History Awesome / TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier

* Bucky not only gets to beat down the Flag Smashers once more with ease, but he also gets to do that while they are using improvised weapons on him and Bucky is unarmed. Karli attacking him with a pillar, he just dances around her attacks before using a simple chain to beat her down. Dovic using a piece of metal against him? He disarms him of that piece and knocks him down with it without breaking a sweat. Then, he gets to [[NoSell effortlessly catch]] the piece of rebar that Karli throws at him in one last attempt to kill him. The look on his face afterwards clearly shows how unimpressed he is with her dirty fighting tactics.

-->'''Bucky''': [[ThatManIsDead I am no longer the Winter Soldier]]. I am James Bucky Barnes. And you're part of my efforts to make amends. ''([[TheUnsmile smiles]])''

** It’s not clarified what Winter Soldier’s mission back then was, but given that it took place during the Korean War and HYDRA’s methods are to escalate conflicts, Bradley defeating the Soldier may have singlehandedly prevented World War III.

* In the flashback, Ayo performs the Winter Soldier keywords one last time as a final test to see if Wakanda was successful in removing his programming - but she’s doing it alone in a secluded mountainside. When Bucky expresses fear, Ayo calmly tells him she won’t let him hurt anyone. The fact that Ayo is willing to perform the ritual alone, even on the off chance Bucky’s programming was not successfully removed and she would indeed have to stop him, speaks volumes about why she’s the second-in-command of the Dora.

-->'''Bucky''': Maybe you're wrong, Zemo. The serum never corrupted Steve.
-->'''Zemo''': Touché. But there has never been another Steve Rogers, has there?

---> ''[[IWasBeatenByAGirl They]] [[BadassNormal weren't]] [[HeroicBSOD even super-soldiers]].''

---> '''John Walker:''' [[{{Hypocrite}} The Dora Milaje don't have jurisdiction here.]]\\

--> '''Bucky:''' Wanna see what someone can do with leverage?

--> '''Older Bystander:''' It's the [[BrickJoke Black Falcon!]]
--> '''Younger Bystander:''' Nah, that's Captain America!

* Bucky and Sam also get to participate against the Dora Milaje and despite not trying to harm them at all, they still managed to put up more of a fight than John and Lemar, demonstrating that the Dora Milaje may be the most badass woman crew around, but the Avengers are STILL the world's greatest hero for a reason.

-->'''Zemo''': Touché. But there has never been another Steve Rogers, has there?* Walker makes the mistake of touching Ayo's shoulder without permission. She demonstrates his mistake by putting him on the floor in a few moves, and not letting up from there.

* Walker makes the mistake of touching Ayo's shoulder without permission. She demonstrates his mistake by putting him on the floor in a few moves, and not letting up from there.

* Bucky demonstrates the big difference between the Flag-Smashers, who are [[UnskilledButStrong civilian revolutionaries given super soldier serum]], and [[StrongAndSkilled himself,]] who was a trained soldier ''before'' he was given a variant of the serum and a cybernetic upgrade, and then spent half a century honing his skills as a master assassin. The results are several [[CurbStompBattle decidedly one-sided fights]], especially the poor sod who tries to get into a knife-fight with [[KnifeNut him]]. The only Flag-Smasher who lays a finger on Bucky is Karli, and only by sucker-punching him when he drops from a balcony.

** Speaking of which, John going up against the Flag Smashers is nothing short of [[CatharsisFactor cathartic]], since he had every reason ([[ItsPersonal personal]] or [[ByTheBookCop otherwise]]) to go after them. And he gets to show that while he's not at Steve or Bucky's level in skill, he STILL was one of the best fighters the U.S. had and was chosen to be Captain America for that reason. He beats multiple Flag Smashers at once and delivers a CurbStompBattle on Karli,[[NoSell No Selling]] any fortunate blows she managed to land while every blow he lands on her sends her back. The only reason she knocks him down long enough to escape

* Sam and Bucky (eventually) use teamwork to take Walker down. Bucky's gets Walker's shieldbearing arm in a pin, and Sam uses his jetpack to fly forward, applying enough force to break Walker's arm and strip the shield from him. That's right. While holding back and not trying to kill, Falcon and Winter Soldier defeated a man who was close to Captain America's level and giving it his all and trying to outright murder them.

* Bucky and Sam also get to participate against the Dora Milaje and despite not trying to harm them at all, they still managed to put up more of a fight than John and Lemar, demonstrating that the Dora Milaje may be the most badass woman crew around, but the Avengers are NOT to be taken lightly either.

* Sam and Bucky (eventually) use teamwork to take Walker down. Bucky's gets Walker's shieldbearing arm in a pin, and Sam uses his jetpack to fly forward, applying enough force to break Walker's arm and strip the shield from him. Notably, they weren't trying to kill Walker, yet they still managed to beat the man who had become close to Steve's level.

** Speaking of which, John going up against the Flag Smashers is nothing short of [[CatharsisFactor cathartic]], since he had every reason ([[ItsPersonal personal]] or [[ByTheBookCop otherwise]]) to go after them. Getting a few good hits on Karli is icing on the cake.

* Bucky [[NoSell effortlessly catching]] the piece of rebar that Karli throws at him in one last attempt to kill him. The look on his face afterwards clearly shows how unimpressed he is with her dirty fighting tactics.

* Sam and Bucky (eventually) use teamwork to take Walker down. Bucky's gets Walker's shieldbearing arm in a pin, and Sam uses his jetpack to fly forward, applying enough force to break Walker's arm and strip the shield from him.

** Bucky preventing Sam from suffering the same fate as Nico, just as John Walker is about to attack Sam in the same manner with the shield.

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* It's subtle, but it turns out that his years of being a counselor for soldiers has enabled Sam [[TheProfiler to get a rather good read on those around him]]. He calls out Zemo on [[CharacterTic doing his "stupid head tilt"]] whenever he tries to play mind games, and based on Zemo's reaction, it was something that he wasn't even aware that he does. He later flips Zemo's argument on wanting to kill all super soldiers by making him acknowledging that he sounds eerily similar to the idea of "playing God" that he always denounces. This actually shuts Zemo up and the man can't muster any response whatsoever because he realizes that Sam is completely right. He pulls this same kind of ploy on Karli Morgenthau during their conversation, making her realize (however briefly) that her current ideology of seeing certain people as "roadblocks" to her goals actually makes her very similar to the "supremacists" that she's fighting.

* In the "Join" trailer, Sam throws Cap's shield at Karli, who proceeds to ''kick it away''. The only other person who was able to stop Cap's shield when it was in motion was [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier Bucky]] and that was only because of his cybernetic arm.

** Sam is shown [[TrainingFromHell practicing the maneuvers]] needed to wield Captain America's vibranium shield. While his voice-over implies he still feels he's not up to the task, his agility in moving suggests he's almost there.

** Sam once said "I do what [Captain America] does just slower". This scene reminds us that he really can do ''[[NotHyperbole what Captain America did]]''.
** At several points Sam manages to chase and catch up with high-speed helicopters and transport planes, which are rated for speeds over 500mph. Sam is just a guy with a backpack, no PowerArmor or SuperSerum, and yet this guy who has both [[ComicBook/IronMan his]] [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica predecessors']] weaknesses and none of their strengths can do just fine withstanding those speeds and kick copious amounts of ass.

* In a villainous example, Bucky’s nightmare of him carrying out an assassination mission as the Winter Soldier is incredible to watch, with it starting off with him ''[[BarrierBustingBlow pulling a guard through a wall with his cybernetic arm]]'', and stabbing, shooting and impaling the other guards with complete ease. It looks like a scene straight out of ''Franchise/JohnWick'' and reminds the audience why the Winter Soldier was a name that [[TheDreaded people were afraid to mention in public]].
* Part of Bucky's attempts at coming to terms with his time as the [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Winter Soldier]] involves him, [[VigilanteMan apparently of his own initiative]], dismantling and exposing the many ex-HYDRA and HYDRA associated people he helped empower.
-->'''Bucky''': I am no longer the Winter Soldier. I am James Bucky Barnes. And you're part of my efforts to make amends. ''([[TheUnsmile smiles]])''

* In a rare case of VillainousUnderdog dealing TheWorfEffect, the Flag-Smashers' transport mission (where they are engaged by Sam and Bucky, later reinforced by John Walker and Lemar Hoskins) succeeds. These are possibly amateur civilians whose primary advantage is having super soldier serum, and they are going up against trained military operatives (with two being bona-fide Avengers). They still manage to give them difficulty and get away scot-free.

** He mentions that he once faced off against Bucky as the Winter Soldier in South Korea in 1951 and, in his words, "[[BadassBoast whupped [Bucky's] ass]]" and took half of his metal arm. To put that in perspective, Steve Rogers beat Bucky solo in the helicarriers above the Triskellion, but it was a grueling battle. In ''[[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar Civil War]]'', a brainwashed Bucky quickly took Cap down (albeit when Cap was reluctant to fight), went through a gauntlet of Falcon, Tony Stark (sans armor), Black Widow, Agent 13, and Black Panther, and still couldn't be taken down. Bradley beat Bucky solo, when Bucky was in his prime. Tells you the levels of badassery this old super soldier had.
** As Isaiah explains the torment he was subjected to, he vents his frustration by hurling a tobacco tin at such force that it imbeds itself into the wall. It's physical proof of the horrific treatment he just described to Sam, but also shows that even in his advanced age he's still immensely strong. Yes, this is definitely a man who was capable of going toe-to-toe with the dreaded Winter Soldier.
** It’s not clarified what Winter Soldier’s mission back then was, but given as it took place during the Korean War and HYDRA’s methods are to escalate conflicts, Bradley defeating the Soldier may have singlehandedly prevented World War III.
** The very first thing Bucky tells Sam about Isaiah during his introduction? That the man was one of the very few heroes HYDRA legitimately feared, as much as Steve Rogers. Coming from Bucky, this says it all before even learning what he did.

* Bucky breaking Zemo out of prison before he can finish explaining it to Sam. The plan to break Zemo out is itself also quite impressive. It involves Bucky starting a prison riot by making one paranoid inmate think someone is going to kill him. Zemo then takes advantage of the ensuing chaos to impersonate a guard and escape.

* A mysterious sniper takes out Zemo's contact before she can kill our heroes, and keeps helping them out as bounty hunters chase them through the street. After all that buildup, it turns out this is the return of Sharon Carter.

* Another Zemo moment - he mostly manages to take down Karli Morgenthau, who was posing a major threat to Sam and Bucky, with [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim a gun]]. He lets her escape, but by then she's dropped the remaining vials of the Super Soldier Serum. He apparently smashes all but one of the remaining vials... which is taken by Walker, who goes completely off the rails and murders a Flag-Smasher in public, which will no doubt put a stain on their perception of super soldiers. With the scientist behind the serum dead and his lab destroyed, and the only other vial fueling a now crazed Walker, Zemo [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar once again]] wins the battle he wants to win.

** Sam actually warns Walker that he'd have a better chance taking Bucky (a super soldier with a cybernetic arm) than the Dora Milaje, and we very quickly realize [[CurbStompBattle he's not kidding in the slightest]]. Remember, [[BadassArmy the Dora Milaje]] [[Film/AvengersEndgame fought in the Battle of Earth]] and these survived.

** On a subtler note: after subduing John Walker, one unnamed Dora Milaje takes the shield by stepping on its edge and flipping it to her hand--the exact move Steve Rogers did in his iconic elevator fight scene in ''[[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier The Winter Soldier]]''. It helps hammer home to Walker how much of an InadequateInheritor he is that a random Wakandan female warrior one-ups him with ''Steve's'' SignatureMove, and it's done with [[ShowDontTell no words]].

* Although it falls squarely into NightmareFuel due to the context of the scene, John's Super Soldier Serum enhanced-prowess is something to behold. He at one point kicks a Flag-Smasher across a hallway and down a flight of stairs, and then defeats him by bending a metal bar around his arm.
* In a previous scene, John taunts Sam by saying he should put down the shield to 'make this a fair fight.' Come the brawl with the Flag Smashers, and Sam proves that you don't need the serum to go toe-to-toe with a bunch of Super Soldiers.
* It's subtle, but it turns out that his years of being a counselor for soldiers has enabled Sam [[TheProfiler to get a rather good read on those around him]]. He calls out Zemo on [[CharacterTic doing his "stupid head tilt"]] whenever he tries to play mind games, and based on Zemo's reaction it was something he wasn't even aware that he does. He later flips Zemo's argument on wanting to kill all super soldiers by making him acknowledging that he sounds eerily similar to the idea of "playing God" that he always denounces. This actually shuts Zemo up and the man can't muster any response whatsoever because he realizes that Sam is completely right. He pulls this same kind of ploy on Karli Morgenthau during their conversation, making her realize (however briefly) that her current ideology of seeing certain people as "roadblocks" to her goals actually makes her very similar to the "supremacists" she's fighting.

** And yet, Bucky manages to get one over Zemo anyway; when he fires the gun at Zemo, it just clicks empty. Bucky then opens up his vibranium hand and drops the gun's bullets to the ground, proving to Zemo that he's not the kind of man Zemo thinks he is before the Dora Milaje shows up to finally take Zemo away. Credit to Zemo too, as he accepts that with absolute nonchalance, giving Bucky advice and having a friendly parting.
* Sam's TrainingMontage with the shield ([[AwesomeMusic/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier all while]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KieJPHRHlBc Louisiana Hero]], as a ThemeMusicPowerUp is playing) is impressive. He did well with the basics, but it took him a while to master the more advanced maneuvers he'd need to perform if he were to take it up for real. [[Franchise/StarWars Master them, he did]].
* The ending of the episode. [[DarkestHour Karli and the Flag Smashers are about to attack the GRC, with extra equipment and reinforcement from Batroc. Their plan moves into motion when the power goes out as the GRC is having their final debate.]] But little do they know that Sam has been soul-searching, exercising, and mastering the Mighty Shield. The episode ends as Sam opens the case Bucky gave him, ready to use it against the Flag Smashers. Everything is in place for a BigDamnHeroes moment... and [[HesBack the true return of Captain America]].

* At one point in Sam's rematch with Batroc, his shield gets knocked away, but then he uses the 'step-on-the-shield's-edge-to-bring-it-up' move that Steven and Yama the Dora Milaje used, only it's now an offensive move to momentarily stun Batroc. It not only solidifies that Sam has mastered the shield, it also symbolizes that he is now truly Captain America in skill and ability.

** The best part is that Walker is once again being filmed by civilians, meaning everyone will get to see the good parts along with the bad, and know that there is a chance for him to redeem himself.
** Speaking of which, John going up against the Flag Smashers is nothing short of [[CatharsisFactor cathartic]] since he had every reason ([[ItsPersonal personal]] or [[ByTheBookCop otherwise]]) to go after them. Getting a few good hits on Karli is icing on the cake.

*** A [[FreezeFrameBonus blink-or-you'll-miss-it frame]] earlier in the sequence reveals that this particular hostage happens to be a [[BadassInDistress former active duty captain in the Philippine Air Force]].

* Bucky [[NoSell effortlessly catching]] the piece of rebar Karli throws at him in one last attempt to kill him. The look on his face afterwards clearly shows how unimpressed he is with her dirty fighting tactics.

** Even better is the fact that [[PatrickStewartSpeech this speech]] is the moment that cements Sam as the true successor to Steve Rogers, after John Walker tried and failed to live up to his legacy. It doesn't matter whether or not one is a super soldier or a military hero - Captain America is first and foremost about being a symbol of decency and moral authority. Sam not only embodies those ideals every bit as well as Steve, he got the entire world to recognize and accept it.

* Sam's speech to the GRC bigwigs is ''magnificent.'' He deftly unites his past and future struggles as a black man, as Captain America, with those of the Flag-Smashers, and shames them into backing down and using their power and influence to help the refugees as well as still acknowledging the struggles of those who were Blipped. The icing on the cake is that it was televised; doing anything else would have been political suicide. The fact that the main point is very much applicable to real-world politics just makes it hit even harder.

* Conversely, there was clearly a conscious decision to ''not'' advertise the fact that the show had managed to scoop up big star Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus, and keep it a total secret until the episode's release (up to and including literally smuggling her onto the set [[https://twitter.com/OfficialJLD/status/1385704433535750144 dressed in a black cloak]], similar to what they did for Creator/EvanPeters in ''Series/WandaVision''), a level of restraint not often seen in this franchise that makes the scene far more impactful.

* Conversely, there was clearly a conscious decision to ''not'' advertise the fact that the show had managed to scoop up big star Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus, and keep it a total secret until the episode's release (up to and including literally smuggling her onto the set [[https://twitter.com/OfficialJLD/status/1385704433535750144 dressed in a black cloak]]), a level of restraint not often seen in this franchise that makes the scene far more impactful.

* The end credit scene is a major one for [[KarmaHoudini Sharon.]] She gets her pardon, and is reinstated into her old job. So does she give up being the Power Broker? Hell no! She's going to use her connections to funnel dangerous material to the black market and make an even bigger fortune. And everyone who knows she's the Power Broker is either working for her or dead.
* Sam getting Isaiah Bradley his own exhibit in the Smithsonian, ensuring that his history will never be erased and he will never be forgotten. And in a FreezeFrameBonus, the plaque for the exhibit pulls absolutely no punches in calling out the injustice of how the government treated him.

* Conversely, there was clearly a conscious decision to ''not'' advertise the fact that the show had managed to scoop up big star Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus, and keep it a total secret until the episode's release, a level of restraint not often seen in this franchise that makes the scene far more impactful.

[[caption-width-right:350: Ladies and gentlemen, your new, and ''true'' Captain America.]]

** Many viewers noted just how ethereal Sam looked in this scene, thanks in large part to his wings and the spotlights constantly illuminating him from behind. He's quite literally an [[{{Pun}} Avenging Angel!!]]

** In the first rescue, he has Redwing grab one of the pilots as the chopper spins out of control, while he rescues the other and gets them safely onto a nearby road bridge. He then proceeds to use his new vibranium wings and the shield to protect himself and the rescued pilot from the impact of the helicopter as it glances past them and skids into the water.

* Sam rescuing an armored van full of GRC hostages from falling several stories, [[Film/SupermanTheMovie Superman]]-style, made even more impressive by the fact that he has no powers, simply using his jetpack, a pair of jet-powered drones and pure willpower.

* Sam's speech to the GRC bigwigs is ''magnificent.'' He deftly unites his past and future struggles as a black man, as Captain America, with those of the Flag-Smashers, and shames them into backing down and using their power and influence to help the refugees as well as still acknowledging the struggles of those who were Blipped. The icing on the cake is that it was televised; doing anything else would have been political suicide. The fact that the main point is very much applicable to real-world politics, just makes it hit even harder.