Mentioning any group in the same breath as the Nazis is damning, but Zemo mentioning the Avengers obviously upsets Sam and Bucky. Baron Zemo muses on the concept of super-soldiers themselves, saying the warped aspirations surrounding them are what led to the Nazis, Ultron, and even the Avengers. It begins, as all the best thematic explorations do, with a monologue. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 4, the Super Soldier Serum becomes a major tipping point for almost ever character. He has the power of the Captain America image, and with that comes a sweet shield. John Walker may not have superpowers, but he does have great power. John sees himself as Captain America, who has to fill the shoes of Steve Rogers, a literal super-soldier.
Steve saw himself always as a scrawny patriotic kid. To Sam and Bucky, it’s obvious what John is missing - a correct mindset. The first time we see him, he’s appearing at his old high school. His experience as Captain America hasn’t been much different. Instead of Sam Wilson, who worked and fought alongside Steve Rogers, John Walker has only seen Steve from the outside: on posters, in publicity appearances, in history books. Read more at our Falcon and Winter Soldier hub.įor America, this means an attempt at a new Captain America. The heroes who left behind post- Endgame are now left to find their own version of responsibility. But gone are the days of Steve Rogers, beholden to the American way and Tony Stark, capitalist billionaire following his code of justice.
For the Avengers, their superpowers mean they have a duty to preserve justice on Earth, whatever that looks like to them.
It’s the closest thing the Marvel universe has to a mantra. “With great power comes great responsibility.”