We repeat, the symbol for American justice in comic books is black. 14 RHODEY'S EULOGYĬaptain America is a black man. His decision to take a stand against both Steve and S.H.I.E.L.D. This move even put him at odds with Steve Rogers himself. As the new Captain America, Sam had yet to win over the public in any way resembling how his predecessor did. were clearly on different sides of it. While the relationship was already strained, issue #1 of "Captain America: Sam Wilson" saw Sam officially distance himself and make headlines across the globe calling him "Captain Anti-America" and citing a drastic drop in approval ratings. As you could imagine, this caused some issues once Sam was approached by S.H.I.E.L.D.Īfter the international spy organization was exposed by the Marvel Universe's own Eric Snowden-type hacker, a line was drawn in the sand and Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D.
Sam, on the other hand, has always been more willing to share and act on his own opinions, where Steve would likely fall in line. This failure, combined with a string of recent events, culminated in Wilson reconsidering his career as Captain America.There are many, many differences between Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson and how they approach a situation. As Captain America, Steve was often the boy scout who respected authority - within reason, of course. Despite their efforts, Rage was imprisoned and later beaten to within an inch of his life. Unaware of this, Wilson and the new Falcon (Joaquín Torres) busied themselves with proving the innocence of the wrongly convicted vigilante, Rage. Agent in a plot partly composed by Steve Rogers himself – or rather, what was discovered to be an alternate version of Steve Rogers wholly loyal to Hydra. With his youth and powers restored he acted alongside Wilson as Captain America, but an uproar fueled by political differences and racial discrimination – running themes for Wilson on both page and screen – called for the shield to be returned to Rogers.įollowing this, Wilson was attacked by U.S. The project, known as ‘Kobik’, was completed in secret and later used to return Steve Rogers to his prime. Later, in the Avengers: Standoff! event, Wilson was forced to publicly refute S.H.I.E.L.D.’s intention to create a Cosmic Cube. Ultimately, Wilson’s desire to protect and better his country was continually superseded by those who deemed him unworthy of doing so. While some supported his social activism, those opposed branded him as politically divisive figure. Fearing the country to be more divided than ever, his decision to engage in politics to activate change was criticized by those who believed Captain America’s accessibility relied on him remaining impartial. In Nick Spencer and Daniel Acuña’s Captain America: Sam Wilson #1, Wilson parted ways with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Although neither scheme came to fruition, the encounter foreshadowed the major issues set to plague his time in the role.
While attempting to prevent the release of a sterilizing bioweapon, Wilson uncovered a plan to discredit him involving false information and racial stereotypes. Having found himself on Hydra’s radar, Wilson was helped by Misty Knight who informed him of Hydra’s recent escapades involving the infiltration of various hero groups. Wilson’s first mission with the shield in Remender and Immonen’s All-New Captain America #1 saw him inherit not only Cap’s duties but his foes too. RELATED: Captain America: Sam Wilson Couldn't Save Steve Rogers' Son from Hydra Unfit for active duty, the ailing Rogerus chose Wilson as his replacement shortly thereafter in Rick Remender, Carlos Pacheco, and Stuart Immonen’s Captain America #25 in 2014. After a fateful encounter with the mastermind villain Iron Nail, Steve Rogers was drained of his powers and began aging at a rapid rate. While The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw Wilson grapple with the shield's legacy before claiming it as his own, his path to becoming Captain America was a different road in the comic book Marvel Universe.įirst introduced in Stan Lee and Gene Colan’s Captain America #117, Sam Wilson quickly gained prominence as Steve Rogers’ close friend and comrade. WARNING: The following contains fleeting spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 6, now streaming on Disney+.Įver since Steve Rogers passed his shield down to Sam Wilson in Avengers: Endgame, it was only a matter of time until the Falcon took flight as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.