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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e58fe7fbd439804abb8b1bd028e13279.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:So wait, who's Falcon and who's Redwing again?]]

Samuel Thomas "Sam" Wilson, also known as The Falcon, is a Creator/MarvelComics superhero introduced in ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' #117 (September 1969), notable for being the first African-American superhero in mainstream American comics.[[note]]Sam was edged out by the ComicBook/BlackPanther as the first ''black'' superhero, but both debuted almost two years before the [[ComicBook/NewGods Black Racer]] and [[ComicBook/GreenLantern John Stewart]] would be introduced over at Creator/DCComics.[[/note]]

Born and raised in Harlem, UsefulNotes/{{New York|City}}, Sam was originally written as a social worker who joined up with Captain America. Later, the story was that while he was initially a happy child and quite fond of birds, as a teen, his experiences with racism and [[ParentalAbandonment his parents' deaths]] made him bitter, jaded, and angry. Leaving his past behind him, he becomes [[{{Retcon}} "Snap" Wilson, a professional criminal, gang member, and pimp]], who was brainwashed by the Red Skull into believing the ''original'' origin detailed above, in order to get close to Captain America after they were stranded on the Isle of Exiles. However, Sam himself doubted that story, and was eventually able to tell the Red Skull's daughter, Sin, the truth: he was a social worker who'd been stranded on the Isle of Exiles, who'd saved Steve's life and helped him escape. The ''true'' fake memories implanted by the Red Skull were those of him being a criminal, a plot he concocted to discredit Sam, counting on the fact that no one would question a black man from Harlem having a shady past. This was done by the Cosmic Cube, which the Red Skull had possession of.

The cube also gives him an empathic link with Redwing, his pet falcon and crimefighting partner, giving him an ability to communicate with him telepathically and see through his pet's eyes. This ability will eventually be trained to work with any bird that is near him.

Sam met [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Steve Rogers]], who encouraged to stand against the Red Skull's evil. After extensive gymnastics and hand-to-hand combat training by Captain America, Sam Wilson dubbed himself the Falcon. With Cap and Redwing, Falcon defeated the Red Skull and would return with them to Harlem. While working as a social worker, Falcon continued being a hero, protecting his neighborhood from crime. Eventually, he formed a long-time partnership with Captain America and received a specialized winged-harness that allows him to fly from the ComicBook/BlackPanther.

Falcon and Redwing would go to become members of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Super Agents, [[ComicBook/TheAvengers the Avengers]], [[Comicbook/TheDefenders the Defenders]], and the Heroes for Hire. Initially appearing alongside Captain America in ''Captain America and The Falcon'', Sam would star in his own limited series, ''The Falcon'', in 1983. He was invited to rejoin the Avengers during ComicBook/MarvelNOW.

In 2014, Sam Wilson became a [[LegacyCharacter legacy]] ComicBook/CaptainAmerica after Steve Rogers lost his powers, and a second Falcon debuted not long after. This Falcon was a Mexican teenager named Joaquin Torres, who received powers after being experimented on by a MadScientist. Even after Steve regained his strength, Sam held on to the mantle and shield until 2017 and the fallout from Secret Empire, after which he returned to the Falcon codename with a new look (and a new series).

Also in 2014, a version of Sam Wilson entered the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', portrayed by Creator/AnthonyMackie. The MCU Falcon has yet another completely different origin: as an Afghanistan War veteran turned PTSD counsellor, who flies using a one-man powered wingsuit that he used during his military service and subsequently "liberated". In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', he became the new Captain America after Steve Rogers retired, much like his comic-book counterpart. Joaquin Torres also makes his MCU debut in the latter series, played by Danny Ramirez; Torres is depicted as an intelligence officer for the Air Force, with hints of taking up the Falcon mantle later on.

----
!! Sam Wilson appears in:

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* ''Captain America and The Falcon Vol. 1'' (1971)
* ''Falcon'' (1983)
* ''Captain America and the Falcon Vol. 2'' (2004)
* ''All-New Captain America'' (2014)
* ''All-New Captain America: Fear Him'' Infinite Comic (2014)
* ''Captain America and the Mighty Avengers'' (2014)
* ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' (2015)
* ''The Falcon'' (2017)
* ''ComicBook/FalconAndWinterSoldier''

[[AC:Anime]]
* ''Anime/MarvelDiskWarsTheAvengers''

[[AC:Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse]]
* Played by Creator/AnthonyMackie:
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' (2014)
** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' (2015)
** ''Film/AntMan1'' (2015)
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' (2016)
** ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' (2018)
** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' (2019)
** ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' (2021)
** ''Captain America 4'' (TBD)

[[AC:Video Game]]
* ''VideoGame/MarvelFutureFight''
* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder''

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperHeroSquadShow''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes''
* ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble''

!! Joaquin Torres appears in:

[[AC:Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse]]
* Played by Danny Ramirez:
** ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' (2021)

----
!! Tropes shared by both Falcons include:

* AnimalEyeSpy: Both Sam and Joaquin have a PsychicLink with Redwing. Redwing acts as a sort of messenger between the two of them. Sam can also telepathically communicate with birds.
* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: Both Sam and Joaquin are Type 1 (Animal Abilities). Sam can communicate with birds and Joaquin is a human-bird hybrid.
* IBelieveICanFly: Sam, both as Falcon and Captain America, via retractable, metallic wings. Joaquin Torres, too, as the new Falcon, though his DNA having been spliced with Redwing's grants him actual flight-capable wings.
* LegacyCharacter:
** Sam briefly became Captain America when he thought Cap was dead. He [[AffirmativeActionLegacy did it again]] courtesy of Comicbook/MarvelNOW.
** ''[[ComicBook/NickSpencersCaptainAmerica Captain America: Sam Wilson]]'' sees the gradual introduction of Joaquin Torres, a young Mexican American man who unwittingly fell victim to a DNA splicing with Redwing courtesy of a MadScientist, a process that soon turns out to be irreversible due to Redwing's rather [[OurVampiresAreDifferent unique physiology]], but that grants him a host of abilities, including the power of flight. Said gradual introduction culminates into Joaquin becoming the new Falcon and Sam's sidekick in issue 5.

[[folder:Sam Wilson]]
!!Sam Wilson
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/falcon_captain_america_marvel_comics_h3.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see as Captain America.]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1509448_xl.jpg]] [[/labelnote]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Samuel Thomas "Sam" Wilson
!!! '''Notable Aliases:''' "Snap" Wilson, Falcon, Blackwing, Blackbird, Captain America
!!! '''First Apperance:''' As Falcon: ''Captain America'' #117 (September 1969); As Captain America: ''All-New Captain America'' #1 (November 2014)

A social worker turned hero, Sam Wilson's bleak outlook on life was wiped away the day he met Captain America. Using a winged costume and his remarkable combat prowess and avian telepathy, he became the Falcon - defender of Harlem.
----
* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange: Every adaptation of the character from ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' onwards drops the "talks to birds" angle, instead making him a non-powered guy with a flight pack. Redwing nowadays tends to be a robotic drone that's part of his flight pack rather than a flesh-and-blood bird.
* AffirmativeActionLegacy: [[https://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/marvel-comes-to--the-colbert-report--to-announce-a-new-captain-america-sam-wilson-071950016.html Sam]] replaced Steve Rogers as ComicBook/CaptainAmerica after Steve lost his powers.
** Unfortunately, the most likely FanNickname of "Captain Falcon" [[VideoGame/FZero is already taken]].
* AngryBlackMan: Mainly before he became a hero. He can occasionally channel this vibe nowadays, but it's not really anger so much as it's exasperation with Steve's or Bucky's or Ian's antics, or having to educate someone about African-American history.
* BadassNormal
* BigBrotherMentor: To Bucky Cap.
* BuildingSwing: This was originally how The Falcon got around, with a glove with a built-in grappling hook launcher. This was discontinued when he got his flying wing harness.
* TheCape: Almost to the level of Cap himself. Sam is, through and through, a good person and that's all the more noticeable when he's in uniform.
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: His psychic connection to birds is his only inherent superpower. His ability to fly (which he uses much more frequently in combat) is from the winged harness in his suit.
* ColorCharacter: Notably averted. Falcon was the first black hero not to have "Black" in his name.
* FakeMemories: Due to the effects of the Cosmic Cube. For the longest time, no one was sure if the actual Fake Memories were of Sam's family or of Sam's time as the pimp "Snap" Wilson. ''All-New Captain America'' #3 ultimately chooses the "Snap" Wilson memories as the fake ones, with Sam saying that they were lies the Red Skull concocted to discredit him. Christopher Priest had a government agent point out that this was almost certainly the case, since Sam was able to get a social worker's license YEARS before it was made explicit.
* FamilyThemeNaming: Sam and his sister and brother, Sarah and Gideon, all have names from the Bible, as their father was a minister.
* {{Fanboy}}: To Isaiah Bradley, the InUniverse first ever African-American superhero who becomes Captain America. Sam is among several African-American heroes, along with [[ComicBook/LukeCageHeroForHire Luke Cage]], Goliath (Bill Foster), [[ComicBook/CaptainMarVell Monica Rambeau]], and Triathlon; who are gleefully surprised when Isaiah arrives as a special guest at the wedding of ComicBook/{{Storm}} and ComicBook/BlackPanther.
* FeatherFlechettes: Has this ability in multiple adaptations starting with ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperheroSquadShow'', but hasn't as of yet been able to do this in the comics.
* TheGadfly: His method of protesting being the token black member of the Avengers. He's mellowed out somewhat in recent times.
* HardLight: The Falcon's Wakandan-made costume has hard light wings.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: One would think being able to talk to birds would be a useless power, until you remember that basically means he has a massive spy network ''everywhere''. It's been said that his birds make for a better information source than ComicBook/NickFury's spies. After all, who pays attention to whether there's a ''bird'' nearby?
* HeroWithBadPublicity: It's been a major theme in his days as Captain America, his openness about his views on politics caused so much outrage that superheroes such as U.S.Agent were sent after him to reclaim the shield. (Notably, U.S. Agent, despite not agreeing with Sam's politics, refused the job until asked to do so by Steve Rogers himself.)
* HyperCompetentSidekick: In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', The Falcon manages to hold his own very competently in many situations that gave ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and ComicBook/BlackWidow trouble and is never once a burden to the situation, many of which he wasn't trained for, although it can go almost unnoticed because he's OvershadowedByAwesome.
* JiveTurkey: Subverted and played for laughs after the Falcon is more or less forced to join the Avengers by Henry Gyrich (who wanted to make it more ethnically diverse), he speaks this way on purpose to annoy him.
** PunnyName: He is, in fact, an uncle.
* NonHumanSidekick: Redwing, his pet falcon.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Redwing thanks to Baron Blood. However this avian vampire is much different than those of the mammalian variety.
* OutsideGenreFoe: Blackheart and Deacon Frost in the 2017–18 limited series. Rayshaun Lucas, a.k.a. Patriot II, lampshades this trope for the former and played with for the latter as Sam had some experience dealing with vampires when he fought Baron Blood as Captain America.
* ParentalAbandonment: His father was killed trying to break up a neighborhood fight. His mom was killed in a mugging two years later.
* ThePrankster
* PrimaryColorChampion: As Captain America.
* PsychicLink: He has it with birds.
* RazorWings: Those things are ''sharp''. He's used them as blades on occasion, and adaptations like to give him FeatherFlechettes.
* RedIsHeroic: His second costume is predominantly red, and even his later ones still retain it.
* RetCanon: For a brief time, he wore the armored costume he sported in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand''. More recently, he's had many different costumes based on his MCU outfit.
* TheReveal: He was initially introduced as an enthusiastic social worker. However, it was later [[{{Retcon}} revealed]] that [[spoiler:this was a Cosmic Cube–induced reality warp and he was really a professional criminal, gang member, and racketeer before the warp.]] [[CanonDiscontinuity Decades later, this was revealed to be a ruse by the Red Skull.]]
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Can talk to birds.
* SuperheroPackingHeat: The [[ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Ultimate]] and [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] versions of Falcon use guns.
* SuperSenses: The Falcon's mask gives him telescopic, night, and infrared vision.
* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Sam is very fond of Bucky... just not of Bucky's plans.
* Main/MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Overlapping with Main/TheUglyGuysHotDaughter: Falcon has a fling with Arnim Zola’s very hot young daughter Jet.
* TokenBlack:
** In-universe, he was added to the Avengers because [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Gyrich]] insisted that the team should have more black members; he didn't actually want to join. In fact, [[LockedOutOfTheLoop he had no idea he had been made an Avenger until Cap showed up to fetch him for his first mission]]. He wasn't too happy about all this, and made his feelings pretty clear on the matter.
** He was the sole black member of the team in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand''. He's also the sole non-white Avenger (as well as the only one not present in the [[Film/TheAvengers2012 live-action movie]]) in ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble''.
* TokenBlackFriend: To the first Captain America.
* TheWormGuy: His ComicBook/UltimateMarvel version.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Joaquin Torres]]
!!Joaquin Torres
[[quoteright:214:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5131955_falcon.jpg]]

!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Joaquin Torres
!!! '''Notable Aliases:'''
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' #1 (December, 2015) [[note]]Photograph[[/note]]; ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' #3 (January, 2016) [[note]]Full appearance[[/note]]; ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' #6 (April, 2016) [[note]]As Falcon[[/note]]

A young man who became the new Falcon after being experimented on by Doctor Mallus. After being imbued with Redwing's DNA, Joaquin was unable to change back due to his new healing factor, courtesy of Redwing's vampiric nature.
----
* AffirmativeActionLegacy: A Mexican taking the identity of an African-American.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Freshly gene-spliced, Joaquin Torres expectedly looks forward to being cured so that he can go home to his mom. He brightens up considerably upon the realization that he can fly, which is probably a good thing, since his condition has currently been diagnosed as incurable due to the potent vampirism-related HealingFactor he's also acquired (what side-effects, if any, are still being explored).
* LegacyCharacter: Second person to take the Falcon identity.
* VagueAge: Joaquin's age was rather vague before it was eventually number-dropped to be 17. That he helped boarder crossing Mexicans with clean water and supplies makes him seem as if he would be older, but he's constantly referred to as a kid by Sam, Misty, and most who refer to him directly. That in itself is vague, since some adults will refer to others who are younger then themselves as a "kid" well into that person's late teens or early twenties. Even after we finally got a few scenes from Joaquin's point of view, it's wasn't made much clearer; despite having some tendencies expected of a teenager, by and large Joaquin has a profound and intelligent mind and is very politically and socially minded, somewhat belying of what you'd expect from most 17-year-olds. Lastly, he has quite the [[HeroicBuild muscular physique]] on him, another obscurer of age, since you never can tell if TeensAreShort is being played straight or not (whether he got this physique as part of being spliced or if he had it beforehand, too, and to what extent if so, isn't clear, since he never had a clear appearance before he was revealed as spliced).
* WingedHumanoid: Unlike Sam's mechanical wings, he has actual wings thanks to being experimented on.
[[/folder]]
----

to:

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e58fe7fbd439804abb8b1bd028e13279.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:So wait, who's Falcon and who's Redwing again?]]

Samuel Thomas "Sam" Wilson, also known as The Falcon, is a Creator/MarvelComics superhero introduced in ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' #117 (September 1969), notable for being the first African-American superhero in mainstream American comics.[[note]]Sam was edged out by the ComicBook/BlackPanther as the first ''black'' superhero, but both debuted almost two years before the [[ComicBook/NewGods Black Racer]] and [[ComicBook/GreenLantern John Stewart]] would be introduced over at Creator/DCComics.[[/note]]

Born and raised in Harlem, UsefulNotes/{{New York|City}}, Sam was originally written as a social worker who joined up with Captain America. Later, the story was that while he was initially a happy child and quite fond of birds, as a teen, his experiences with racism and [[ParentalAbandonment his parents' deaths]] made him bitter, jaded, and angry. Leaving his past behind him, he becomes [[{{Retcon}} "Snap" Wilson, a professional criminal, gang member, and pimp]], who was brainwashed by the Red Skull into believing the ''original'' origin detailed above, in order to get close to Captain America after they were stranded on the Isle of Exiles. However, Sam himself doubted that story, and was eventually able to tell the Red Skull's daughter, Sin, the truth: he was a social worker who'd been stranded on the Isle of Exiles, who'd saved Steve's life and helped him escape. The ''true'' fake memories implanted by the Red Skull were those of him being a criminal, a plot he concocted to discredit Sam, counting on the fact that no one would question a black man from Harlem having a shady past. This was done by the Cosmic Cube, which the Red Skull had possession of.

The cube also gives him an empathic link with Redwing, his pet falcon and crimefighting partner, giving him an ability to communicate with him telepathically and see through his pet's eyes. This ability will eventually be trained to work with any bird that is near him.

Sam met [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Steve Rogers]], who encouraged to stand against the Red Skull's evil. After extensive gymnastics and hand-to-hand combat training by Captain America, Sam Wilson dubbed himself the Falcon. With Cap and Redwing, Falcon defeated the Red Skull and would return with them to Harlem. While working as a social worker, Falcon continued being a hero, protecting his neighborhood from crime. Eventually, he formed a long-time partnership with Captain America and received a specialized winged-harness that allows him to fly from the ComicBook/BlackPanther.

Falcon and Redwing would go to become members of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Super Agents, [[ComicBook/TheAvengers the Avengers]], [[Comicbook/TheDefenders the Defenders]], and the Heroes for Hire. Initially appearing alongside Captain America in ''Captain America and The Falcon'', Sam would star in his own limited series, ''The Falcon'', in 1983. He was invited to rejoin the Avengers during ComicBook/MarvelNOW.

In 2014, Sam Wilson became a [[LegacyCharacter legacy]] ComicBook/CaptainAmerica after Steve Rogers lost his powers, and a second Falcon debuted not long after. This Falcon was a Mexican teenager named Joaquin Torres, who received powers after being experimented on by a MadScientist. Even after Steve regained his strength, Sam held on to the mantle and shield until 2017 and the fallout from Secret Empire, after which he returned to the Falcon codename with a new look (and a new series).

Also in 2014, a version of Sam Wilson entered the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', portrayed by Creator/AnthonyMackie. The MCU Falcon has yet another completely different origin: as an Afghanistan War veteran turned PTSD counsellor, who flies using a one-man powered wingsuit that he used during his military service and subsequently "liberated". In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', he became the new Captain America after Steve Rogers retired, much like his comic-book counterpart. Joaquin Torres also makes his MCU debut in the latter series, played by Danny Ramirez; Torres is depicted as an intelligence officer for the Air Force, with hints of taking up the Falcon mantle later on.

----
!! Sam Wilson appears in:

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* ''Captain America and The Falcon Vol. 1'' (1971)
* ''Falcon'' (1983)
* ''Captain America and the Falcon Vol. 2'' (2004)
* ''All-New Captain America'' (2014)
* ''All-New Captain America: Fear Him'' Infinite Comic (2014)
* ''Captain America and the Mighty Avengers'' (2014)
* ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' (2015)
* ''The Falcon'' (2017)
* ''ComicBook/FalconAndWinterSoldier''

[[AC:Anime]]
* ''Anime/MarvelDiskWarsTheAvengers''

[[AC:Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse]]
* Played by Creator/AnthonyMackie:
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' (2014)
** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' (2015)
** ''Film/AntMan1'' (2015)
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' (2016)
** ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' (2018)
** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' (2019)
** ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' (2021)
** ''Captain America 4'' (TBD)

[[AC:Video Game]]
* ''VideoGame/MarvelFutureFight''
* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder''

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperHeroSquadShow''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes''
* ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble''

!! Joaquin Torres appears in:

[[AC:Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse]]
* Played by Danny Ramirez:
** ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' (2021)

----
!! Tropes shared by both Falcons include:

* AnimalEyeSpy: Both Sam and Joaquin have a PsychicLink with Redwing. Redwing acts as a sort of messenger between the two of them. Sam can also telepathically communicate with birds.
* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: Both Sam and Joaquin are Type 1 (Animal Abilities). Sam can communicate with birds and Joaquin is a human-bird hybrid.
* IBelieveICanFly: Sam, both as Falcon and Captain America, via retractable, metallic wings. Joaquin Torres, too, as the new Falcon, though his DNA having been spliced with Redwing's grants him actual flight-capable wings.
* LegacyCharacter:
** Sam briefly became Captain America when he thought Cap was dead. He [[AffirmativeActionLegacy did it again]] courtesy of Comicbook/MarvelNOW.
** ''[[ComicBook/NickSpencersCaptainAmerica Captain America: Sam Wilson]]'' sees the gradual introduction of Joaquin Torres, a young Mexican American man who unwittingly fell victim to a DNA splicing with Redwing courtesy of a MadScientist, a process that soon turns out to be irreversible due to Redwing's rather [[OurVampiresAreDifferent unique physiology]], but that grants him a host of abilities, including the power of flight. Said gradual introduction culminates into Joaquin becoming the new Falcon and Sam's sidekick in issue 5.

[[folder:Sam Wilson]]
!!Sam Wilson
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/falcon_captain_america_marvel_comics_h3.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see as Captain America.]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1509448_xl.jpg]] [[/labelnote]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Samuel Thomas "Sam" Wilson
!!! '''Notable Aliases:''' "Snap" Wilson, Falcon, Blackwing, Blackbird, Captain America
!!! '''First Apperance:''' As Falcon: ''Captain America'' #117 (September 1969); As Captain America: ''All-New Captain America'' #1 (November 2014)

A social worker turned hero, Sam Wilson's bleak outlook on life was wiped away the day he met Captain America. Using a winged costume and his remarkable combat prowess and avian telepathy, he became the Falcon - defender of Harlem.
----
* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange: Every adaptation of the character from ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' onwards drops the "talks to birds" angle, instead making him a non-powered guy with a flight pack. Redwing nowadays tends to be a robotic drone that's part of his flight pack rather than a flesh-and-blood bird.
* AffirmativeActionLegacy: [[https://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/marvel-comes-to--the-colbert-report--to-announce-a-new-captain-america-sam-wilson-071950016.html Sam]] replaced Steve Rogers as ComicBook/CaptainAmerica after Steve lost his powers.
** Unfortunately, the most likely FanNickname of "Captain Falcon" [[VideoGame/FZero is already taken]].
* AngryBlackMan: Mainly before he became a hero. He can occasionally channel this vibe nowadays, but it's not really anger so much as it's exasperation with Steve's or Bucky's or Ian's antics, or having to educate someone about African-American history.
* BadassNormal
* BigBrotherMentor: To Bucky Cap.
* BuildingSwing: This was originally how The Falcon got around, with a glove with a built-in grappling hook launcher. This was discontinued when he got his flying wing harness.
* TheCape: Almost to the level of Cap himself. Sam is, through and through, a good person and that's all the more noticeable when he's in uniform.
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: His psychic connection to birds is his only inherent superpower. His ability to fly (which he uses much more frequently in combat) is from the winged harness in his suit.
* ColorCharacter: Notably averted. Falcon was the first black hero not to have "Black" in his name.
* FakeMemories: Due to the effects of the Cosmic Cube. For the longest time, no one was sure if the actual Fake Memories were of Sam's family or of Sam's time as the pimp "Snap" Wilson. ''All-New Captain America'' #3 ultimately chooses the "Snap" Wilson memories as the fake ones, with Sam saying that they were lies the Red Skull concocted to discredit him. Christopher Priest had a government agent point out that this was almost certainly the case, since Sam was able to get a social worker's license YEARS before it was made explicit.
* FamilyThemeNaming: Sam and his sister and brother, Sarah and Gideon, all have names from the Bible, as their father was a minister.
* {{Fanboy}}: To Isaiah Bradley, the InUniverse first ever African-American superhero who becomes Captain America. Sam is among several African-American heroes, along with [[ComicBook/LukeCageHeroForHire Luke Cage]], Goliath (Bill Foster), [[ComicBook/CaptainMarVell Monica Rambeau]], and Triathlon; who are gleefully surprised when Isaiah arrives as a special guest at the wedding of ComicBook/{{Storm}} and ComicBook/BlackPanther.
* FeatherFlechettes: Has this ability in multiple adaptations starting with ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperheroSquadShow'', but hasn't as of yet been able to do this in the comics.
* TheGadfly: His method of protesting being the token black member of the Avengers. He's mellowed out somewhat in recent times.
* HardLight: The Falcon's Wakandan-made costume has hard light wings.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: One would think being able to talk to birds would be a useless power, until you remember that basically means he has a massive spy network ''everywhere''. It's been said that his birds make for a better information source than ComicBook/NickFury's spies. After all, who pays attention to whether there's a ''bird'' nearby?
* HeroWithBadPublicity: It's been a major theme in his days as Captain America, his openness about his views on politics caused so much outrage that superheroes such as U.S.Agent were sent after him to reclaim the shield. (Notably, U.S. Agent, despite not agreeing with Sam's politics, refused the job until asked to do so by Steve Rogers himself.)
* HyperCompetentSidekick: In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', The Falcon manages to hold his own very competently in many situations that gave ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and ComicBook/BlackWidow trouble and is never once a burden to the situation, many of which he wasn't trained for, although it can go almost unnoticed because he's OvershadowedByAwesome.
* JiveTurkey: Subverted and played for laughs after the Falcon is more or less forced to join the Avengers by Henry Gyrich (who wanted to make it more ethnically diverse), he speaks this way on purpose to annoy him.
** PunnyName: He is, in fact, an uncle.
* NonHumanSidekick: Redwing, his pet falcon.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Redwing thanks to Baron Blood. However this avian vampire is much different than those of the mammalian variety.
* OutsideGenreFoe: Blackheart and Deacon Frost in the 2017–18 limited series. Rayshaun Lucas, a.k.a. Patriot II, lampshades this trope for the former and played with for the latter as Sam had some experience dealing with vampires when he fought Baron Blood as Captain America.
* ParentalAbandonment: His father was killed trying to break up a neighborhood fight. His mom was killed in a mugging two years later.
* ThePrankster
* PrimaryColorChampion: As Captain America.
* PsychicLink: He has it with birds.
* RazorWings: Those things are ''sharp''. He's used them as blades on occasion, and adaptations like to give him FeatherFlechettes.
* RedIsHeroic: His second costume is predominantly red, and even his later ones still retain it.
* RetCanon: For a brief time, he wore the armored costume he sported in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand''. More recently, he's had many different costumes based on his MCU outfit.
* TheReveal: He was initially introduced as an enthusiastic social worker. However, it was later [[{{Retcon}} revealed]] that [[spoiler:this was a Cosmic Cube–induced reality warp and he was really a professional criminal, gang member, and racketeer before the warp.]] [[CanonDiscontinuity Decades later, this was revealed to be a ruse by the Red Skull.]]
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Can talk to birds.
* SuperheroPackingHeat: The [[ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Ultimate]] and [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] versions of Falcon use guns.
* SuperSenses: The Falcon's mask gives him telescopic, night, and infrared vision.
* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Sam is very fond of Bucky... just not of Bucky's plans.
* Main/MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Overlapping with Main/TheUglyGuysHotDaughter: Falcon has a fling with Arnim Zola’s very hot young daughter Jet.
* TokenBlack:
** In-universe, he was added to the Avengers because [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Gyrich]] insisted that the team should have more black members; he didn't actually want to join. In fact, [[LockedOutOfTheLoop he had no idea he had been made an Avenger until Cap showed up to fetch him for his first mission]]. He wasn't too happy about all this, and made his feelings pretty clear on the matter.
** He was the sole black member of the team in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand''. He's also the sole non-white Avenger (as well as the only one not present in the [[Film/TheAvengers2012 live-action movie]]) in ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble''.
* TokenBlackFriend: To the first Captain America.
* TheWormGuy: His ComicBook/UltimateMarvel version.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Joaquin Torres]]
!!Joaquin Torres
[[quoteright:214:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5131955_falcon.jpg]]

!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Joaquin Torres
!!! '''Notable Aliases:'''
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' #1 (December, 2015) [[note]]Photograph[[/note]]; ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' #3 (January, 2016) [[note]]Full appearance[[/note]]; ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' #6 (April, 2016) [[note]]As Falcon[[/note]]

A young man who became the new Falcon after being experimented on by Doctor Mallus. After being imbued with Redwing's DNA, Joaquin was unable to change back due to his new healing factor, courtesy of Redwing's vampiric nature.
----
* AffirmativeActionLegacy: A Mexican taking the identity of an African-American.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Freshly gene-spliced, Joaquin Torres expectedly looks forward to being cured so that he can go home to his mom. He brightens up considerably upon the realization that he can fly, which is probably a good thing, since his condition has currently been diagnosed as incurable due to the potent vampirism-related HealingFactor he's also acquired (what side-effects, if any, are still being explored).
* LegacyCharacter: Second person to take the Falcon identity.
* VagueAge: Joaquin's age was rather vague before it was eventually number-dropped to be 17. That he helped boarder crossing Mexicans with clean water and supplies makes him seem as if he would be older, but he's constantly referred to as a kid by Sam, Misty, and most who refer to him directly. That in itself is vague, since some adults will refer to others who are younger then themselves as a "kid" well into that person's late teens or early twenties. Even after we finally got a few scenes from Joaquin's point of view, it's wasn't made much clearer; despite having some tendencies expected of a teenager, by and large Joaquin has a profound and intelligent mind and is very politically and socially minded, somewhat belying of what you'd expect from most 17-year-olds. Lastly, he has quite the [[HeroicBuild muscular physique]] on him, another obscurer of age, since you never can tell if TeensAreShort is being played straight or not (whether he got this physique as part of being spliced or if he had it beforehand, too, and to what extent if so, isn't clear, since he never had a clear appearance before he was revealed as spliced).
* WingedHumanoid: Unlike Sam's mechanical wings, he has actual wings thanks to being experimented on.
[[/folder]]
----
[[redirect:Characters/MarvelComicsTheFalcon]]
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Also in 2014, a new version of the character entered the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', portrayed by Creator/AnthonyMackie. The MCU Falcon has yet another completely different origin: as an Afghanistan War veteran turned PTSD counsellor, who flies using a one-man powered wingsuit that he used during his military service and subsequently "liberated". In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', he became the new Captain America after Steve Rogers retired, much like his comic-book counterpart. Joaquin Torres also makes his MCU debut in the latter series, played by Danny Ramirez; Torres is depicted as an intelligence officer for the Air Force, with hints of taking up the Falcon mantle later on.

to:

Also in 2014, a new version of the character Sam Wilson entered the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', portrayed by Creator/AnthonyMackie. The MCU Falcon has yet another completely different origin: as an Afghanistan War veteran turned PTSD counsellor, who flies using a one-man powered wingsuit that he used during his military service and subsequently "liberated". In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', he became the new Captain America after Steve Rogers retired, much like his comic-book counterpart. Joaquin Torres also makes his MCU debut in the latter series, played by Danny Ramirez; Torres is depicted as an intelligence officer for the Air Force, with hints of taking up the Falcon mantle later on.

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In 2014, Sam Wilson became a [[LegacyCharacter legacy]] ComicBook/CaptainAmerica after Steve Rogers lost his powers. Even after Steve regained his strength, Sam held on to the mantle and shield until 2017 and the fallout from Secret Empire, after which he returned to the Falcon codename with a new look (and a new series).

Also in 2014, a new version of the character entered the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', portrayed by Creator/AnthonyMackie. The MCU Falcon has yet another completely different origin: as an Afghanistan War veteran turned PTSD counsellor, who flies using a one-man powered wingsuit that he used during his military service and subsequently "liberated". In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', he became the new Captain America after Steve Rogers retired, much like his comic-book counterpart.

to:

In 2014, Sam Wilson became a [[LegacyCharacter legacy]] ComicBook/CaptainAmerica after Steve Rogers lost his powers.powers, and a second Falcon debuted not long after. This Falcon was a Mexican teenager named Joaquin Torres, who received powers after being experimented on by a MadScientist. Even after Steve regained his strength, Sam held on to the mantle and shield until 2017 and the fallout from Secret Empire, after which he returned to the Falcon codename with a new look (and a new series).

Also in 2014, a new version of the character entered the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', portrayed by Creator/AnthonyMackie. The MCU Falcon has yet another completely different origin: as an Afghanistan War veteran turned PTSD counsellor, who flies using a one-man powered wingsuit that he used during his military service and subsequently "liberated". In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', he became the new Captain America after Steve Rogers retired, much like his comic-book counterpart.
counterpart. Joaquin Torres also makes his MCU debut in the latter series, played by Danny Ramirez; Torres is depicted as an intelligence officer for the Air Force, with hints of taking up the Falcon mantle later on.



!! The Falcon appears in:

to:

!! The Falcon Sam Wilson appears in:



!! Joaquin Torres appears in:

[[AC:Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse]]
* Played by Danny Ramirez:
** ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' (2021)



!! Tropes associated with The Falcon include:

to:

!! Tropes associated with The Falcon shared by both Falcons include:



A young man who became the new Falcon after being experimented on by Doctor Mallus. After being imbued with Redwings DNA, Joaquin was unable to change back due to his new healing factor, courtesy of Redwing's vampiric nature.

to:

A young man who became the new Falcon after being experimented on by Doctor Mallus. After being imbued with Redwings Redwing's DNA, Joaquin was unable to change back due to his new healing factor, courtesy of Redwing's vampiric nature.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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Also in 2014, a new version of the character entered the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', portrayed by Creator/AnthonyMackie. The MCU Falcon has yet another completely different origin: as an Afghanistan War veteran turned PTSD counsellor, who flies using a one-man powered wingsuit that he used during his military service and subsequently "liberated".

to:

Also in 2014, a new version of the character entered the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', portrayed by Creator/AnthonyMackie. The MCU Falcon has yet another completely different origin: as an Afghanistan War veteran turned PTSD counsellor, who flies using a one-man powered wingsuit that he used during his military service and subsequently "liberated".
"liberated". In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', he became the new Captain America after Steve Rogers retired, much like his comic-book counterpart.

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----
!! The Falcon appears in:



!!Tropes associated with The Falcon include:

to:

!!Tropes !! Tropes associated with The Falcon include:include:
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to:

** ''Captain America 4'' (TBD)
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Sam literally fought Scott Lang halfway through the Ant-Man film, what are yall on about lol


** ''Film/AntMan1'' (2015) [[note]](post-credits scene)[[/note]]

to:

** ''Film/AntMan1'' (2015) [[note]](post-credits scene)[[/note]](2015)

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Removed: 67

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[[AC:Film]]
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'', played by Creator/AnthonyMackie
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier''
** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''
** ''Film/AntMan1''
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''
** ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''
** ''Film/AvengersEndgame''

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', played by Anthony Mackie

to:

[[AC:Film]]
[[AC:Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse]]
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'', played Played by Creator/AnthonyMackie
Creator/AnthonyMackie:
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier''
''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' (2014)
** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''
''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' (2015)
** ''Film/AntMan1''
''Film/AntMan1'' (2015) [[note]](post-credits scene)[[/note]]
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''
''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' (2016)
** ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''
''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' (2018)
** ''Film/AvengersEndgame''

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', played by Anthony Mackie
''Film/AvengersEndgame'' (2019)
** ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' (2021)

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Removed: 101

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[[AC:{{Comics}}]]

to:

[[AC:{{Comics}}]][[AC:Comic Books]]



* ComicBook/FalconAndWinterSoldier

[[AC:{{Anime}}]]

to:

* ComicBook/FalconAndWinterSoldier

[[AC:{{Anime}}]]
''ComicBook/FalconAndWinterSoldier''

[[AC:Anime]]



[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'', played by Anthony Mackie

to:

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
[[AC:Film]]
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'', played by Anthony MackieCreator/AnthonyMackie



** ''ComicBook/FalconAndWinterSoldier''

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

to:

** ''ComicBook/FalconAndWinterSoldier''

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', played by Anthony Mackie

[[AC:Video Game]]
* ''VideoGame/MarvelFutureFight''
* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder''

[[AC:Western Animation]]



[[AC:VideoGame]]
* ''VideoGame/MarvelFutureFight''
* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder''
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* AnimalEyeSpy
* AnimalThemedSuperbeing

to:

* AnimalEyeSpy
AnimalEyeSpy: Both Sam and Joaquin have a PsychicLink with Redwing. Redwing acts as a sort of messenger between the two of them. Sam can also telepathically communicate with birds.
* AnimalThemedSuperbeingAnimalThemedSuperbeing: Both Sam and Joaquin are Type 1 (Animal Abilities). Sam can communicate with birds and Joaquin is a human-bird hybrid.



* RazorWings: Those things are ''sharp''. He's used them as blades on occasion, and adaptations like to give him a FeatherFlechettes ability.

to:

* RazorWings: Those things are ''sharp''. He's used them as blades on occasion, and adaptations like to give him a FeatherFlechettes ability.FeatherFlechettes.

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Removed: 4767

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* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange: Every adaptation of the character from ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' onwards drops the "talks to birds" angle, instead making him a non-powered guy with a flight pack. Redwing nowadays tends to be a robotic drone that's part of his flight pack rather than a flesh-and-blood bird.
* AffirmativeActionLegacy: [[https://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/marvel-comes-to--the-colbert-report--to-announce-a-new-captain-america-sam-wilson-071950016.html Sam]] replaced Steve Rogers as ComicBook/CaptainAmerica after Steve lost his powers.
** Unfortunately, the most likely FanNickname of "Captain Falcon" [[VideoGame/FZero is already taken]].



* AngryBlackMan: Mainly before he became a hero. He can occasionally channel this vibe nowadays, but it's not really anger so much as it's exasperation with Steve's or Bucky's or Ian's antics, or having to educate someone about African-American history.
* BadassNormal
* BigBrotherMentor: To Bucky Cap.
* BuildingSwing: This was originally how The Falcon got around, with a glove with a built-in grappling hook launcher. This was discontinued when he got his flying wing harness.
* TheCape: Almost to the level of Cap himself. Sam is, through and through, a good person and that's all the more noticeable when he's in uniform.
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: His psychic connection to birds is his only inherent superpower. His ability to fly (which he uses much more frequently in combat) is from the winged harness in his suit.
* ColorCharacter: Notably averted. Falcon was the first black hero not to have "Black" in his name.
* FakeMemories: Due to the effects of the Cosmic Cube. For the longest time, no one was sure if the actual Fake Memories were of Sam's family or of Sam's time as the pimp "Snap" Wilson. ''All-New Captain America'' #3 ultimately chooses the "Snap" Wilson memories as the fake ones, with Sam saying that they were lies the Red Skull concocted to discredit him. Christopher Priest had a government agent point out that this was almost certainly the case, since Sam was able to get a social worker's license YEARS before it was made explicit.
* FamilyThemeNaming: Sam and his sister and brother, Sarah and Gideon, all have names from the Bible, as their father was a minister.
* {{Fanboy}}: To Isaiah Bradley, the InUniverse first ever African-American superhero who becomes Captain America. Sam is among several African-American heroes, along with [[ComicBook/LukeCageHeroForHire Luke Cage]], Goliath (Bill Foster), [[ComicBook/CaptainMarVell Monica Rambeau]], and Triathlon; who are gleefully surprised when Isaiah arrives as a special guest at the wedding of ComicBook/{{Storm}} and ComicBook/BlackPanther.
* FeatherFlechettes: Has this ability in multiple adaptations starting with ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperheroSquadShow'', but hasn't as of yet been able to do this in the comics.
* TheGadfly: His method of protesting being the token black member of the Avengers. He's mellowed out somewhat in recent times.
* HardLight: The Falcon's Wakandan-made costume has hard light wings.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: One would think being able to talk to birds would be a useless power, until you remember that basically means he has a massive spy network ''everywhere''. It's been said that his birds make for a better information source than ComicBook/NickFury's spies. After all, who pays attention to whether there's a ''bird'' nearby?
* HeroWithBadPublicity: It's been a major theme in his days as Captain America, his openness about his views on politics caused so much outrage that superheroes such as U.S.Agent were sent after him to reclaim the shield. (Notably, U.S. Agent, despite not agreeing with Sam's politics, refused the job until asked to do so by Steve Rogers himself.)
* HyperCompetentSidekick: In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', The Falcon manages to hold his own very competently in many situations that gave ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and ComicBook/BlackWidow trouble and is never once a burden to the situation, many of which he wasn't trained for, although it can go almost unnoticed because he's OvershadowedByAwesome.



* IJustWantToBeNormal: Freshly gene-spliced, Joaquin Torres expectedly looks forward to being cured so that he can go home to his mom. He brightens up considerably upon the realization that he can fly, which is probably a good thing, since his condition has currently been diagnosed as incurable due to the potent vampirism-related HealingFactor he's also acquired (what side-effects, if any, are still being explored).
* JiveTurkey: Subverted and played for laughs after the Falcon is more or less forced to join the Avengers by Henry Gyrich (who wanted to make it more ethnically diverse), he speaks this way on purpose to annoy him.



** Falcon briefly became Captain America when he thought Cap was dead. He [[AffirmativeActionLegacy did it again]] courtesy of Comicbook/MarvelNOW.

to:

** Falcon Sam briefly became Captain America when he thought Cap was dead. He [[AffirmativeActionLegacy did it again]] courtesy of Comicbook/MarvelNOW.



* MeaningfulName: "Sam Wilson" was the name of the New York meatpacker who's most often credited as the inspiration for "Uncle Sam". Fitting, since this Sam Wilson is [[CaptainPatriotic Captain America's]] most trusted ally, and in 2014 Steve Rogers will be passing the title on to him.

to:

* MeaningfulName: "Sam Wilson" was the name of the New York meatpacker who's most often credited
[[folder:Sam Wilson]]
!!Sam Wilson
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/falcon_captain_america_marvel_comics_h3.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see
as the inspiration for "Uncle Sam". Fitting, since this Sam Wilson is [[CaptainPatriotic Captain America's]] most trusted ally, America.]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1509448_xl.jpg]] [[/labelnote]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Samuel Thomas "Sam" Wilson
!!! '''Notable Aliases:''' "Snap" Wilson, Falcon, Blackwing, Blackbird, Captain America
!!! '''First Apperance:''' As Falcon: ''Captain America'' #117 (September 1969); As Captain America: ''All-New Captain America'' #1 (November 2014)

A social worker turned hero, Sam Wilson's bleak outlook on life was wiped away the day he met Captain America. Using a winged costume
and in 2014 his remarkable combat prowess and avian telepathy, he became the Falcon - defender of Harlem.
----
* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange: Every adaptation of the character from ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' onwards drops the "talks to birds" angle, instead making him a non-powered guy with a flight pack. Redwing nowadays tends to be a robotic drone that's part of his flight pack rather than a flesh-and-blood bird.
* AffirmativeActionLegacy: [[https://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/marvel-comes-to--the-colbert-report--to-announce-a-new-captain-america-sam-wilson-071950016.html Sam]] replaced
Steve Rogers will be passing as ComicBook/CaptainAmerica after Steve lost his powers.
** Unfortunately,
the title most likely FanNickname of "Captain Falcon" [[VideoGame/FZero is already taken]].
* AngryBlackMan: Mainly before he became a hero. He can occasionally channel this vibe nowadays, but it's not really anger so much as it's exasperation with Steve's or Bucky's or Ian's antics, or having to educate someone about African-American history.
* BadassNormal
* BigBrotherMentor: To Bucky Cap.
* BuildingSwing: This was originally how The Falcon got around, with a glove with a built-in grappling hook launcher. This was discontinued when he got his flying wing harness.
* TheCape: Almost to the level of Cap himself. Sam is, through and through, a good person and that's all the more noticeable when he's in uniform.
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: His psychic connection to birds is his only inherent superpower. His ability to fly (which he uses much more frequently in combat) is from the winged harness in his suit.
* ColorCharacter: Notably averted. Falcon was the first black hero not to have "Black" in his name.
* FakeMemories: Due to the effects of the Cosmic Cube. For the longest time, no one was sure if the actual Fake Memories were of Sam's family or of Sam's time as the pimp "Snap" Wilson. ''All-New Captain America'' #3 ultimately chooses the "Snap" Wilson memories as the fake ones, with Sam saying that they were lies the Red Skull concocted to discredit him. Christopher Priest had a government agent point out that this was almost certainly the case, since Sam was able to get a social worker's license YEARS before it was made explicit.
* FamilyThemeNaming: Sam and his sister and brother, Sarah and Gideon, all have names from the Bible, as their father was a minister.
* {{Fanboy}}: To Isaiah Bradley, the InUniverse first ever African-American superhero who becomes Captain America. Sam is among several African-American heroes, along with [[ComicBook/LukeCageHeroForHire Luke Cage]], Goliath (Bill Foster), [[ComicBook/CaptainMarVell Monica Rambeau]], and Triathlon; who are gleefully surprised when Isaiah arrives as a special guest at the wedding of ComicBook/{{Storm}} and ComicBook/BlackPanther.
* FeatherFlechettes: Has this ability in multiple adaptations starting with ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperheroSquadShow'', but hasn't as of yet been able to do this in the comics.
* TheGadfly: His method of protesting being the token black member of the Avengers. He's mellowed out somewhat in recent times.
* HardLight: The Falcon's Wakandan-made costume has hard light wings.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: One would think being able to talk to birds would be a useless power, until you remember that basically means he has a massive spy network ''everywhere''. It's been said that his birds make for a better information source than ComicBook/NickFury's spies. After all, who pays attention to whether there's a ''bird'' nearby?
* HeroWithBadPublicity: It's been a major theme in his days as Captain America, his openness about his views
on politics caused so much outrage that superheroes such as U.S.Agent were sent after him to reclaim the shield. (Notably, U.S. Agent, despite not agreeing with Sam's politics, refused the job until asked to do so by Steve Rogers himself.)
* HyperCompetentSidekick: In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', The Falcon manages to hold his own very competently in many situations that gave ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and ComicBook/BlackWidow trouble and is never once a burden to the situation, many of which he wasn't trained for, although it can go almost unnoticed because he's OvershadowedByAwesome.
* JiveTurkey: Subverted and played for laughs after the Falcon is more or less forced to join the Avengers by Henry Gyrich (who wanted to make it more ethnically diverse), he speaks this way on purpose to annoy
him.


Added DiffLines:

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Joaquin Torres]]
!!Joaquin Torres
[[quoteright:214:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5131955_falcon.jpg]]

!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Joaquin Torres
!!! '''Notable Aliases:'''
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' #1 (December, 2015) [[note]]Photograph[[/note]]; ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' #3 (January, 2016) [[note]]Full appearance[[/note]]; ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' #6 (April, 2016) [[note]]As Falcon[[/note]]

A young man who became the new Falcon after being experimented on by Doctor Mallus. After being imbued with Redwings DNA, Joaquin was unable to change back due to his new healing factor, courtesy of Redwing's vampiric nature.
----
* AffirmativeActionLegacy: A Mexican taking the identity of an African-American.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Freshly gene-spliced, Joaquin Torres expectedly looks forward to being cured so that he can go home to his mom. He brightens up considerably upon the realization that he can fly, which is probably a good thing, since his condition has currently been diagnosed as incurable due to the potent vampirism-related HealingFactor he's also acquired (what side-effects, if any, are still being explored).
* LegacyCharacter: Second person to take the Falcon identity.


Added DiffLines:

* WingedHumanoid: Unlike Sam's mechanical wings, he has actual wings thanks to being experimented on.
[[/folder]]
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** In-universe, he was added to the team because [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Gyrich]] insisted that the team should have more black members; he didn't actually want to join. In fact, [[LockedOutOfTheLoop he had no idea he had been made an Avenger until Cap showed up to fetch him for his first mission]]. He wasn't too happy about all this, and made his feelings pretty clear on the matter.

to:

** In-universe, he was added to the team Avengers because [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Gyrich]] insisted that the team should have more black members; he didn't actually want to join. In fact, [[LockedOutOfTheLoop he had no idea he had been made an Avenger until Cap showed up to fetch him for his first mission]]. He wasn't too happy about all this, and made his feelings pretty clear on the matter.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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* RazorWings: Those things are sharp. He's used them as blades on occasion, and adaptations like to give him a FeatherFletchettes ability.

to:

* RazorWings: Those things are sharp. ''sharp''. He's used them as blades on occasion, and adaptations like to give him a FeatherFletchettes FeatherFlechettes ability.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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* FeatherFlechettes: Has this ability in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperheroSquadShow'', ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' and ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'' but hasn't as of yet been able to do this in the comics.

to:

* FeatherFlechettes: Has this ability in multiple adaptations starting with ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperheroSquadShow'', ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' and ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'' but hasn't as of yet been able to do this in the comics.



* RazorWings

to:

* RazorWingsRazorWings: Those things are sharp. He's used them as blades on occasion, and adaptations like to give him a FeatherFletchettes ability.



* RetCanon: For a brief time, he wore the armored costume he sported in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand''.
* TheReveal: He was initially introduced as an enthusiastic social worker. However, it was later [[{{Retcon}} revealed]] that [[spoiler:this was a Cosmic Cube–induced reality warp and he was really a professional criminal, gang member, and racketeer before the warp. Decades later, this was revealed to be a ruse by the Red Skull.]]

to:

* RetCanon: For a brief time, he wore the armored costume he sported in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand''.
''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand''. More recently, he's had many different costumes based on his MCU outfit.
* TheReveal: He was initially introduced as an enthusiastic social worker. However, it was later [[{{Retcon}} revealed]] that [[spoiler:this was a Cosmic Cube–induced reality warp and he was really a professional criminal, gang member, and racketeer before the warp. ]] [[CanonDiscontinuity Decades later, this was revealed to be a ruse by the Red Skull.]]



** In-universe, he was added to the team because [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Gyrich]] insisted that the team should have more black members; he didn't actually want to join.

to:

** In-universe, he was added to the team because [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Gyrich]] insisted that the team should have more black members; he didn't actually want to join. In fact, [[LockedOutOfTheLoop he had no idea he had been made an Avenger until Cap showed up to fetch him for his first mission]]. He wasn't too happy about all this, and made his feelings pretty clear on the matter.

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Samuel Thomas "Sam" Wilson, also known as The Falcon, is a Creator/MarvelComics superhero introduced in ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' #117 (September 1969). Born and raised in Harlem, UsefulNotes/{{New York|City}}, Sam was originally written as a social worker who joined up with Captain America. Later, the story was that while he was initially a happy child and quite fond of birds, as a teen, his experiences with racism and [[ParentalAbandonment his parents' deaths]] made him bitter, jaded, and angry. Leaving his past behind him, he becomes [[{{Retcon}} "Snap" Wilson, a professional criminal, gang member, and pimp]], who was brainwashed by the Red Skull into believing the ''original'' origin detailed above, in order to get close to Captain America after they were stranded on the Isle of Exiles. However, Sam himself doubted that story, and was eventually able to tell the Red Skull's daughter, Sin, the truth: he was a social worker who'd been stranded on the Isle of Exiles, who'd saved Steve's life and helped him escape. The ''true'' fake memories implanted by the Red Skull were those of him being a criminal, a plot he concocted to discredit Sam, counting on the fact that no one would question a black man from Harlem having a shady past. This was done by the Cosmic Cube, which the Red Skull had possession of.

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Samuel Thomas "Sam" Wilson, also known as The Falcon, is a Creator/MarvelComics superhero introduced in ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' #117 (September 1969). 1969), notable for being the first African-American superhero in mainstream American comics.[[note]]Sam was edged out by the ComicBook/BlackPanther as the first ''black'' superhero, but both debuted almost two years before the [[ComicBook/NewGods Black Racer]] and [[ComicBook/GreenLantern John Stewart]] would be introduced over at Creator/DCComics.[[/note]]

Born and raised in Harlem, UsefulNotes/{{New York|City}}, Sam was originally written as a social worker who joined up with Captain America. Later, the story was that while he was initially a happy child and quite fond of birds, as a teen, his experiences with racism and [[ParentalAbandonment his parents' deaths]] made him bitter, jaded, and angry. Leaving his past behind him, he becomes [[{{Retcon}} "Snap" Wilson, a professional criminal, gang member, and pimp]], who was brainwashed by the Red Skull into believing the ''original'' origin detailed above, in order to get close to Captain America after they were stranded on the Isle of Exiles. However, Sam himself doubted that story, and was eventually able to tell the Red Skull's daughter, Sin, the truth: he was a social worker who'd been stranded on the Isle of Exiles, who'd saved Steve's life and helped him escape. The ''true'' fake memories implanted by the Red Skull were those of him being a criminal, a plot he concocted to discredit Sam, counting on the fact that no one would question a black man from Harlem having a shady past. This was done by the Cosmic Cube, which the Red Skull had possession of.
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** ''Film/AntMan''

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** ''Film/AntMan''''Film/AntMan1''
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Added: 49

Removed: 48

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Black Best Friend has been renamed


* BlackBestFriend: To the first Captain America.


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* TokenBlackFriend: To the first Captain America.
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* Main/MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Overlapping with Main/TheUglyGuysHotDaughter: Falcon has a fling with Arnim Zola’s very hot young daughter Jet.
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* ComicBook/FalconAndWinterSoldier
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** ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''

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** ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''
''ComicBook/FalconAndWinterSoldier''

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