Marvel Studios continues their Disney+ lineup with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s first episode debuting on the streaming service, entitled “New World Order.” While this episode is light on action, it does dive into the personal problems of the titular characters and show how the events of “Avengers: Endgame” have changed the world. Let’s suit up and start the recap!
Back to Basics | Picking up six months after “Avengers: Endgame,” Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is flying missions with the U.S. Air Force and his liaison Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez). In this case, he must rescue a kidnapped airman from the hands of Batroc (Georges St. Pierre) from “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” After a thrilling set piece, Sam does just that, but Batroc escapes. After landing, Sam is informed by Torres about an insignia for a group called the Flag Smashers that’s been popping up on the dark web that he wants to investigate. Sam then flies to Washington DC to donate Captain America’s shield to the Smithsonian exhibit about him, unable to take up the mantle of his hero. Rhodey (Don Cheadle) asks why Sam did so and his response is that he can’t live up to Cap’s name.
Making Amends | After a nightmare about executing a witness who saw him murder people as the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) lies to his therapist about the nightmare he had, while also revealing that he’s been tracking HYDRA personnel in exchange for a full pardon. When Bucky returns to his apartment in Brooklyn, he takes his landlord Yori (Ken Takemoto) out for lunch, when Yori gets emotional about his son who was murdered years ago. Bucky quickly realizes that Yori’s son is the same witness that he killed, but is unable to tell Yori that. As Sam returns to his home in Louisiana to meet his sister Sarah (Adepero Oduye) and her kids, the two have an argument about selling their parents’ boat to pay the bills. Sam tags along with her to the bank to try to get a loan for them, but the teller informs them that thanks to half the population returning from the Blip, the bank’s policies on loans have changed. But that won’t stop the teller from taking a selfie with Sam!
Flag Smashers | Torres tracks the Flag Smashers to a bank in Switzerland, where a bunch of people are waiting outside. A woman in a mask (Erin Kellyman), hands out similar masks to the crowd and Torres plays along until another masked man storms out of the bank with bags full of cash. Torres tries to arrest the robber, but he gets beaten up and the masked men escape. After Torres informs Sam of this, Sarah runs in and turns on the news to show the Smithsonian director announcing that the world needs an American hero- and out comes a man (Wyatt Russell) in an altered Captain America suit holding the shield! Obviously, Sam is not happy about this…
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is now streaming on Disney+.