You will not be able to stay home, brother
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag
And skip out for beer during commercials, because
The revolution will not be televised
-The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron
Captain America is Sam Wilson. We knew it was coming but it’s still an impactful thing to say. Even more impactful to see. You may be thinking that Isaiah Bradley was wrong that they wouldn’t make a black man Cap but he wasn’t. Sam wasn’t made, voted, or appointed to be Captain America. He TOOK the mantle and made it his own. No permission, suggestion, or orders required from the government.
Taking the mantle of Captain America isn’t a popular move for Sam. There will be haters (characters) for multiple reasons in the MCU. There are haters (IRL) of it since it took place in Captain America #25 (2013). Those haters are joined by the new haters since FAWS concluded. If I can speak on behalf of Sam and quote Puffy, “You can hate me now, but I won’t stop now. Cause I can’t stop now. You can hate me now.”
Sam saved the day (along with Bucky, Sharon, and US Agent) and then gave a speech with some response to the GRC leaders in front of NYC and the world with cameras all pointed at him. Sam points out that he is a Black man carrying the stars and stripes. Every time he picks up the shield, millions of people are going to hate him for it, even where they are currently, he can feel the stares, judgment, and hate. There’s nothing he can do to change it, no super serum, no blond hair or blue eyes but he is still here. This is reminiscent of the speech Steve gives of Sam after flying a bomb into the sky in Captain America #25.
The only power Sam has (comic Sam IS powered with bird telepathy, I know I know it’s not much but it is a power) is to believe they can do things better. Sam continues to say that the GRC can’t demand people to step up and adjust but not meet them halfway. Then Sam points out all the things that GRC can do and admonishes them for who is NOT in the room when they are making those tough decisions. Sam declares that they need to do better because the next Karli will be a better leader than she was. Sam states the GRC has just as much power to impact life as an insane god or a misguided teenager; but how will they use it?
I suffered through the years
And shed so many tears Lord,
I lost so many peers
And shed so many tears
-So Many Tears by Tupac
Bucky finally gets closure and healing by giving those closure for his Winter Soldier actions. Bucky has the SUPER painful talk with Yori Nakajima about the death of his son. We don’t get to see Yori’s reaction or if he even says anything. But that’s probably for the best cause I’m not sure I could have dealt with the cool old Japanese man crying over his son. The important part is that Bucky stopped hiding from the tough work and completed it. Crossing each name out from his and Steve’s book.
Karli meets her end in an emotional scene as she fights Sam who refuses to fight back. There is pain and frustration pouring from her voice as Sam refuses to engage her in a way that validates her actions. Karli has seen too much loss, pain, and death in her short teenage life. That life ended as Sharon Carter shot Karli to death as Karli stood over a downed Sam. I liken Karli to a Joan of Arc-like character who was thrust into leadership of a movement and had no real plan but to attack the enemy. Her fellow super soldiers were arrested and when it looked like an insider cop was going to help them escape their police wagon exploded courtesy of Zemo’s butler. Despite all their deaths the mantra of “One world, one people” has not died amongst the populace.
Isaiah Bradley’s pain has been expressed greatly in this series but here we get respect and appreciation. Sam takes Isaiah and Eli to the Captain America memorial where Sam arranged a statue commemorating Isaiah and his team’s work. While this seems like a violation of his wishes, Sam doesn’t tell the government that Isaiah is alive. He DOES risk Isaiah being recognized but it’s unlikely that anyone who could is still alive. This is a great setup for inspiration for Eli to become Patriot.
Sharon as the Power Broker was wack, she is a Skrull.
US Agent’s black suit looks dope
Bucky got an invite to the cookout, I guess that’s ok. He didn’t bring potato salad with raisins but a store bought cake.
Loving Julia Louis Dreyfuss as Val.
Captain America’s suit is so comic accurate I stood up and applauded.
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