THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER Director Discusses Sam Wilson Taking on the Mantle of Captain America
By the end of the fifth episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson picked up the shield and embraced his destiny to take on the mantle of Captain America. We see Sam starting to train with the shield, and he’s also got a brand new costume from Wakanda that we have yet to see.
This episode served as a huge moment for Sam, and in a recent interview with EW, director Kari Skogland discussed Sam taking on the Mantle of Captain America and what it means for Sam to take up the shield. He explains:
"We wanted Sam to engage in both a public and private conversation of what it means for a Black man to pick up such an iconic historically white symbol. By starting off with his acknowledgement of how important it is as a symbol, and that it is connected to a bygone era, Sam opens the door to the idea that what defines a hero today is not the same ideal as it was when Steve first picked up the shield.
"It is important that we explore all sides to its future as a symbol, given it represents the American flag and the deep history that comes with something that represents equality and freedom. It needs to be an ongoing discussion because those very coveted ideas that are the core to the American Dream are actually fragile and need to be protected from those that go down a slippery slope, no matter how well intentioned, that actually puts freedom and equality in the crosshairs."
The director went on to talk about how one of the big goals for Falcon and the Winter Soldier has been to modernize the origins of a hero. Sam is a man with strong moral fiber saying:
"I wanted the show to explore the redefinition of a hero who has traditionally been seen as a warrior/soldier to being a first responder and front line worker. To see a hero who has a strong moral fiber and yet is not rigid so is able to conciliate, include and discuss with the opposition with an eye to solving global issues because they are ultimately interconnected to our universal quality of life."
I’m pumped up for the upcoming final episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I am really hoping for a great and unexpected conclusion to the story! The sixth and final episode will drop on Disney+ on Friday, April 23rd.