Everything I Love About Sam Wilson (Part 1)

In 2019, Avengers: Endgame culminated with the end to Steve Rogers's run as Captain America, leaving a new star spangled man with a plan to take over his reign. After returning the Infinity Stones to their rightful timelines, Rogers came back to pass down the shield to his good friend and comrade Sam Wilson, also known as The Falcon. 

Though it remains to be seen whether or not Wilson will become the next Captain America in his and Bucky Barnes' new series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I thought it'd be fun to continue the tradition that I had started with celebrating Chris Evan as Captain America throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I plan on limiting this continuation to the movies, knowing once the show starts I may fall behind keeping up - though time will tell.

Part 1 is dedicated to Captain America and The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man. Hope you enjoy!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

On Your Left

Imagine waking up, going for a work-out, and Captain America is on your ass trolling you. lol Sam handles it like a pro, but I wonder how many rounds Steve made around him that Sam realized who he is. Not many characters in the MCU has a popular running gag throughout the series, but also becomes one of the most powerful moments in Avengers: Endgame. 

Also, who doesn't love the very obvious way that Anthony is practically running in place for the tracking shot, so Chris can pass by him faster?

The Beginning...

It only takes one convo to get to the heart of Sam and Steve's friendship. Once Steve is slightly turned off by the defrosting joke, Sam starts to relate to him about the struggles of being a veteran and coming home. Immediately, Steve can see himself in Sam that he doesn't get from anyone else. This scene is also one of the first tells that Steve is pretty terrible at lying – OH YEAH THE INTERNETZ SO GREAAT as you kids say.

SamTasha

Wilson was into Natasha the first second she strolled up in that Chevrolet Corvette. While a lot of fans want to see The Falcon and the Winter Soldier address Steve's departure, I'm hoping it acknowledges Sam also losing Natasha. Not only was it fun to see Anthony ship Sam with Natasha during promo tours, their characters worked together on missions for almost five years. Are you reading this Kevin Feige? Losing her has to mean something to Sam, ffs.

Steve keeps his promises

Though Steve mostly visits Sam to talk about the direction of what he's supposed to do moving forward after the cracks in SHIELD start to show, this small moment also shows that he keeps his promises - showing up at the VA to help Sam impress a woman he likes. Steve also takes his cue from Sam when they initially can't bring everybody back in Avengers: Endgame to start his own grief counseling group.

Or a little man purse?

Being of service is also something that Steve can finally talk to about with someone like him - Sam who continues to help his fellow veterans after they come home from war. Steve knows exactly what Sam is talking about when he mentions he lost his partner Riley who was hit with an RPG and knocked out of the sky. "There was nothing I could do. It was like I was up there just to watch." Sam is the closest tie Steve has to possibly acclimating his life Post-Avengers, making him question what he wants to do if he leaves The Avengers / SHIELD.

Reading Each Other

All of The Avengers carried their own baggage, but they didn't necessarily use each other to let off steam or confide in each other. These two can read each other over losing their friends - it's quickly a well-rounded friendship in the MCU.

"I think they’re both wounded warriors who don’t bleed on other people. Cap has no one to bleed on. I think Mackie knows how to handle people like that. … Sometimes when things are bad, trusting a stranger is the way to go.” - Chris Evans

Super Casual

So, you just come back on a morning run and Captain America with Black Widow are on your front door step. How do you react? Well, Sam does it by remaining super chill. These guys are practically like gods, and here he is taking small digs at them about eating breakfast - if they do that sorta thing.

Putting himself on the line

As soon as Steve says "how do two of the most wanted people in Washington kidnap a shield officer," Sam throws his resume into the ring.  There's something so underrated by the way this line is written and read by Anthony. No doubt Sam reveres Captain America. But them sharing a common thread as soldiers and Steve being a real person and not just a myth, Sam doesn't treat him like the icon that Scott Lang does or the specimen that the guy in the electronics shop does. He addresses him both as Steve and Captain America. Quite impressive.

Also gotta love that Sam knows exactly where his suit is - would he or has he tried to steal himself? I would've given anything to see deleted scenes of the trio retrieving his suit. 

"You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?"
"Hell No. The little guy from Brooklyn who was to dumb to run away from a fight. I'm following him." - Captain America: The First Avenger

The good looking guy in the sunglasses, your ten o'clock.

Love how easily he follows the Avengers tradition of going undercover with a baseball hat and glasses. So chic and subtle.

Sharp as ****

One of my favorite details of The Winter Soldier is that we don't see Sam's wings until we actually see them. When Steve's reviewing his files in the earlier scene, there's no cut to the photograph of him wearing it and spoiling the surprise. After Sam captures Jasper, we get a taste of his full costume we'll see later.

Sam meet Bucky

I can't watch this scene without thinking of the bloopers that I can't repeat here without Blogger flagging me. But this meme never gets old.

Knife to a gun fight

The editing for the highway crash scene is super breezy - blink and you'll miss how easily the trio tries to make plans to escape the vehicle with Steve's shield and facing off against The Winter Soldier. One of the most impressive moments is definitely Sam bringing a knife to a gun fight and winning.

Go, I Got This!

Nat taking on the Winter Soldier on her own, and the iconic 'Who The Hell is Bucky' scene, are awesome on their own. But Sam gets more than a few great shots throughout this whole fight sequence, covering the bridge on his own until he can get his hands on his wings again.

Bucky Meet Sam

You rip the steering wheel out of my car, I'll knock you down with my falcon wings.

The who’s this guy scene

I've said before and I'll say it again - Maria Hill is one of the most underrated bad-asses of the MCU. I love this brief moment she shares with Sam because you know he has to be thinking the same thing about her when she stabs the other guard with a taser and takes off her helmet - who the hell is this chick?

The voice of reason

"I don't think he’s not the kind of guy you save, he’s the guy you stop." For all intents and purposes, Steve and Sam barely know each other, but Sam knows what Bucky means to him. Steve's pretty practical in general, but when it comes to the people who matter the most to him, he needs a voice of reason or caution. And Sam's that guy. 

The way he looks at him

Again, I just love the way Anthony plays this moment. Sam's just heard Steve give a speech - something we're pretty used to in the MCU - and he looks at him with such reverence and respect. Not only is he fighting alongside Captain America but he's also living up to the myth he's known for - standing up for freedom.

One of the best costumes

It's amazing to get to see Sam's costume fully at work as he and Steve try to rewrite the hellicarriers. He's got the benefit of flight and the guns attached to the wings. If I was a superhero, I'd definitely want this costume. I believe Anthony said this was the first day of shooting was this scene of Sam jumping backwards off the helicarrier and shooting, and he was grateful his stunt guy was mostly in charge. I would be too. lol

How do we know the good guys from the bad guys?

It's hard to simply gif all of the action scenes Sam is involved in as they take down the helicarriers. The special effects capturing Wilson maneuvering through the air is so damn impressive. And there are a lot of bad guys shooting at them.

I had a big breakfast

Funny, since Sam was the one who made him and Nat breakfast.

The shaky cam cinematography of this scene reminded me a lot of the deleted scene from The Avengers - it's a nice parallel between Steve's past and present on the battlefield.

Sorry, Cap

Another great acting moment by Anthony - the look on Sam's face is one of true concern that he failed Cap.

 

Co-President of the Shut Up Club

"This is going to hurt. There are no prisoners with HYDRA. Just order. And order only comes with pain. You ready for yours?" - this is some of the worst dialogue in the MCU. Super cheesy. But Sam's willing to punch out a Nazi - kinda like what someone else did, only 200 times.

It's not like they put the numbers on the outside of the building

Knows exactly how to jump out a window like someone else we know.

On your left

The right note we needed to end the movie with (before the second post credits scene): Sam is going to be with Steve through thick and thin. It's such a beautiful way to bookend their initial "run-in."

More than a soldier than a spy.

It's okay to know your worth, babe. You're gonna make a kick-ass spy in due time anyways.

I will give anything for more scenes of Fury and Sam in the future MCU.

When do we start?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier's earned a reputation as the 70s spy thriller of the MCU. So what a great way to end this with a quintessential frame of that film era - Steve looking' like Steve McQueen and Sam looking snazzy in his trenchcoat ready to "pull on that thread" of finding Bucky.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

As much as I like Avengers: Age of Ultron, one of its worst mistakes is overlooking the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Not only do they only refer to Bucky as a 'missing persons project' in the 60 second convo  between Sam and Steve in the beginning, but we don't really get a sense of how Fury and Maria Hill have gone underground without SHIELD. 

So, we really only get two scenes with Sam here. His cameo in Ant-Man was longer. But I can't help but imagine that Steve stopped by the VA and decided to invite his fellow WWII veterans - go crazy, drink some Asgardian mead, party like it's 1945. 

Home is home you know

Steve could invite anyone to The Avengers party in Stark Tower, and his special quests were veterans from World War II and Sam Wilson. If that's not a man out of time, I don't know what it is. It's nice to catch the both of them relaxing while playing pool, and Sam reminding Steve that maybe home is a person and not a place...*cough* Peggy *cough*

Avengers.....

It's not a big arc, but he starts off the film acknowledging that the world of The Avengers isn't for him. But here he is ready to become an Avenger. He could walk away from the whole gig and say it's not for him. He got back in to take down the helicarriers, but he decides to keep going - he's that damn loyal to his choices and to Steve Rogers.

Ant-Man

I don't know why but Falcon protecting the compound reminds me of his conversation with Nat and Steve in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?"

"The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall."

Scott goes through all of this training to try out the Ant-Man suit and steal the Signal Decoy. Obviously, The Avengers compound is equipped for anything. As much as Falcon gives it his best, Scott manages to out do him. Something that seemed so easy for Nat, Steve, and Sam, is a little different when he's on the other side. But Tic-Tac impresses him enough to be looking out for him at the end of Ant-Man too. From soldier to Avenger to superhero recruiter to Captain America - you gotta love it.

Hope you enjoyed this quick run through Falcon's appearances in the MCU so far. I couldn't include everything, so there are many other scenes I loved that didn't make it here. My next post will cover Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.