'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Ending Explained: Captain America, U.S. Agent and That Credits Scene
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Episode 6 brought the Disney+ show to an explosive close while introducing something that even in the previous episode they said could not happen: A Black Captain America.
By the end of the episode, Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) was the new Cap. In a combination fraught with meaning, the former Falcon took to the sky with his wings from Wakanda and Steve Rogers' (Chris Evans) shield as he took on the Flag Smashers.
Sam being the new Captain America is probably the biggest change to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) brought on by the finale of Falcon and The Winter Soldier, but Episode 6 also gave us two major antagonists that are sure to play a part in future movies.
What happened at the end of Falcon and The Winter Soldier?
Episode 6, titled "One World, One People," saw Sam attempt to correct one of the racial wrongs of the super soldier program.
In a scene meant to echo another in the Avengers museum in the first episode, Sam takes Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) to the museum. Viewers will remember that Isaiah was the first Black super soldier, who in the comics was forced to take part in a series of cruel government experiments and was disowned and imprisoned by a government who thought the world could not accept a Black superhero.
However, Sam had a statue of Isaiah put in the museum, meaning that for the first time he was being acknowledged as a hero. The episode then ends with all of our heroes having a brief moment of rest as they have a barbecue.
What happens to Bucky in the finale of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier?
Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) finds closure of his own in the final episode. Throughout the series he has been trying to make amends for his time as a brainwashed assassin by apologizing to the families of everyone he killed.
In the finale, he says sorry to the final person on his list—Yori (Ken Takemoto), the man we saw Bucky eating with at the start of the show. With this final piece of amends done, Bucky delivers his completed book to his therapist, with the implication being that he is ready to start living his life again and fully embracing this new role as a hero.
Who is the U.S. Agent?
As for our former Captain America (Wyatt Russell), he is giving a new superhero alter ego straight out of the comic books: U.S. Agent.
In the finale of the Disney+ series, shady communications guru Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) gives John his new role, as well as an all-black suit—ironically, a similar suit to that worn by Isaiah Bradley in the comics.
What we do not learn, however, is exactly who Valentina is working for. This was meant to be revealed in the postponed Marvel movie Black Widow though, so fans do not have that long to wait to discover who she is and what her plans for U.S. Agent are.
In the comics, she is a title agent who works for SHIELD before infiltrating Hydra, before revealing she has been working for the Russian Leviathan agency all along.
Who is the Power Broker and what did that post-credit scene mean?
The potentially evil axis of Valentina and U.S. Agent is not the only new threat that emerged at the end of Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
Episode 6 reveals that Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) is the Power Broker, a well-connected international crime lord who runs the Asian island of Madripoor. Earlier in the season, she agreed to help Sam and Bucky if they could get her a full government pardon. She had been made an enemy of the state following the events of Captain America: Civil War.
In the post-credits scene, she received that pardon and was reinstated in her position in SHIELD. No sooner had she received her pardon than she started calling her contacts and offering government secrets and weapons for a price. With SHIELD now infiltrated by a dangerous figure, it remains to be seen what implications this has for the MCU.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is streaming now on Disney+.
