Kari Skogland, the director of Falcon & The Winter Soldier, has explained the reason why Sam finally accepted Captain America's shield in the penultimate episode. The series, which is approaching its finale, has shown ex-Avenger, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), struggling to come to terms with the decision he made to give up Steve Roger's shield. Now, after 5 episodes, Sam finally accepted the shield and the legacy that comes with it, and Skogland wants to explain why.
The legacy of the shield and what it means as a symbol of America is what we see the characters coming to terms with throughout the show. In the series premiere, titled "New World Order," the voice of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) asks Sam how the shield feels, to which he responds "Like it's someone else's." In episode 2, "The Star-Spangled Man," Wilson and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) meet Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), a Korean War veteran made super soldier, who was the victim of 30 years of experimentation and torture by the U.S. government. Following the reveal of Bradley's backstory, Wilson quickly comes to terms with the complicated legacy of the shield as a symbol of freedom, all while it sat in the hands of the problematic new Captain America, John Walker.
Skogland sat down with EW to discuss why Sam is finally picking up the shield after five episodes of grappling with claiming that identity. The shield is a symbol of an outdated era; when Steve first became a super soldier, the definition of who a "hero" is was entirely different. Skogland and head writer, Malcolm Spellman, wanted The Falcon & The Winter Soldier to explore the meaning of what it means for a Black superhero to accept the historically white symbol that is Captain America's shield. See the full quote below:
We wanted Sam to engage in both a public and private conversation of what it means for a Black man to pick up such an iconic historically white symbol. By starting off with his acknowledgement of how important it is as a symbol, and that it is connected to a bygone era, Sam opens the door to the idea that what defines a hero today is not the same ideal as it was when Steve first picked up the shield... It is important that we explore all sides to its future as a symbol, given it represents the American flag and the deep history that comes with something that represents equality and freedom. It needs to be an ongoing discussion because those very coveted ideas that are the core to the American Dream are actually fragile and need to be protected from those that go down a slippery slope, no matter how well intentioned, that actually puts freedom and equality in the crosshairs.
The slippery slope that Skogland refers to is John Walker. In the final scene of episode 4, "The Whole World Is Watching," Walker uses the shield to murder a member of the Flag-Smashers, the freedom-fighting group led by the complicated antagonist Karli Morgenthau. When Walker is stripped of all titles in episode 5, "Truth," it becomes clear that he believes the act was justified, defending himself by saying, "I only ever did what you asked of me, what you told me to be, and trained me to do, and I did it. And I did it well". Walker revealed an uncomfortable truth about what happens when the shield falls into the wrong hands, and what it implies about the values it represents.
Fans are anxiously awaiting the Falcon & Winter Soldier finale to see how Sam's arc plays out. Having taken the shield back from Walker and spoken to Isaiah Bradley, his sister Sarah, and Bucky about what it means to be a hero, Wilson is officially on track to becoming the (even newer) New Captain America. There is trouble brewing for our hero, however, as a showdown between the Flag-Smashers and a vengeful John Walker appears to be on the horizon, but for now, fans will have to wait.
The finale of The Falcon and Winter Soldier airs on April 23rd on Disney+.
Source: EW
