Disney Plus’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was a revolutionary series in many ways. The six-episode season dove deep into the issue of racial discrimination, one that has not been talked about in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the past. But, not only did the show succeed in raising a relevant socio-political message, it also managed to convince fans that the MCU can have grey areas.
Two of the main antagonists in the show, John Walker and Baron Zemo, continuously flip-flopped between good and bad. While they are introduced as the bad guys, over the course of the season, it became difficult for fans to dislike them entirely. The so-called villains were cast in a relatable light, which almost had fans sympathizing with them. This goes on to show that not all is black and white in the MCU, and moving forward, even the antagonist could be showing the heroes how it's done.
In episode one, “New World Order”, fans first meet Wyatt Russell’s new Captain America, which invoked mixed emotions in many. It was sad to see somebody else holding the iconic shield when Chris Evans had represented the stripes and stars for more than half a decade. Russell had enormous shoes to fill, but from the get-go, it was difficult for fans to like Walker, or Fake Captain America as he was referred to by many.
As the season progressed, the origin story for the actual Captain America, which at this point fans should know is the Falcon, led to major character development for Walker as well. The most defining scene was perhaps when Karli accidentally kills Lemar. Losing his best friend changes him drastically and he goes on to kill one of the Flag Smashers with Captain America’s shield. As the camera zooms into the blood dripping off the shield, the character’s downhill journey begins.
Russell’s version of Captain America is pompous and mostly brimming with anger, and taking the super-soldier serum only makes matters worse. Throughout the season, fans were quite open about their feelings towards Walker on social media, with many hoping for some kind of retribution. However, even though he is clearly an antagonist, the series successfully manages to cast his character into the grey zone.
His journey begins as a hero, but fans are offered a glimpse into his past wherein he was trained to kill by the US military. Even though he is dedicated to his country, Walker continues to question his actions in Afghanistan and whether they were truly the right things to do. So, even though his brash nature was not liked by most, it does raise the question of whether it wasn’t entirely his fault. And just as fans were about done with Walker, he redeems himself at the end by doing the right thing and helping the heroes.
The Fake Cap’s redemption arc in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is definitely one of the most satisfying parts of the series. By the end of the season, his storyline and struggles were appreciated by fans, with some believing that his development was more satisfying to watch than Wilson’s journey to becoming Captain America. While his short run as the Cap made fans miss Evans, Russell's acting was always on point and the big reveal of the US Agent at the end made it all worth it. Moving forward, the MCU could use Walker’s new avatar to reflect on the idea of how heroes should handle their work.
As far as Zemo is concerned, his character broke the mold of the typical Marvel villain, as fans couldn’t seem to hate him as much anymore. Before appearing on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Zemo had proved his villainous intent in Captain America: Civil War. But, with his character, the show once again proved that the MCU can have grey areas, especially when it comes to their villains.
Zemo’s journey begins when he goes on a mission to seek revenge after his family is killed in an attack led by Ultron. Captain America: Civil War saw Zemo reactivating Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier program, which leads to a divide between the Avengers. With Captain America and Iron Man in disagreement, two teams end up being formed and members of the Avengers fighting each other. While the film ends with Black Panther capturing Zemo and handing him over to the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre for imprisonment, his journey doesn’t end there.
Fans first meet the character in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, when Bucky breaks him out of the same prison in order to use him to track down the super-soldier serum. At first, it seems like Zemo would not abide and continue being his ruthless self. However, the murderous character is soon seen teaming up with the Falcon and Bucky. Having the ‘bad guy’ become a key part of the team has one wondering about the intricacy of the character’s development. Fans who have come to hate Zemo after the events of Civil War were left feeling confused as to why he wasn’t backstabbing the heroes.
This confusion soon turned into sympathy and finally, fans began accepting Zemo as a character that they could appreciate. This escalated when the clip of dancing Zemo went viral. During the course of their search for the serum, the three characters arrive on the fictional island of Madripoor and infiltrate a nightclub to get information on the serum. As they walk in, Zemo is seen dancing to the beat, a scene that not only made him more relatable, but also loveable. He suddenly transformed from the murderous villain to a person that had been locked away in a jail cell for years and was finally returning to a normal life.
By this point, the hate for Zemo had left the building and he had now become a fan favorite. Fans demanded that the media company #ReleaseTheZemoCut, and Marvel joined in on the fun by sharing an hour-long video of Zemo dancing in a loop. He had become an internet sensation, and fans were loving it. Even when Bucky hands him over to the Dora Milaje to continue the rest of his sentence, it became almost impossible for fans to dislike the character, with many hoping that it wasn’t the last they saw of him.
The last fans saw of Zemo is when the remaining Flag Smashers are killed in a shockingly violent manner on his orders, as he sits in a jail cell in the Raft. Some raised the question whether this was truly helpful in ending the threat, or was it just Zemo’s personal agenda. However, despite the doubts that his intentions raised, Zemo had gone from being the typical bad guy that everyone hated to the character that could potentially do good when the need arises.
This sudden shift in approach is all the MCU’s doing, as Zemo seems to have stolen the show despite being the villain. Even though he had no superpowers, the excellent script-writing and superb acting on Daniel Bruhl’s part had fans rooting for the antagonist. This only goes to show that there doesn’t have to be a clearly defined good and bad character in the MCU. It can’t all be black and white, but instead, the universe can have grey areas, which the fans will readily accept as well.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is streaming on Disney Plus.