‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’: Why Sam Was the Right Choice For Captain America

The following post contains SPOILERS for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and probably for Captain America 4, whenever Marvel makes that.

All season long, the title of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has sounded like a question: Which of the two heroes would become the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain America. In Marvel Comics, both characters have served as the Sentinel of Liberty. So either one could theoretically have ended the show by taking up Steve Rogers’ old shield.

Really, though, when you get right down to it the new Captain America had to be Sam Wilson. In our latest ScreenCrush video essay, we break down all the reasons Sam was the only correct pick to replace Steve Rogers — and why Bucky would have been an absolute disaster as the MCU’s second Captain America. (No offense, Bucky.) Watch it below:

If you liked this video about why Sam Wilson had to become the MCU’s new Captain America, check out more of our videos below, including all the clues that Sharon Carter was the Power Broker, our video on Zemo’s master plans in the MCU beyond Falcon and Winter Soldier, and our theory about where the current MCU Captain America shield came from. Plus, there’s tons more over at ScreenCrush’s YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to catch all our future episodes. The season finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is now available on Disney+. Marvel’s next Disney+ series, Loki, premieres on June 11.

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Gallery — Our Favorite Falcon and Winter Soldier Episode 6 Easter Eggs: