The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (Ep. 2): Blood of Isaiah

The fairytale of Captain America’s origin in The MCU has forever been tarnished by the revelation that lies were told and secrets were kept by the curators of Abraham Erskine’s Super Soldier serum formula. Albeit, the exact science of the formula executed to create Steve Roger’s transformation died with the inventor (Captain America: First Avenger), but an understudy for Project Rebirth (Dr. Josef Reinstein, born Wilfred Nagel) knew enough to give The United States of America a 2% success rate at the “expense” of over 300 Black soldiers enlisted in the United States Army. Reinstein, a racist, diabolical scientist and spy in Marvel Comics lore has been rumored to soon appear in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Whether this character will be an amalgamation of a few characters, the alias for a character that we’ve already been introduced to in The MCU, a clear adaptation from the comics or a new creation is unclear to me. As I enjoyed Episode 2 of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier on Disney+, I noticed a few things that have made me wonder if a resurrection of sorts may be in the cards for this beautifully adapted comic book streaming series. Both the mad scientist Arnim Zola and the deceased, Abraham Erskine have rent free space in the back of my mind for the duration of this story; beyond the first season. Unlike the historical event that was drawn from in order to give Reinstein’s experiment more realism (The Tuskegee Study), only one subject would ultimately survive the war they were being made to fight. The 1 out of 7, out of 300, out of 2 whole battalions of Black US Army soldiers destined to survive was Carl Lumby’s character, Isaiah Bradley.

The Isaiah Bradley story from the comic books is loaded from beginning to end and deserves it’s own streaming series. It is impossible for me not to focus on the introduction of this character even though it happens 27 minutes and 40 seconds into the 43 minutes of actual storytelling for this episode. Isaiah’s mind & body was subjected to torture and subjugation. His blood & biology was studied by his own country, as well as by operatives from other factions & countries through acts of espionage, domestic terrorism, legal contractor work with The United States and war. Suffice to say, in the absence of Captain America, the blood cells of Isaiah Bradley (much like the real life HeLa Cells from Henrietta Lacks) were used to propel all future Super Soldier programs worldwide, culminating into everything from the creation of The Winter Soldier, the experiment that created Luke Cage to the enhancement of Weapon X (Wolverine) to Isaiah’s son, Josiah & grandson, Eli gaining powers…and so much more. The importance of Isaiah Bradley to the complete story of the Weapon Plus program cannot be overstated…if you are a True Believer.

Episode 2 started off with a well developed ode to the original comic book character of John Walker, the newly instated Captain America. There are obvious holes in his introduction that could be used as plot points to evolve his character down the line, but unlike Anthony Mackie’s legacy shift for Falcon, Wyatt Russell’s Walker is still from Georgia. This iteration of Walker is a departure from the comic book story but immediately has been shown to have been well crafted for the purpose of this series. In a clear effort to make him Steve Rogers’ opposite, Walker is touted as a prime human specimen, popular as the star quarterback of his high school Football team and married to his high school sweetheart. Steve Rogers (Captain America) was unsuitable for any rigorous physical activity, a loner and clearly never had a girlfriend until he created a multiversal timeline to grow old with his true love, Peggy Carter. His best friend Lemar seems to be good with playing back up to Walker, where Bucky was the “alpha” in his friendship with Steve until Rogers underwent Erskine’s Super Soldier experiment.

I found it interesting that showrunner, Malcolm Spellman & Co. chose to embellish Walker’s character with a newly created wife (Olivia Walker, played by Gabrielle Byndloss) on top of his comic book best friend, Lemar Hoskins (played by Cle Bennett) and parade him out to an HBCU band rendition of “Star Spangled Man”. The welcome introduction, character layers & bonafides from actual Good Morning America personality, Sara Haines felt like a psychological taunt to the social & politically used notion that, “the white guy” can’t be a direct proponent of institutional racism if he has a Black wife, a Black best friend and adoration from the Black Community. It also should be said that there is no mention of his wife by Haines or by the writers. You learn who she is by the credits at the end of the episode. This is a brilliant way via the writers to “muck up the water” and grey the contrast between the perceived first impression of the new Captain America and the government leadership that was all too happy to pass over Sam Wilson for the position of America’s hero.

An eyebrow is raised when Walker clearly states that he is not an “enhanced”, but a “normal” human like the rest of us. The original John Walker received powers from the mentioned “Power Broker” in the comic books. As we continue to watch the episode we find reason to doubt Walker’s honesty about having no enhancements. How is he so proficient with Cap’s shield after no more than several weeks? I can’t say that I share Bucky’s level of disdain for Walker, but I can only trust his character to go off the rails based on my prior knowledge of his storyline. Although John repeats that he knows he can’t replace Steve, he obviously wants to be Captain America in all of it’s legend, mythos & glory.

Bucky & Sam’s first interaction of the series is underwhelming but their banter about “The Big Three” makes me smile and answers the question I had about what classification Lt. Joaquin Torres thought Sam was placing on The Flag Smashers when first assessing the footage of Dovich robbing Gasel Bank in Episode 1. The way Sam goes from being unable to look Bucky in the eye about him giving up The Shield, to the way he uses his pinned up frustrations about being told what “rights” he has or doesn’t have in order to stand up to Barnes’ chastisement seems like a foreshadow to how Sam will finally come to terms with claiming his right to be Captain America. You can call it a hunch but I expect a dialed up moment drawing from the same energy in this scene. Mackie will use his expertise to translate his initial acceptance and ownership of The Shield.

As the duo inevitably board the plane and head towards Munich, Germany to surveil & confront “The Flag Smasher”, I realized that the locations the group has been shown stealing from are Switzerland & Germany. The only other character in the MCU with these two locations in common besides Karli Morgenthau is Arnim Zola. Could Karli Morgenthau be decidedly attempting to dismantle a shadow authority being run by Zola? Will my fan theory come true, and we finally see Robotic Body Arnim Zola? I have been expecting his first appearance as well as the introduction of M.O.D.O.K. since the seeds were planted in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron, respectively. I know that The Red Skull was a common enemy of Morgenthau & Walker in the comics, but I just don’t see why they would bring that character back yet. The aforementioned villains would be more fun to delve into during this technological era and phase.

The mention of “White Wolf” and Bucky’s acceptance of the Wakandan attribute is exciting to me. My hopes that Bucky is somehow a part of Black Panther 2 is reinvigorated with that one line as Sam’s ignorant expression in response to it makes me laugh. I am definitely not a fan of the “psuedo A.I.”, Red Wing but Sam’s comedic use of the super-drone against Bucky’s demeanor allows me to tolerate the amount of real estate it’s given in the first two episodes.

We finally get a good look at the containers appropriated by The Flag Smashers (labeled “vaccine”) and see the GRC logo attached as well. Keeping in mind that the production company name for this series is “Pandemic Productions, LLC”, my thoughts split between the containers being filled with serum and them actually being vaccine that the GRC is secretly planning to create the need for. The latter is so eerily close to what many think about the actual COVID pandemic that I wonder if this is where the plot has been changed to avert upsetting the viewer with the visceral emotions that the parallels & similarities between fiction & non-fiction could cause. I personally hope it’s the latter as that would help to make Erin Kellyman’s character more realistic, relatable & heroic while peeling the layers of The Global Repatriation Council back for us to analyze. The Super Soldier serum wouldn’t logically be stockpiled without security in my mind anyway. I’ve been wrong before but we all have, right?

Gauging between the way Bucky & Sam stand up to The Flag Smashers on the two moving trucks begs me to ask, “How can Walker stand up to the crew better than Bucky or Sam? He doesn’t seem to maintain the same level of endurance and strength throughout the fight, but even after being knocked off a moving truck into a moving car’s windshield, he is able to stand up straight rather quickly and shake it off. Something isn’t adding up with his story. The corny tag team nods between Hoskins & Walker allow me to enjoy Bucky’s GTFOH moment as much as Karli snatching Red Wing out of the sky and breaking it. Finally! LOL! Mr. Feige, please give Sam Wilson a real enhanced falcon or an A.I. falcon in the spirit of Bubo, Perseus’ owl from The Clash of The Titans!

The action & VFX in the truck fight was top quality. Comparing match ups between the combatants brought me back to imagining outcomes as a child playing Marvel Superheroes Role Playing games on my stoop in Harlem. LOL. Walker’s use of The Shield is amazing and Bucky’s jealousy is perfectly timed & captured. Walker & Hoskins’ championing the GRC’s mission while trying to “pick up” Sam & Bucky validates my theory that the organization is a front for something nefarious & duplicitous. When have we ever seen a do good group with all the resources in the world that doesn’t have ulterior motives? Them (Hoskins & Walker) being federal agents policing for The GRC and still being steps behind Sam & Bucky makes total sense.

Following The Flag Smashers into Munich proper was a good educational scene. We see how influential they are at the same time they’re realizing it themselves. The faux easter egg of the name, “Hauser” doesn’t go unnoticed. In this case it is only a leaflet to learn how to buy houses and not one of Sam’s public detractors once he becomes Captain America in the comics; a nice subtle touch nonetheless. The Power Broker being able to find Karli on a global scale brings me back to the possibility that Zola could be behind The GRC, and that there has to be a common denominator between what looks like a technological omnipresence and the historical creation of more Super Soldiers. The noted phrase that I translated from Episode 1’s credit scene of Madripoor (“Isang Mundo, Isang Tao”), “One world, One people” is finally heard out loud. What will this have to do with Madripoor? In this scene, I get the impression that The Flagsmashers are more like kids that are growing up extremely fast by deciding to band together and put there lives on the line for what they deem a noble cause. I honestly like them more than Walker and definitely more than Red Wing (R.I.P.) LOL.

Even though the paces throughout this episode are well done, once we get to Bucky & Sam pushing the narrative forward by revealing that Sharon Carter is still on the run as an Enemy of The State (for stealing Cap’s shield back in Captain America: Civil War), the gravity of the story starts to hold us in suspense. Bucky has a secret that could help solve the mystery of how there are more Super Soldiers sprouting up, which leads us to Baltimore, Maryland; of all places. I have been unable to ascertain why we find Isaiah Bradley here instead of Bronx, NY where he originates in the comic books. This is my one and only pet peeve of this episode and storyline thus far. It was understandable to switch Sam’s heritage due to Anthony Mackie being from Louisiana but there is no discernible reason to take Isaiah out of The Bronx.

“Saints be alive!” We finally get to see the legend himself. Although emotionally scarred, he looks fit and still very powerful. We are introduced to future Young Avenger, Eli Bradley (played by Elijah Richardson) before we even get in the door. This scene is the biggest and most important scene of the show for me. We get teased about a fight in Goyang between The Winter Soldier and The Black Captain America. I’ll be dreaming of that battle until it hits the screen now. The silent humility in Sam’s face and posture upon learning of Isaiah’s existence is powerful. Isaiah tells us how he was locked away for 30 years and constantly subjected to tests & experiments by The United States & Hydra. The introduction of the idea of a shadow government should not go over anyone’s head from this point forward in my opinion. I love Carl Lumbly as Isaiah, Elijah as Eli (even though he didn’t have that much screen time) and the promise of a possible dialogue between Sam & Isaiah at some point. We truly need a Weapon Plus/Isaiah Bradly series. It could gradually introduce so many great characters into the MCU. Who would you cast to play a young Isaiah Bradley?

The consistent pile up of racist instances that Sam has to endure don’t do any justice to what it’s like in real life. However, the fact that we are seeing it unfold in a Marvel project does give me some solace. Marvel has always confronted these issues in their stories so I feel right at home with the tone they are setting within The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. The stereotypical profiling by The Baltimore Police that Sam has to experience almost takes the attention away from what we just learned about Isaiah Bradley because we don’t know if Sam is getting arrested or worse at that moment. Real life experience preempts the fear factor for Black people when they see this kind of harassment & poor treatment from beat cops. The irony of Bucky being the one to be arrested grounds us back into the story on the screen instead of the ones in our nightmares.

John Walker impressing his self-importance by freeing Bucky, not only from jail, but his mandated therapy sessions is genius plotting. Now Bucky owes Walker. The emotional rant from Sebastian Stan’s portryal about Buck justifying his worthiness in Steve’s eyes via Sam’s worthiness in his eyes was deep. I appreciate the time and development given to the characters (I’m still meh about Isaiah being found in Baltimore though, LOL). Sam officially becomes “the grown man” in this relationship when he states that he has only done what he deemed the right thing to do up to this point. This statement gives his character a strength that no Super Soldier serum ever could. The therapy scene deserves a chef’s kiss and is my third favorite scene of the episode after the intro of The Bradleys and the truck fight. Leaving Dr. Raynor with the implication that Bucky is going to implicitly hurt people gets us hype for Episode 3 and the rest of the series.

Just when we think it’s over, there’s more! The psychological taunt of the cop car’s lights & siren by Walker against Sam & Bucky has turned my family completely against him at this point. Unless you know what it’s like to be Black and profiled by racist cops and in fear for your life when those triggers are used, you can’t imagine the anger it could cause when a government jerk off like Walker tries to impose his authority and get attention in this subtle but offensive way. He might as well have called them felons like it was their name. The heroes have drawn the line and the adversarial tone is set. Bucky and Sam deliberate and decide to go see Helmut Zemo for more answers about the Hydra secrets that were hidden in books, and not online. If Zemo could learn about The Winter Soldier killing Tony Stark’s parents and The Winter Soldier’s trigger word sequence, how much more does he know about Hydra’s Super Soldier program?

Finally, we end off with the young group of Flag Smashers in Slovakia. I swore the location said Sokovia at first and had to double take. Here, the writers do a great job of showing how any cause worth fighting for means that people may die in sacrifice for it. Unlike Isaiah Bradley, these people had a choice and have made it of their own volition. We see Karli and the group grow up once more in this same episode when group member Matias sacrifices himself to prevent the 4 Black SUV envoy of The Power Broker’s men from stopping Karli’s escape with syringes that are most likely intended to administer the vaccine they took from Munich. The stage is set for some next level reveals in Episode 3. Who is The Power Broker? What is the true story behind The GRC? How will Sam & Bucky get to Zemo? And how deep into the fabric of the world’s enhanced is the blood of Isaiah Bradley soaked & stained?

This is my favorite episode from any Disney+ Marvel show yet. Creator Malcolm Spellman has promised and delivered thus far. We still have yet to reach Madripoor and have also been given a tease that there is a surprise character set to appear in Episode 5 of the 6 episode series. Words can only open your mind a little more as your eyes will be wide watching this episode. I can’t get enough of that scene with Isaiah Bradley. I think I’ve watched it at least 10 times by now. What are your impressions about “The Star-Spangled Man”? Please subscribe and share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter, @3vry1lvsgdstry. Be well, be whole, be blessed Beloved. Manchild out.