This article was first published in theSun Buzz edition HERE
Other than worrying who’s best suited to wield Captain America’s vibranium shield, both Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes have to contend with old allegiances and new foes.
When the world is thrown into a tumult once again, both the Falcon and the Winter Soldier may have an ally in their corner. Sharon Carter, who was last seen in Captain America: Civil War, appears in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as a jaded former SHIELD agent after being on the run for breaking the Sokovia Accords.
She knows that if she stepped foot in the United States, she will be arrested. However, life underground may have taken a toll on her but heroism runs in her blood and she finds herself tangled in Sam and Bucky’s global fight soon enough.
“Listen, when we find Sharon, she’s in a pretty dark place,” said actress Emily VanCamp who plays Sharon Carter.
“When we first see her, there’s a little bit of anger. She’s tougher, a little raw and rough around the edges—a totally different version of Sharon than what we’ve seen in the films. That’s really interesting to explore.”
When Sharon joins the boys, she’ll be facing off several sketchy characters such as US Agent, the villain Zemo and a new terrifying terrorist group known as Flag-Smashers.
The character US Agent, also known as John Walker (played by Wyatt Russell), is one of the highest-ranking soldiers in the US military. He was chosen to be Captain America’s replacement, much to the ire of both Wilson and Barnes.
“We thought Wyatt was an interesting choice because a lot of his work before had him playing the slacker with long hair and a beard,” said executive producer Nate Moore. “But we found this unique energy in him that neither Sam Wilson nor Bucky Barnes has, and we felt that was important so that John Walker stood apart from these two characters.”
For Russell, Walker’s journey is not without complication. “I gravitate towards characters who need to make difficult decisions,” he said. “His dichotomies are what attracted me to him, and I’ve been allowed the leeway to shape him a little because we’ve never met this character before.”
Daniel Bruhl returns as Zemo, the Sokovian special forces officer who targeted the Avengers after losing his family in the battle of Sokovia. He has been rotting in a German prison since the audience last saw him in Captain America: Civil War but he’s about to be reignited with a new ferocity.
“He’s a man who’s struggling with this desire for revenge. But his story is a slippery slope of trying to make something right, but going about it all wrong. So, when we meet him, he’s paying for his crimes. He’s lost everything. He’s in a very sad place. I couldn’t help but feel a certain amount of sympathy for him,” said director Kari Skogland.
Daniel Brühl feels similarly about the character. “In Civil War I was fascinated by the fact that Zemo is a multi-layered villain,” he said. “He’s not just a sinister bad guy. But there was not that much time to explore different facets of him, so it was great to be given the opportunity to revisit this character.”
The terrorist group known as Flag-Smashers is actually a revamp of the comic book villain named Flag-Smasher. In the comics, the Flag-Smasher is an enemy of Captain America.
In the Marvel series, members of the Flag-Smashers are easily recognized by the black masks adorned with red handprints. Not much is revealed about the group yet so everyone will just have to tune in to find out.
Read more about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Find out the thought processes in making the Marvel series HERE
Actors Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie also explored the relationship dynamics between their characters, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes HERE
