly throw and catch the shield.

Sharon will be revealed to have never been snapped

She's shown among the snapped in Avengers: Endgame, but the show will reveal the snap merely coincided with her going underground. It'll allow her to fill the titular characters on what happened into those five years, and will allow her to have Took a Level in Badass.

• It's never directly confirmed, but given The Reveal about Sharon in the final episode, this is very likely to be true.

Karli Morgenthau is going to be an Evil Counterpart to Sam and/or Sarah Wilson

It'll be revealed that, like them, she was repeatedly screwed over by the government during and after the Blip; however, while Sam is doing the best he can to help others regardless and Sarah simply took on a cynical outlook towards everything, Karli decided that there should be some major changes to the system so that no one else would suffer — and if that means tearing the government down, so be it.

• Confirmed - Karli became radicalized after the lost half of humanity returned in the Blip and the people who remained behind and found new homes and connections were disenfranchised through governments trying to return to the former political and lateral structures by force.

John Walker's wife will turn back up again.

She'll either be the one to talk John back from the edge, or she'll leave him over what he did and it'll be the last straw before he descends into full-on villainy.

• Confirmed - Olivia returns in Episode 5 and supports her husband steadfastly, but seemingly without much of a sense for his growing issues.

Walker's shield will not last long

Being made of lesser materials compared to the original, it is doubtful it will last as long or even be as durable.

• Confirmed - it takes quite a beating in the season finale.

Finally, the Power Broker could be Sharon Carter.

She's the final remaining character we know of whose role is a complete mystery. Since Sam described her as an enemy of the state, she may have turned to crime out of desperation, and joins with Sam and Bucky either to stop the Flagsmashers, or should they turn out to be more heroic, atone for her actions against them.

• Alternatively, she's not the Power Broker, but someone in his employ.

• Confirmed.

Sharon Carter will be a villain.

A few years ago, a Youtuber named Nando v. Movies put out a video explaining their theory that Sharon Carter was originally intended to be working with Zemo in Civil War, given that she plays into his plan so perfectly that she could have been in on it. It's possible that this theory will play out in this series, and that Sharon Carter will be revealed to have been working with Zemo, or perhaps the Flag-Smashers, all along, making her a villain.

• Confirmed, though she is not in cahoots with Zemo, but had her Face–Heel Turn due to the US government declaring her an enemy of the state due to her helping Steve in Captain America: Civil War and the Avengers and Steve seemingly forgetting all about her afterwards.

Jossed

Zemo escaped prison due to The Snap.

Zemo was dusted after the events of Avengers: Infinity War along with half the universe. We'll get a flashback to him being dusted while in prison and then coming back five years later. We'll see him reappear in an empty prison when he returns, however. It turns out that in the span of five years, the prison was so understaffed that it was shut down, so when he returns, it's just an abandoned building. He'll be able to walk out with a few other dusted prisoners who become his mooks.

• Or he survived the Snap itself while the guards got dusted and he broke out then, meaning he’s had five years to build up whatever power he has at the time this show starts.
  • Jossed, he’s shown to still be incarcerated at the end of Episode 2.

Sharon will get her all white outfit from the comics

• Unlikely, as that look is being used by a few characters in Black Widow (2021).

Zemo has had a Villainous Breakdown due to his plan being undone.

Zemo wanted to tear the Avengers apart to avenge his family. He succeeded. It was due to the Avengers being divided that Thanos won. Five years later, the original Avengers reunited and brought back everyone who died in the Snap.

The massive difference now is that the Avengers are no longer just Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but they’re known about throughout the universe. Hell, there’s probably Iron Man memorials on every planet.

The people who were responsible for your family dying are now hailed by every living thing in existence. Zemo probably won’t take that well.

• Surprisingly enough, seemingly Jossed by Episode 3. While we are yet to see whether Zemo is in fact playing it close to the chest, he seems pretty amiable enough to engage and help Sam and Bucky throughout they pursuit.

The Flag-Smashers are made up of Enhanced humans who were affected following one of the four snaps from Infinity War and Endgame

• They are clearly shown to be stronger than the average person, being able to survive high falls, kick a guard so hard he goes flying and breaks the wall behind him, as well as Karli being able to leap about 30 feet into the air from the back of a truck. Their anarchist ways may just be them using their newfound powers for evil and to cause as much chaos as possible since they don't know what else to do with these kind of powers (like most people probably would do if they found out they had the ability to jump really high or they now have super strength). Karli's quote of "This world is ours, we're never gonna stop" may mean the world is now in the hands of the enhanced individuals who are becoming more and more prevalent in the weeks and months after Endgame, which may factor into the upcoming X-Men, given that the show is confirmed to visit Madripoor, a main location associated with Wolverine; though I doubt we'll get any direct references to the X-Men in this show specifically.
  • So far Jossed: the first 3 episodes have been consistent in claiming that all the Flag-Smashers are just running on Super-Serum.

The in-universe story behind Zemo's mask

• Zemo decides to wear his iconic purple mask from the comics to taunt the surviving heroes by mimicking their greatest adversary: Thanos.
• Zemo is a member of a cult on Earth that worships Thanos.
• Jossed, he seems to have had it stored in a car. Maybe he really just likes having one.

Walker will have trouble with the shield early on.

• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome follows in that he military experience wouldn’t have him using a throwing shield as a weapon.
  • Jossed, he’s shown using it expertly in Episode 2

Zemo supplied the Super Soldier Serum to the Flag Smashers

• After escaping prison, Zemo went back to Siberia and collected the enhanced Super Soldier Serum that HYDRA used to create the Winter Soldiers and gave it to the Flag Smashers to help with his scheme.
  • Jossed, they received the Serum from the Power Broker.
    • Provided the above theory about Zemo and the Power Broker being one and the same isn't true.

The Big Cameo in Episode 5.

The producers have teased a big shocking cameo in Episode 5 of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, saying they think it is someone they would love to see in a scene with Thor. Who could it be? Possibilities:

• Paul Bettany.
• Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, in a posthumous appearance.
  • This one has been jossed: Marvel denied the rumour that it might be Boseman due to not wanting to string people along with the promise that he might turn up on the show.
• Jennifer Walters/She Hulk played by Tatiana Maslany
• Luke Cage, played by Mike Colter from the Netflix show.
• Jessica Jones, played by Krysten Ritter from the Netflix show.
• Wolverine, played by either Hugh Jackman or a new actor in order to introduce MCU Wolverine.
• Evan Peters as Ralph Bohner.
• Phil Coulson (more accurately, the Chronicom LMD version).
• The aforementioned Zola or Thunderbolt Ross.
• Ego.
• Zemo's father, Heinrich, potentially establishing a sort of legacy of the family fighting people they deem dangerous.
  • They specifically said that it'd be a new character. This suggests it won't even be a character who has appeared in a live action adaptation before, thus making most of these Role Reprise suggestions quite unlikely.

• Jossed on all of these. The cameo ended up being Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine played by Julia Louis Dreyfus.

Songbird will be working for Zemo if she appears

Songbird is set to appear in this series. It will be revealed that she is working for Zemo, potentially as a hero, similar to their relationship in the comics.

• Jossed: Songbird did not appear in the series.

John Walker/U.S. Agent will join the Thunderbolts

He will even be used as a poster-boy for Ross' program which hopes to use the new Captain America to get the public on his side. Bonus points if he ends up getting trained by Taskmaster who makes an appearance or is at least alluded to.

• Jossed, although he does seem to be under the employ of Val now as US Agent.

The Flag-Smashers will kill John Walker's parents.

In the comics, Walker's parents were killed by the Watchdogs, a right-wing terrorist group. The Flag-Smashers are set to appear in this series. While they are anarchists and not right-wing, they might still be used as the terrorist group responsible for killing his parents and driving him insane.

• Not quite jossed yet, but it looks like Karli's accidental killing of Walker's best friend Lemar in Episode 4 is the incident driving John off the edge.
  • Jossed as of Episode 6

Steve will be dead at the start of the series.

There has been no word on his involvement in the series despite it featuring the characters closest to him and regards his legacy. In-universe, the public has evidently acknowledged a new Captain America (like the questions surrounding who would be the "new Iron Man" in Far From Home), and we see his shield and one of his suits on display in an exhibit accompanied by pictures, advertisements, and news headlines regarding him, looking almost like a memorial. Him being so heavily aged in Endgame's epilogue certainly means he won't be around for very long, and time has clearly passed since then. Him being gone could certainly motivate some of the plot, in addition to development for Sam and Bucky, learning to work together without their mutual friend.

• The public story could be that Steve died in the final battle of Endgame, so that Old Steve can live out the rest of his days in peace and privacy.
  • A closeup of the text on his obelisk states that he retired from duty in honor of Tony's Heroic Sacrifice, though nothing further is stated about what happened to him.
• Sam appears to attend a public memorial to Steve in episode one, but it's not outright stated that he's dead, so the above theory that he's "publicly" dead could still be true.

Madcap will be created/appear in the series, and will be the main villain in an MCU-canon Deadpool 3

In the comics, Madcap's first appearance was among the pages of Captain America, eventually bounding from hero to hero before settling on his arch-nemesis Deadpool. Considering the fact that Deadpool 3 has been hinted by Ryan Reynolds to be set/tying into the MCU, the fact that Madcap was initially a Cap foe (who Sam and Bucky are clearly taking the place of here), and the series will explore the US government's attempts to create their own supersoldier, it's not out of the question that one compound the government rejected ends up being X-07, which a rando gets exposed to, giving rise to the Marvel Universe's resident shameless Joker ripoff, just in time for his nemesis to hop dimensions.

• Jossed

John Walker will be a Trumplica

Walker has the well-earned reputation of being a right-wing, jingoist, Eagleland asshole. While they might tone that down for the show, he'll still have a very "feel-good" pro-America charisma, and have some unfortunate political beliefs that will make him an unfit successor to the liberal Steve Rogers.

• So far, he himself is not specifically similar to the 45th President in any way (save being both WASP), but his character arc so far embodies a number of Republican political stereotypes (with the most galling being his predisposition to Police Brutality in Episode 3).

The last episode will have Bucky learn that he has a single living relative

Namely, that he has an illegitimate granddaughter who goes by the name of Rikki. He'll then set out to find her, setting up events to come.

• Jossed, Bucky confirms he still has a sister in the first episode, with has meaning she’s presumably still living.
• Or alternatively, that sister will be Rikki.
• Or maybe Rikki is his sister's granddaughter, since Bucky's sister will probably be really old.
  • If not already dead.

Bucky's deprogramming will prove not to have been completely Successful

The story potential of him being brainwashed again and Sam having to hunt him down is too good to ignore, especially with Zemo returning. Eventually Bucky will have a Battle in the Centre of the Mind and destroy the Winter Soldier for good.

• Jossed, he never goes into WS mode during the show.

Flag Smasher will make a Heel–Face Turn.

There's been a lot of media discussion about having the purported villain of the show being an anarchist, given the current political climate. But given that Disney and Marvel have a history of trying to mislead and surprise their viewers, I think Flag Smasher will be a Red Herring villain who ultimately joins forces with Bucky and Sam to fight the real villain (probably Zemo and/or John Walker).

• If anything, at least Dovich will make one in the finale, since he's beginning to question Karli's more extreme measures. He might rat her out to Sam and Bucky, which Karli will find out. And if she really is Beyond Redemption, she might have him killed for his betrayal.
• Jossed.

Captain America's Van that originated in the 1979 television films will appear

It'll be a random vehicle on the road or in a parking lot during an action scene. Please note that I'm not suggesting they have to get the exact one from those movies from so long ago, but just a similar yellow van, like the one Cap had in the comics.

• Jossed.

Due to being on the run, Sharon has a number of aliases

One of which is Sharon Cooperman.

• Jossed

The US government originally intended to have Lemar Hoskins be the new Iron Patriot

If they have their own "new" Captain America in John Walker, those calling the shots were probably sleazy enough to want to have their own replacement for Iron Man too. They couldn't just steal Rhodey's War Machine armor and repaint it though, so they're biding their time to see if Walker proves successful enough for them to build an in-universe line of heroes for him to lead.

• If so, then that plan went down the drain when he gets killed (and Walker killed an unarmed criminal in public).

The series will address the ongoing impact of the Sokovia Accords, and explain why they're still in effect after the Snap.

• WandaVision very casually addresses the Accords still being in effect according to Jimmy Woo, presumably because the series was originally meant to air after this one. The promotional materials also show "wanted" posters for Sharon, even though the events of Civil War have long passed, and the only way she would still be a fugitive is if the laws never changed. In-Universe, this could also be the reason why the government has apparently appointed a new Captain America despite Steve choosing Sam to be the one to wield the shield.
• Jossed

Red Hulk will appear

• Or at least Thaddeus Ross.
• Jossed

Every time Sam throws and catches the shield, it hurts him, which will become a plot point

• Obviously, Sam is not an enhanced individual like Steve was and will have a harder time throwing and catching the shield, especially since it's made of vibranium which makes it heavier than it looks. In the beginning of the show, we'll see him training with the shield and struggling to throw it and catch it properly without hurting himself from the force of a metal shield coming right at him, (as seen in the third trailer with him barely being able to catch it with both hands) which represents his uncertainty of being the new Cap. After Sam learns his worth and accepts the mantle of Captain America fully, he'll power through the pain and become stronger, able to throw the shield easier with less resistance, and being able to catch it with one hand like Steve did.

Bucky will get his own Captain America costume

In the comics, Bucky was Captain America while Steve was dead in the aftermath of Civil War, and kept it after his revival until his own death/revival during and after Fear Itself. As Bucky being Cap was also a well-received idea by fans, the show will reference this by Bucky creating his own Cap suit that looks identical to the comics; either by himself or modifying John Walker's Cap suit after somehow gaining it.

• It looked like Bucky gave Sam his own Captain America suit in "Truth".
• Jossed

Sam learning of/meeting Isaiah Bradley, and the US military's disowning of him will make Sam doubt his own worthiness as Steve's successor

If Isaiah is indeed in the show, as is Eli.

Alternatively/Similarly, there will be more non-white Captain Americas created after Steve than just Isaiah; for other conflicts that the US took part in after the second World War; perhaps an Asian-American Cap for the Korean and Vietnam Wars, a Latino-American Cap for the War on Terror, you get the idea. And the fact that they too, were disowned by the US military will cloud Sam's perception of the shield and the Captain America legacy.

• Partially jossed. While he's shocked by the darker parts of Captain America's legacy (like what happened to Isaiah), Sam's not going to let it affect his own decision to take on the mantle.

John Walker is an Unwitting Pawn of Zemo.

• Jossed, the only thing he's a pawn to is the U.S. government, and now he's no longer of any use to them.

One or More Mutants will appear

They won't use their powers (at least not in a public way). Considering the US government still experimented on Isaiah, they still are in hiding and are unwilling to put their people at risk. If they do use their powers, it will be in a way that gives them plausible deniability/won’t break the rules of the show.

• Going off this, if there ends up being a Season 2 of this series, the villain could be Selene, who will be retroactively be revealed to have been posing as a normal woman.
• Going off this, if a mutant shows up in this show, they will tell someone about how they first became aware of their powers. One day, they heard a female voice saying "More mutants". This will be implied to a result of Wanda studying the Darkhold and trying to summon an analogue of her brother.
  • The last episode of WandaVision suggests that her focus will be on her sons. Even then, if she's specifically looking for Pietro too, she'd probably say things like "my brother" or "Pietro Maximoff".
• Some might appear in Madripoor.
• Jossed

If a mutant does appear, it will be Logan/James Howlett/Wolverine.

While he probably won’t be his XMCU counterpart (though he is a possibility) it will be revealed that, like with Isaiah, Bucky fought him as well at some point, a fight Logan has no recollection of. The fight still managed to leave a lasting impact on Bucky due to his healing factor and may or may not reveal he (Bucky) also has knowledge of mutations. It would be a neat way to introduce mutants in a way compatible with the show and (potentially) without intervention from magic (like Wanda) or the multiverse.

• Jossed

If mutants are alluded to in any way at all, it'll be through the Power Broker

In his lair, we'll see that in addition to the serum the Flag-Smashers took, that he possesses a canister of a strange fluid labelled "Mutant Growth Hormone". If another character inquires about what it does, Power Broker will say that he'll start using it once "they" are exposed or begin to show themselves, suggesting that he is one of a few non-mutants who know that they exist.

• Jossed

Hoskins was considered to be the new Captain America by some in the military

They then wrote off the idea as "too alienating to our target demographic", "a betrayal to the brand", or some other crap along those lines. Him being the "sidekick" was deemed acceptable though.

• Jossed

Howard Stark was involved in the experiments Isaiah Bradley went through.

One of the plot points of Captain America: Civil War (of which Zemo was the main antagonist) was Howard's successful replication of the Super Soldier Serum, which got him killed by the Winter Soldier. However it was never revealed how, which Isaiah's backstory may be the key though creating one heck of a Cerebus Retcon.

• Jossed

Ava Starr/Ghost will either be referenced, or make an appearance.

• As a ex-SHIELD/Hydra agent that was taken advantage of for her powers by her organization, and then discarded, like Isaiah (who, as a double whammy, also happens to be a woman of colour), but also is leaving behind a grisly life of killing in favour of something more peaceful, like Bucky, Ava would be a foil to so many characters and themes the show is trying to tackle that not even mentioning Ava seems like a missed opportunity.
  • Not to mention Ghost is a staple member of the Thunderbolts in the comics, a team which this show is at least beginning to set up.
• Jossed

Sam will eventually snap (as in Hair-Trigger Temper) when he continues dealing with racism.

• Jossed

The Power Broker is none other than Arnim Zola.

No actor has been listed for the Power Broker, and it's unlikely to be any of the characters already introduced, meaning that whoever is playing them is an established character whose appearance Marvel wants kept secret. Zola's role in HYDRA and Operation Paperclip means he has the right amount of connections to be in such a position, and his involvement in the creation of the Winter Soldier means he has the know-how to create Super Serum (explaining the Flagsmashers' powers) as well as serve as the arc antagonist for Bucky. In addition, fans have long believed Zola's consciousness survived the events of The Winter Soldier by downloading himself into a remote body, and unused concept art for Ant-Man shows that that Marvel has had concrete plans to bring him back at some point.

• Jossed

Alternately, the Power Broker is Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross.

It was established in The Incredible Hulk (2008) that he's obsessed with recreating the Super Serum, which would explain where the Flagsmashers got their Super Serum from, and why he's so hell-bent on getting revenge against them. The show's credits make mention of the "Enhanced Humans Act" which namedrops Ross at one point, and may be foreshadowing his appearance on the show. Due to his high political position it's likely that he may be involved with the Global Restoration Council whom the Flagsmashers oppose, and given his characterization it's also likely that he's abusing his authority to preserve the harmful status quo, either through his official powers or while moonlighting as the Power Broker. And as a villainous member of the US government and military, and the one responsible for forcing Sam to become a fugitive, he is in a good position to serve as his arc antagonist.

• Jossed

The Power Broker is actually Mister Sinister.

• Then the new serum is a property of Essex Corp.
• Jossed

Yet another possibility: the Power Broker is Red Skull

Hydra has had some presence in this story, and he would be a particularly potent rival for Bucky. H Is appearances in the Thanos duology suggest he could have a bigger role in the serious going forward, so why not have him show up here?

• Jossed

And another Power Broker candidate:

Zemo is the Power Broker. It fits his penchant for overly complicated Xanatos Gambits to pretend to join forces with Bucky and Sam to find the criminal mastermind currently ruling Madripoor, while really using them to clean house a bit (killing Selby and Nagel, finding the Flagsmashers/Karli) and possibly finding a way to get the Wakandans off his trail. Plus, it gives the show one Magnificent Bastard character holding all plot threads together, instead of having several villains and antagonists essentially filling the same role.

• Jossed

Zemo and the Power Broker are (or will be) allies

They've either been working with each other for some time, or Zemo will betray Sam and Bucky to side with Power Broker.

• Jossed

Zemo will kill the Power Broker

He'll then he'll use something of the Broker's to become more of a threat.

• Jossed

The Power Broker is none other than an existing comic character who nobody would ever expect to make it to the screen

This character will, to the shock of theorists and fans the world over, be revealed as...Curtiss Jackson, the original Power Broker. C'mon, someone had to bring that possibility up.

• Jossed

The Power Broker is Doctor Doom

• Then the new serum was a property of Von Doom Industries.
• Jossed

Yori already knows that Bucky killed his son.

Or at the very least suspects as much. The Winter Soldier isn't exactly a secret anymore since the ending of his film and as of Infinity War/Endgame he's an Avenger so it's not like Yori wouldn't know who he is. Maybe Yori already knows or suspects that Bucky had something to do with his son's death and has already forgiven him.

• Jossed

Sharon is The Mole for the Flagsmashers

Immediately after defeating the bounty hunters in Madripoor, Sharon gets into a car with an unknown woman, and the next scene is of Karli talking about Nagel's death. It's likely that Sharon has been feeding her information.

• After Sharon is hinted to have freed Batroc in Episode 5, who then shows up to assist Karli and her companions, this looks to be confirmed.
• Jossed, she's the Power Broker.

Zemo will try to kill Bucky at the end.

It's already known that he despises super soldiers including Bucky. And despite his friendly behavior, and seeming loyalty to Sam and Bucky for the time being, he is typically a villain figure in the comics, so the alliance is all ultimately temporary. So once the heroes have stopped the Flagsmashers' plan, it's likely he will attempt to finish the job by taking out Bucky. Sam, who has presumably gotten the shield back by now, will finally pick it up and wield it, not to honor Steve and the messy legacy behind him, but rather to save the life of his good friend.

• Jossed

Bucky helped bust out Zemo so that Wakanda could arrest him for the assassination of King T'Chaka

Bucky's nickname of "White Wolf" isn't just for the purposes of a Mythology Gag, and they're making him a full-on Composite Character with the original White Wolf, who in the comics was the leader of Wakanda's Secret Police. Bucky knows it would be foolish to let Zemo just walk away a free man after he framed him for the murder of the king of the country who took him in and cleared his mind. So he helped Zemo escape from his prison in Germany as part of a Xanatos Gambit in order for the Wakandans to extradite Zemo and try him for his crime, as a favor to them.

Zemo will have a heel-face turn by the end, and help Sam & Bucky

He actually seems to respect Sam's opinions, and in episode 4 they have a conversation where Zemo argues that all super soldiers are inherently corrupt and Sam retorts with "What about Bucky?" Notably, the scene ends without Zemo responding. Sam's question might sink in, and by the end of the show Zemo may have a change of heart and assist Bucky & Sam without an ulterior motive.

• Jossed

John Walker is another one of Ego's children and will display Celestial powers at some point

• As an Actor Allusion to being played by Kurt Russell's son Wyatt.
• Jossed

Luke Cage is the Power Broker (and the Episode 5 Cameo).

When we last saw Luke Cage, he had taken over Harlem's Paradise and seemed to be on a path that could lead to corruption, as evidenced by the fact that Misty and Colleen were preparing to take him out if necessary and him basically asking Jessica the same thing in the Jessica Jones finale. Here's how this could work: Imagine that Colleen, Jessica, and some other collection of the Defenders were Snapped, but Luke was not. Over the 5 years, Luke consolidated more and more power, developing an interest in superpowers as a powered individual himself, and with no one to stop him, he was corrupted, becoming the Power Broker (this would also be an interesting twist since Luke is the "Power Man" in the comics).

• It also seems likely that if this is the direction they go, they may not expand on all this backstory in the episode, and it would be left for a future project. But just having Luke Cage for a cameo would be awesome and certainly emotional for fans of the Netflix shows. He certainly seems to fit many of the descriptions given for the cameo as well (rights issues could have been tied up with appearing in JJ finale, not an Avenger, grounded-level hero, etc.)
• Jossed

Sam will get an actual bird

At some point, likely the Finale, Sam will get a bird and name it redwing like his comic counterpart.

• Jossed

Something will happen to Zemo that will hideously scar his face near the end of the series.

• Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember reading once that Helmut wears his purple mask in the comics due some accident that damages his visage. If something like that happens in this series, it might be what causes him to hide behind his new look more often.
• Jossed

Zemo will attempt to kill John Walker for taking the super soldier serum.

• After seeing what went down in Latvia while he was attempting to escape, Zemo will set his sights on Walker, since he proves his point about what the serum represents.
• Jossed

#NotMyCaptain will show up In-Universe

Following Walker's actions at the end of episode 4, which undoubtedly spreads like wildfire due to how many people caught it on their phones, the hashtag will pop up with people condemning him for his actions. Of course, there will be the nutjobs who believe the opposite and think Walker was in the right.

• Jossed

The Power Broker will go unseen

• Jossed

Dovich will turn against Karli

He seems to be increasingly uncomfortable with her actions like killing the GRC workers or working together with Batroc.

• Maybe it's like Erskine said "Good becomes great. Bad becomes worse." Walker and Karli are becoming worse and Dovich is becoming better. Maybe it’ll be their way of showing not everyone who takes the serum and isn't Steve or Bucky will become evil.
• Jossed, he never does and gets killed in a car bomb.

Karli will be forced into an Enemy Mine with Sam and Bucky against Walker once she learns how badly her accidental murder of Lemar affected him

Afterwards, she and whatever Flag-Smashers that possibly weren't killed in the final battle will realize that this isn't the right way of expressing their good intentions and allow themselves to be arrested.

• Jossed. Sam and Bucky end up working with Walker to stop Karli.

Meta/Production-related

Possible roles for the confirmed cast:

• Erin Kellyman as the aforementioned Songbird.
  • Jossed—she'll be playing Flag-Smasher.
    • Apparently the Flag-Smashers are a group of Mooks in the series rather than one person, however, so she could still be Songbird and we're introduced to her while she's part of that group. It would also harken back to her origin as a different supervillain (Screaming Mimi) before becoming joining the Thunderbolts and becoming Songbird.
    • Jossed. It's been revealed via merchandise that Kellyman's isn't just any member of the group, but a Gender Flipped version of Karl Morgenthau named Karli Morgenthau. Morgenthau is the very first Flag-Smasher in the comics and the leader of the group that the show's Flag-Smashers are based upon.
• Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, who becomes the new Falcon after Sam becomes Captain America.
  • Confirmed
• Desmond Chaim as Norbert Ebersol / Fixer.
  • Jossed, he’s playing Dovich.
• Miki Ishikawa as Hallie Takahama / Jolt.
  • Jossed, she’s playing Leah.
• Noah Mills as Erik Josten / Atlas.
  • Jossed, he’s playing Nico.
• Carl Lumbly as the aforementioned Isaiah Bradley.
  • Confirmed

The show will take cues from the Who Will Wield the Shield arc

Both the Falcon and Winter Soldier have at one time or another held the mantle of "Captain America" for a time when Steve Rogers has been made inactive. Though Steve chose Sam as his successor in Endgame, it will most likely cause tension between the two, considering that Bucky was Steve's best friend, has a version of the Super-Soldier Serum, and a vibranium arm, he'll feel he deserves it more.

• Possibly, but considering Bucky seemed quite at ease with Steve's decision to hand the shield to Sam (if his encouraging nod to Sam in Endgame is any indication), that seems unlikely.

John Walker will have his own stash of zip-cuffs and a buffalo skin rug

Too soon?

• Actually yes, it is literally too soon. Filming for this show ended in October, long before. we were all subjected to seeing that revolting attempt to kill elected officials. The only way it could work is if they did reshoots just to add in the reference and I seriously doubt that'd prove to be worthwhile.
  • Except for maybe the zip-ties, as those really are often used as restraints. But therefore, will NOT be a reference.
  • Not accomplished to the letter, but Episode 4 involved a) the Flag-Smashers restraining Lemar with zip-cuffs (and then inadvertently killing him in combat), and b) John Walker, the 'white guy', caving in a Flag-Smasher's chest with the Shield. Probably not specifically intentional, but eerily Harsher in Hindsight.

Ayo's role in the story was meant for T'Challa.

Given they gave him the nickname White Wolf and the comics' White Wolf was T'Challa's adopted brother. As well as T'Challa trying to make amends for trying to kill him. It makes sense that T'Challa would be the one to try to get rid of Bucky's programming. As well as trying to bring in Zemo since T'Challa is known for being a king who gets off his ass. Unfortunately, for obvious reasons they couldn't use him so they gave his role to Ayo instead.

• Unlikely. The show was filmed from April to October 2019 and the COVID-19 Pandemic started in Spring 2020 — Boseman passed in August 2020 and had still been working before that, so if he had been planned to appear, he likely could have done so. That is not to say, however, that this wasn't the plan in an earlier draft of the script.

Karli's arc will be reinstated.

Since her whole "bring medicine to the people" thing was cut on account of not wanting people to think they predicted COVID, or something like that, Karli seemed pretty unhinged and not very sympathetic. Now that it's the new normal, Disney will release a "director's cut" type of thing where Karli is shown to actually care about the people she's trying to help, making her arc more believeable.

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