The following contains spoilers for episode four of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Captain America's shield is an important symbol in the midst of the conflicts of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The meaning of the shield and the shadow of Steve Rogers weighs on many characters, including Sam, Bucky, and Karli Morgenthau. However, no one is more in the shadow of Steve Rogers than the "new" Captain America, John Walker.
Episode four of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a pivotal one for John Walker. He cracks more and more under the weight and pressure of the shield and the comparisons to Steve. In the end, he breaks, in a deeply memorable scene that is equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying.
There are repeated themes and conversations throughout the series, but throughout this episode especially, that all built up to this final scene. Those themes are encapsulated in the episode's title, "The Whole World is Watching." This is not a throwaway title; this phrase has meaning both within the context of the MCU and the series itself and in real life political history.
During Chicago's Democratic National Convention in August 1968, various activist groups gathered in nearby Grant Park in protest of the Vietnam war. The crowd grew, and the Chicago Police Department and Illinois National Guard moved in. As things turned violent and protesters were teargassed, beaten, and arrested by the police, protesters were chanting "the whole world is watching."
News crews were present on the scene, and as the video of the protests and the police brutality that followed were broadcasted across the world, the chants were heard--the whole world, in that moment, was indeed watching. The chant has been repeated in songs and during various other protests, such as those against the Iraq War and during Occupy Wall Street, and was recently immortalized in the award-winning film The Trial of the Chicago 7.
This is not a shallow or meaningless reference. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, John Walker represents the establishment, a figurehead of the American government and justice system, as the police at the 1968 protests did. At the end of the episode, when John brutally beats a Flagsmasher to death with his shield, many people in the crowd surrounding him catch his actions on video, about to share them with the world. At that moment, the whole world is watching.
The image of John standing with his bloodied shield is a haunting one, both for Marvel audiences and for the crowd around him. In-universe, this image represents the loss of trust in the establishment, and in the government-sanctioned authority that John represents, as the image and his actions before it spread around the globe. The comparisons to the historical context behind the episode's title are hard to miss.
The phrase "the whole world is watching" is also not empty within the MCU and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier so far. Throughout the series, John has struggled with taking on the role of Captain America. He knows he has big shoes to fill, and he knows that there is not and never will be anyone like Steve Rogers. In episode four, John shows increasing levels of bitterness towards his lack of power. Despite the shield, he does not garner the respect that Steve did, and this is only enhanced by the fact that John is not a super-soldier.
There are several conversations in this episode between different characters about the effects of the super-soldier serum and what it means to yield that power and strength. One of those conversations occurs between John and his best friend and battle partner, Lemar Hoskins. When discussing the effects of the serum, Lemar says "Power only makes a person more themselves, right?" He cites John's medals of honor and history of making the right decisions under pressure while in battle as evidence that this would be a good thing when it comes to John.
However, "The Whole World is Watching" provides examples of John's impulsiveness, agitation, lack of patience, and tendency towards aggression. These traits have been seen in previous episodes but are emphasized in this one, and John's use of his new title and power to take control of situations is further highlighted. So when John takes the super serum, it comes as no surprise that his aggression is enhanced. When Lemar is killed, John in his anger ironically does the very opposite of what Lemar praised him for earlier in the episode. He makes a very bad impulsive decision, chasing a Flag Smasher outside and beating him to death with the shield in a public place, where people can see it and document it for the whole world to watch.
This lies in contrast not only to Steve Rogers, but to another good and powerful man--King T'Challa. In Black Panther, T'Challa had the opportunity to kill Ulysses Klaue after chasing him down in Korea. As he stands over Klaue, claws out, Okoye reminds him that "The world watches," as a crowd of bystanders gather and hold up phones and cameras. T'Challa knows this is not how he wants to be seen by the world and stands down, sparing Klaue's life. While in a position of strength and power, when the whole world was watching, T'Challa knew who he wanted to be, and showed mercy. John Walker did not make that choice.
The events of "The Whole World is Watching" will have serious repercussions for John Walker and for Captain America as a symbol going forward. Audiences will have to wait and see exactly what those consequences are and how they will be handled. But as the episode's title suggests, the whole world is watching, and so things can never be the same.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is streaming now on Disney Plus.