What is Going On With John Walker?
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier recap for episode 5 (“Truth”) was loaded with heavy emotion. John (Wyatt Russell), Sam (Anthony Mackie), and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) try to make sense of an uncertain future. After watching Walker kill Nico, Sam and Bucky follow him into an abandoned warehouse. Walker, still reeling from the high of the serum, is distraught from Hoskins’ death and from killing Nico. Sam tries to convince Walker he’ll be okay if he explains the circumstances, but he’ll have to give over the shield.
Walker believes Sam is only there for the shield. A fight breaks out among the three. At one point, Walker pins Sam down and states, “I am Captain America,” in a tone eerily similar to Tony Stark’s “I am Iron Man.” Walker proceeds to rip off Sam’s Falcon wings. Finally, Sam and Bucky work together to pry the shield from Walker and knock him unconscious. Bucky drops the shield next to Sam and, without a word, leaves the warehouse.
John Walker Is Nothing Like the Original Captain America
Back at base, Torres informs Sam that the GRC are searching for Karli, and the government has taken jurisdiction over Walker. With nothing left for him to do, Sam takes the shield and leaves. As Torres calls after him about the broken wings, Sam tells Torres to keep them.
The government strips Walker of his title and authority of Captain America. Betrayed, Walker snaps at the senator and leaves the council. He’s approached by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and she supports Walker’s decision about taking the serum. She also informs him that the shield doesn’t belong to the government. After telling him she’ll be in touch, she walks off and leaves a blank business card behind.
Bucky heads to Sokovia to meet Zemo. Zemo reminds Bucky there is only one way to stop Karli and it is by becoming who he was trained to be: the Winter Soldier. Bucky raises a gun to Zemo, but when he pulls the trigger, it’s empty. He drops the bullets from his hand as a silent way of letting Zemo know he is no longer a killer. The Dora Milaje arrive and take Zemo to the Raft.
What Do We Learn About Isaiah?
In Baltimore, Sam visits Isaiah and listens to his story. The government had used the serum to experiment on soldiers during the war. When those soldiers were captured, the government planned to blow up the POW camp in order to hide the evidence. Isaiah, learning this, saved the prisoners from the camp – similar to Steve Rogers saving the Howling Commandos in Captain America: The First Avenger. However, there is a striking difference that Isaiah points out. While Steve was rewarded with cheers and a leadership role, Isaiah was punished, jailed for thirty years, and experimented on. After a nurse faked his death, he went into hiding in order to find a sense of peace. He finishes the conversation by telling Sam, “they will never let a Black man be Captain America.”
After hearing Isaiah’s story, Sam heads home to visit his sister and nephews. Sarah reveals she can’t sell the boat because it would cost too much to fix it. Sam then recruits some old friends and neighbors to help fix the boat. Bucky also shows up at the docks to help. After he drops off a case for Sam, they fix the boat together and mend their friendship.
As Bucky and Sam work in Louisiana, Sharon Carter makes a phone call asking a friend for a favor for double the pay. She doesn’t give a name, but the voice on the other end sounds suspiciously like Georges Baltroc, leader of the LAF.
Meanwhile, Walker visits Hoskins’ family to try to offer closure. He tells them that he killed the man who killed Hoskins. The family is grateful and they tell Walker they’re proud to call him Captain America.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 5 goes back to Louisiana.
Bucky wakes up to Sam’s nephews playing with the shield. For a moment, Bucky seems at peace. Instead of catching his plane, he joins Sam to continue fixing the boat. However, Sarah chases them away, claiming that they’re doing more harm to it than good.
The two leave and head to a wooded area, where they practice throwing the shield. Sam admits to Bucky that the legacy of the shield is complicated for him. Bucky explains that he and Steve could never have imagined what it would feel like for a Black man to have it, and apologizes for pressuring Sam to accept that responsibility. As they continue their conversation, Sam helps Bucky realize he needs to make amends with his past as the Winter Soldier in order to forgive himself. In the end, they part ways to work on themselves, agreeing to meet when they hear information on Karli.
Do Sam and Bucky Ever Find Karli?
After finding that the GRC has shut down another refugee camp, Karli decides they have to stop them by force. As the Flag Smashers get ready for their latest plan, they are joined by Georges Baltroc, the leader of the LAF, who hopes to get revenge on Sam for taking down his crew.
Joaquin Torres calls Sam to tell him the Flag Smashers may be planning something in New York. Sam realizes the council is voting on the Patch Act in New York, which is most likely the site of the next attack. When Sam opens the case that Bucky gave him at the docks, there’s a mixture of trepidation and determination on his face. It’s here that we come to the credits.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Episode 5 mid-credit scene.
For the first time in the series, Marvel Studios has given us a mid-credits scene. There’s an echoing hammer banging off of metal, eerily similar to Tony Stark building his suit. This time, we see Walker as he stands in a shadowed room building what looks to be his own Captain America shield.
With the finale on the horizon, fans have already begun speculating a multitude of theories. Is Sharon Carter working with the Flag Smashers? Will Sam pick up the mantle of Captain America? Is this the beginning of Dark Avengers? The Falcon and the Winter Soldier streams on Disney+.
