This article is about the The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode. For the song, see Star Spangled Man.
- “Star-spangled man with a plan and all that. It’s always been in the job description. Listen, this suit, it comes with expectations, brother.”
- ―Lemar to John Walker
"The Star-Spangled Man" is the second episode of the Disney+ streaming television series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and was released on March 26, 2021.
Synopsis[]
John Walker is named Captain America, and Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes team up against the rebel group, the Flag Smashers.
Plot[]
John Walker has been operating as the new Captain America and appears on Good Morning America to explain how he wants to live up to Steve Rogers' legacy. Meanwhile, Sam and Bucky finally meet up, with Bucky being very upset over Sam's decision to give up the shield. They travel to Munich, Germany after they locate a lead on the Flag-Smashers' location. Upon arrival, they spot what they think is a hostage and pursue the group's trucks. They discover that they are transporting vaccines and that the "hostage" is actually their leader Karli Morgenthau who possesses enhanced abilities.
As Sam and Bucky battle the Flag-Smashers, they are suddenly joined by Walker and his friend Lemar Hoskins, operating as Battlestar, but despite their expanded help are all knocked off from the trucks and left in their dust. Sam and Bucky vocally disapprove of Walker and Hoskins, even though Walker tries to explain his reasoning for taking up the mantle. Sam deduces that the eight members of the Flag-Smashers all have taken the super soldier serum, but he and Bucky refuse to cooperate and leave Walker and Hoskins baffled. The Flag-Smashers find refuge, but learn that an arrest warrant is out for them.
Bucky tells Sam that they have to get the shield back somehow, but Sam refuses to just beat Walker and take it from him. Sam reminds him of what happened when they were on the run for two years, after them and Sharon Carter were branded as enemies of the government, and that he does not want to live that way again. Bucky then says that there is someone that Sam should meet and takes him to Baltimore, Maryland. There, they meet with the elderly Isaiah Bradley who has been left in the care of his grandson Eli. Isaiah is revealed to have been an African-American who was experimented on with a super soldier serum and had a traumatizing experience.
Later, Sam is upset that Bucky never told anyone about Isaiah, with their argument attracting cops who racially profile Sam, but they end up arresting Bucky after he missed his court mandated therapy session. Shortly afterward, Walker shows up to post bail for Bucky and brings his therapist Dr. Raynor to hold an immediate session with Sam present.
Bucky admits that he is upset that Sam did not take the shield because if Steve was wrong about choosing Sam, it could mean he was also wrong about believing in Bucky. Despite this, Sam explains that he did what he believed was right. They both meet up with Walker and Hoskins outside who tells them Karli's identity and that she is in Central Europe. Due to Sam and Bucky being free agents, they refuse to work with them. Walker concedes, but warns them to stay out of his way. Bucky realizes that he needs to get intel on HYDRA and he and Sam reluctantly agree that they need to consult with Helmut Zemo who is still incarcerated since the events of Captain America: Civil War.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
- Wyatt Russell as John Walker
- Erin Kellyman as Karli Morgenthau
- Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres
- Daniel Brühl as Zemo
Guest Starring[]
- Cle Bennett as Lemar
- Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley
- Desmond Chiam as Dovich
- Dani Deette as Gigi
- Indya Bussey as DeeDee
- Renes Rivera as Lennox
- Tyler Dean Flores as Diego
- Ness Bautista as Matias
- Amy Aquino as Dr. Raynor
- Elijah Richardson as Eli Bradley
- Noah Millis as Nico
- Gabrielle Byndloss as Olivia Walker
- Mike Ray as Alonso Barber
- Neal Kodinsky as Rudy
- Sara Haines as Herself
- Scott Parks as Cop #1
- Richard Christian Wooley as Cop #2
- Ian Covell as Drunk
- Johathan Horne as Nervous Employee
- Jecobi Swain as Neighborhood Kid
- Rashaad Horne Drumline Drum Major
Trivia[]
- This episode was named after the song of the same name, which was featured in Captain America: The First Avenger.
- Sam and Bucky team up for the first time since Avengers: Endgame.
- Zemo makes his first appearance since Captain America: Civil War.
- There are a few references to Captain America: The First Avenger:
- Bucky asks John Walker if he has ever jumped on a grenade, something Steve did in training.
- Bucky jumped out of an airplane without a parachute just like Steve did when he was about to go against Red Skull, which is shown again in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
- Before John Walker's "Good Morning America" interview, a marching band version of "Star Spangled Man" is played.
- Bucky's alias as White Wolf is mentioned for the first time since Avengers: Infinity War.
- Bucky and Sam discuss Gandolf from The Hobbit. Sam asks Bucky how he knows who Gandolf is and he replies with the fact that he read The Hobbit in 1937 when it first came out. This might be a reference to The Avengers, when Steve Rogers stated he understood Fury's "personal flying monkeys" reference from The Wizard of Oz, which came out two years after The Hobbit.
- Helmut Zemo's prison room number at the Berlin Correctional Facility is 2187, a nod to the Death Star prison cell where Princess Leia was held in Star Wars.
- A German truck seen in the episode has the license plate "20 11 EKH", which is almost the same plate seen on Wanda Maximoff's car in the WandaVision episode "Previously On". However, this cannot be a real German plate, as the region code would be at the start.
Gallery[]
External links[]
The Star-Spangled Man on IMDb- The Star-Spangled Man on Wikipedia
The Star-Spangled Man on Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
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