At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers travelled back in time, found Peggy Carter, and lived out his life with his one true love. He'd later return to the present day to give a repaired version of his shield to Sam Wilson, choosing him as the new Captain America in the process.
In The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, it took Sam some time to come to terms with taking up the mantle. As for Steve, he was nowhere to be seen, but we did get a couple of jokes about him being on the moon! Beyond that, all we learned from the two title characters is that their friend is now...gone.
Talking to io9, director Kari Skogland was asked if there was ever any talk of explaining Steve's whereabouts: "No, there was never any talk of explaining that. We just left him on the moon."
Showrunner and writer Malcolm Spellman elaborated on that point in a separate conversation with Inverse, claiming that Marvel Studios never even told him what became of the former Captain America.
"I’ve got to tell you the truth, my friend. Marvel won’t tell me what happened to Steve, so we were able to write whatever we wanted because we don’t know," he claimed. "We’re wondering if Steve’s on the moon too, you know what I’m saying? That’s as good a guess as anything because they won’t tell me."
It feels like we're being played to an extent here, and if nothing else, that might go some way towards confirming that there are future plans for Steve Rogers.
What those might be obviously remains to be seen, but it's clear that something happened to the former Captain America after he returned to the present. Did he go back to that alternate timeline? Was he de-aged? Has he died? It's now up to Marvel Studios to offer up some answers...eventually!
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of every The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode!
6. "Power Broker"
Our trip to Madripoor should have been one of the most exciting parts of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, but it was...just okay. Unfortunately, this episode felt a little too much like filler, with its saving grace being Daniel Brühl's unmissable performance as the villainous Baron Zemo.
The actor was clearly having an absolute blast with this retconned version of the character, and there was heaps of intrigue to be found from start to finish as we learned more about the Power Broker and "his" super soldier serum. At this point, we didn't know the ultimate reveal would be such a let-down.
Ultimately, Madripoor deserved more screentime, making this episode feel somewhat unsatisfying.
Our Review: Daniel Brühl is extraordinary as Baron Zemo, while Emily VanCamp delivers the tough-as-nails Sharon Carter we've been waiting for in this exhilarating episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
5. "Truth"
The penultimate episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier put action to one side to prioritise the show's characters (which is no bad thing). However, after the events of the fourth instalment, fans were keen for answers and "Truth" glossed over those in order to make us wait for that final chapter.
On the plus side, that battle pitting John Walker against The Falcon and Bucky was phenomenal, as was the spotlight being put on the friendship the latter two heroes had managed to develop here.
Sure, some of the dialogue was a tad on the nose, but this was still a solid effort for the most part. That training montage was badass, and the final tease when Sam opened that case made for a fun ending.
Our Review: Flag Smasher and her crew continue to underwhelm, but another strong character-driven episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier nicely sets the stage for a finale that is likely to be a game-changer for the MCU.
4. "New World Order"
The opening episode of the Disney+ series kicked off with some blockbuster visuals and an action scene that would have looked incredible on the big screen. From there, we quickly delved into what makes Sam and Bucky tick away from their fellow Avengers, and that proved to be fascinating.
The premiere was somewhat lacking on laughs, and often a little too sombre. Despite that, this was still a solid opener for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier that nicely set the tone for the series.
Its biggest mistake, however, was not bringing together the show's two leads at any point. It even failed to lay the groundwork for that in any way, making what we got in the second episode feel forced.
Our Review: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier brings the big screen blockbuster experience to Disney+ in a promising premiere that lays the groundwork for another Marvel Studios series which defies expectations and takes its leads on a thrilling journey.
3. "The Whole World Is Watching"
The spotlight was put squarely on Captain America in this episode, giving Wyatt Russell the chance to shine as he came to terms with what it meant for him to wield the shield as a normal man. That led him to tragedy, and down a dark route after taking the final vial of Power Broker's super soldier serum.
Seeing the Dora Milaje in action was also a treat, and even Erin Kellyman was given the chance to shine alongside Anthony Mackie (the best the Flag Smasher had been up until this point). That villain's group was a disappointment throughout, but at least Marvel Studios gave her some depth here.
Throw in a killer - literally! - ending, and this was a great episode of the Disney+ series.
Our Review: "The Whole World Is Watching" finds a quintessential balance of action and character moments, putting the spotlight on the excellent Wyatt Russell's John Walker and what it means to be Captain America in today's world.
2. "One World, One People"
The finale wasn't to everyone's liking, and that's understandable. Things wrapped up far too quickly for some characters (that Power Broker reveal sucked), and it felt like this episode needed at least another 10 minutes or so to really let that final act breathe. Bucky, in particular, deserved better because while we didn't expect to see him make all those amends, he did so far too quickly!
Still, that U.S. Agent reveal was awesome, and most importantly, so was Sam Wilson's evolution into a new role. That all worked wonderfully, and his speech cemented him as the MCU's new Captain America. That was the goal this series set out to achieve, and it did so in an effective, memorable way.
Carl Lumbly also deserves a special mention for that fantastic final scene in the museum with Mackie.
Our Review: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's finale ushers in a bold new era of storytelling for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in an episode that sees Anthony Mackie firmly establish himself as the deserving new face of this shared world.
1. "The Star-Spangled Man"
This is perhaps the closest The Falcon and The Winter Soldier got to perfection. With the two leads finally together, the chemistry between Sam and Bucky was really allowed to come to the forefront. With heaps of humour and action, this really did feel like a full-blown Marvel Studios movie.
It didn't gloss over the issues Malcolm Spellman put the spotlight on in his premiere, but added to that by further exploring its leads and the new Captain America's place in this shared world.
We'd have loved to see more of this tone in the rest of the show; instead, there were just glimpses of it. We can only hope that Michael Kastelein gets to return to the MCU down the line.
Our Review: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is the Marvel Cinematic Universe at its best with this second episode. Michael Kastelein's script tackles timely issues, while making Wyatt Russell's John Walker a character we can't wait to see more of.