Spoilers for all works set prior to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are unmarked.
Sam Wilson / The Falcon / Captain America III
"I'm more of a soldier than a spy."
Click here to see Sam as Captain America
Birth Name: Samuel Thomas Wilson
Known Aliases: The Falcon, Captain America
Species: Human
Citizenship: American
Affiliation(s): Wilson Family Seafood, USAF, Air National Guard, District of Columbia Support Group, Avengers
Portrayed By: Anthony MackieForeign voice actors
Appearances: Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Ant-Man | Captain America: Civil War | Avengers: Infinity War | Avengers: Endgame | Spider-Man: Far From Home note | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | Captain America Brave New World
"The only power I have is that I believe we can do better."
A counselor for a support group at the Washington D.C. Veteran's Army hospital who was formerly with the USAF Pararescue unit. Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers/Captain America almost literally run into each other one morning and strike up a fast friendship over their shared experiences as war veterans. When HYDRA resurfaces, Sam joins forces with Steve and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow to stop Project INSIGHT, proving instrumental in their success. Following the events in Sokovia, he joins them on the Avengers full-time. When Steve gives up the mantle of Captain America, he entrusts Sam with his vibranium shield, but Sam doesn't feel worthy of it... at least at first.
He uses a winged flight suit in combat, as well as a small bird-like drone named Redwing.
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#-F
- Ace Pilot:
- "I never said 'pilot.'" He seems to now be the sole surviving member of an elite pararescue team, and while not quite a household name, Sam reached a level of technical skill on maneuvering through difficult situations to the level that even the Black Widow had heard of his missions before actually meeting him.
- During the attack on Project INSIGHT, he was able to avoid the firepower of three fully armed Helicarriers and a Quinjet (as Captain America was aboard a Helicarrier, he was the only target they could shoot at), while still completing his mission.
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also demonstrates his skills with his flight suit in spectacular fashion.
- Accidental Misnaming: Hilariously Invoked in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as Sam tends to be referred to as "Black Falcon" by the black community, much to his bemusement.
- Adaptation Distillation: In the comics, Sam Wilson was a social worker, and later retconned into being a pimp who'd been brainwashed by the Red Skull and the Cosmic Cube/Tesseract to think he was a social worker, but was actually the Skull's mole. Then that retcon was later retconned. The films instead make Sam both a veteran and a veterans' counselor, preserving the spirit of someone who'd spend his time trying to better the lives of others and giving him a specific point of connection with Steve.
- Adaptational Superpower Change: In the comics, Sam is physically normal but can psychically communicate with Redwing and other birds. In the movies, Sam is a Badass Normal, but also seems to be a Gadgeteer Genius who's implied to have built the jetpack and Redwing drones himself.
- Advertised Extra: He was featured in a lot of the promotional materials in Avengers: Infinity War, but his screentime in the movie is less than three minutes and his role is quite minimal.
- Affirmative-Action Legacy: Sam Wilson is the true successor to Captain America, at least as far as Steve Rogers is concerned. Steve's white, while Sam's black.
- Alternate Self: Sam Wilson has an ill-fated variant in the timeline where a zombie virus has decimated humanity.
- Animal Motifs: Falcons, obviously. It's not as much as his comic book counterpart, who has an actual falcon as his crime-fighting sidekick companion, but the winged flight suit means the imagery is still there. By Civil War, he has a drone named "Redwing" (which was the bird's name in the comics).
- Animal-Themed Superbeing: He's a Type 2. He calls himself Falcon because of his wingsuit's flight capabilities and wings resembling those of a bird.
- Ascended Extra: Sam becomes the primary protagonist of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
- Ascended Fanboy: It's hinted he's this in regards to Steve. When asked by Steve himself if he is sure that he wants to come out of retirement, he replies, "Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better time to get back in."
- Awesome Backpack: The bulk of Falcon's abilities are concentrated in his backpack, which functions as a Jet Pack with retractable wings, making him able to fly in a very nimble manner. During later appearances, the backpack houses attack drones and a couple of missiles. The latest version as of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier can use the wings as a bulletproof shield, and, when he’s improvising, a blast from the jets can knock opponents off-balance.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Falcon's ability as a trained combatant to preempt and intercept Scott Lang's attacks (with the help of his goggles) is the main reason why he even had a fighting chance against a superpowered opponent.
- Back from the Dead: In Endgame, he, along with all the people that were dusted by Thanos's Badass Finger Snap from Infinity War, all come back to life thanks to Professor Hulk reversing Thanos's actions with a finger snap of his own.Sam: Hey, Cap, can you read me? Cap, it's Sam. Do you read me? On your left.
- Bad "Bad Acting": Sam is terrible at impersonating Conrad Mack due to being completely out of his depth in the world of deep crime... and having no idea what the man is like.
- Badass Arm-Fold: His other default resting position aside from Rebel Relaxation.
- Badass Normal: Becoming a USAF pararescueman is no small feat in and of itself
. With his special training, he managed to outfly S.H.I.E.L.D. fighters, take down a Helicarrier almost entirely by himself, and nearly defeat Ant-Man despite Scott's superpower advantage. In Infinity War, he sends Proxima Midnight, a seven-foot-tall alien warrior woman, flying into a restaurant with a diving kick, twice. When asked by Zemo if he would take the Super Soldier Serum if offered, Sam says he wouldn't without any hesitation. From how well he handles himself in fights, especially when using the suit to full effect, it's likely Sam doesn't even need it. - Baritone of Strength: One of the New Avengers (and chosen successor to Captain America), and has a pretty deep voice.
- Bash Siblings: With Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and the rest of the Avengers.
- Beta Outfit: The original EXO-7 Falcon suit he did missions on for U.S. Para-rescue is technically one—as it was primarily donned for specialized purposes (and is understandably produced in muted camouflage colors). His subsequent Falcon gear as an Avenger is later updated to become more comics color-accurate.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Sam is probably one of the nicest guys in the MCU, but if you attempt to harm his family or taint the legacy of Steve's shield, then all bets are off.
- Big Brother Instinct: Sam is extremely protective of his little sister, Sarah. In fact, threatening to harm Sarah and his nephews is one of the few surefire ways to piss Sam off, as Karli Morgenthau soon found out. Justified in that they are the only family the other has left, and he feels some amount of guilt for leaving her to fend for herself and keep their family business afloat during the five years that he was dusted.
- Birds of a Feather: Puns aside, this is why he and Steve click so well: they're both relentlessly good guys, veterans, dedicated to helping others, and even had similar experiences in war, having to watch as a close friend fell to his death during what should have been a routine op. The only difference is, in Sam's case, Riley's death was permanent.
- Blue Is Heroic: His Captain America suit has a lot of blue in it.
- Captain Patriotic: He succeeds Steve Rogers and John Walker as the next Captain America.
- Celebrity Paradox: In Civil War (where Sam appears as a major character), Tony Stark makes a reference to The Manchurian Candidate while talking Bucky down. Anthony Mackie played Robert Baker III in the 2004 film adaptation of the novel.
- Captain Superhero: Naturally, he becomes this when he becomes Captain America.
- Clip Its Wings:
- One of the wings of Sam's Falcon flight suit gets ripped off by the Winter Soldier during the climax of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
- Later on, both of his wings are pulled off by John Walker during their fight, damaging the suit so badly that Sam has to abandon it.
- Clothes Make the Superman: His comic book counterpart's psychic connection to birds is not mentioned; his combat prowess is due to the retractable wings on his suit. This extends to his Captain America suit, which, being made in Wakanda, is likely made of vibranium-weave. Ironically, Batroc the Leaper calls him out specifically on this:Batroc: L'habit ne fait pas le moine (The robes don't make the monk).
- Color Character: Averted, Played for Laughs, and a Brick Joke when some people continuously refer to him as the "Black Falcon", when he is just the "Falcon".
- Combat Medic: Though he doesn't perform the role in the films, as a former Air Force Pararescueman, he previously served as one.
- Combat Pragmatist: Since he's a normal guy facing super-powered threats, Sam has to fight fairly dirty. He specializes in surprise swooping kicks from the air, and has no qualms about using both his suit's wings and its exhaust against opponents in close combat.
- Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: Zig-Zagged. "Falcon" was the codename of his original flight pack, but Maria Hill calls him "Falcon" during the attack on Project Insight in Winter Soldier, and he becomes known to the public as "the Falcon" by the time of Ant-Man.
- Averted by the time of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The general public refer to him as Falcon or misidentify him as "Black Falcon". Upon taking up the mantle of Captain America, both Sam himself and the public refer to him as such. Bucky even calls him "Cap".
- Companion Cube: He's very fond of his drone Redwing. Best seen when Redwing assists Widow in taking out one of two HYDRA terrorists about to unleash a biological weapon.Black Widow: Thanks, Sam.
Sam: Don't thank me.
Black Widow: I'm not thanking that thing.
Sam: His name is Redwing.
Black Widow: I'm still not thanking it.
Sam: He's cute. Go ahead, pet him. - Cool Uncle: His nephews adore him, and he adores them back.
- Costume Evolution: He starts out with a no-frills, all-black uniform, then adds a lot more red and silver after he officially joins the Avengers. His post-Endgame costume is less armored and predominantly white and red like in the comics.
- Deadly Dodging: He is particularly excellent at this, allowing him to almost single-handedly go toe-to-toe with an entire Helicarrier and win. Falcon even has a Signature Move of a sort by retracting his wings and curling into a ball to suddenly lose all lift, falling rapidly to avoid incoming attacks, only to unfurl and greet any Mooks stupid enough to approach him with a diving kick. Gets a Cerebus Callback in Civil War when he evades Vision's laser, which then accidentally strikes down and nearly kills Rhodes.
- Deadpan Snarker: Given that he is a Badass Normal thrown into the weirdness of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he reacts to most of the outlandish elements with dry humor. His reaction to Black Panther, a 6-foot-tall muscular superhuman who's dressed like a panther and armed with Vibranium and also happens to be the prince of his own nation, is to simply ask him, "So you like cats?"
- Defeat Means Friendship:
- After Scott manages to beat him in their fight, having torn apart his backpack's wiring and gotten away with the piece of tech he needed, Sam is so impressed that he eventually starts seeking him out for the Avengers.
- He's also become close friends with both Rhodey and Bucky, despite being enemies for a while.
- Demoted to Extra: While Sam is a very important character in Captain America's supporting cast since his debut in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, his roles in other movies tend to be minimal.
- Drone Deployer: His upgraded flight pack has a drone that he can deploy for reconnaissance by the time of Civil War. The drone itself is called Redwing, a nod to the falcon pet Sam has in the comic books.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam has literally helped save the entire universe, but still can't get a bank loan.
- Dying Alone: In Infinity War, as he turns into dust mere seconds before Rhodey can find him.
- Dynamic Entry: His first scene in Infinity War is delivering a flying kick to Proxima Midnight that knocks her through a store. Not into, through.
- Elites Are More Glamorous: Is a veteran of the 58th Pararescue Squadron, a USAF unit of Special Forces-level combat medics dedicated to gunship rescues of downed pilots Trapped Behind Enemy Lines.
- Fading Away: He's among the billions who were faded from existence by Thanos' Badass Fingersnap in Avengers: Infinity War. He comes back to life in Avengers: Endgame.
- Fluorescent Footprints: The goggles of his Captain America suit can track footprints, as seen in the final episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier when Karli tries to hide.
- Foil:
- To Rhodey. Both are technological heroes who served in the Air Force, but Rhodes served proudly and embraced authority while Sam left due to Riley's death and tells Steve he's happy no one's giving him orders anymore. Their different perspectives especially make sense given that Rhodey's a career officer while Sam would have been enlisted.
- They are the respective black best friends and lancers to the two leaders of the Avengers, and reflect the mindsets of those leaders. Rhodey is the big-picture but also detached guy, while Sam is the boots-on-the-ground, small-picture, frontline soldier.
- The Civil War junior novelization addresses this directly. When Rhodey argues in favor of a chain of command, Sam retorts that it's easy to say that when you're at the top of the chain.
- Both of them have been Captain Patriotic superheroes. Rhodey was made the Iron Patriot by the government, a title he didn't like much and eventually went back to his old War-Machine title. Whereas Sam refused to be Captain America and the government instead chose someone else to hold the title until Sam eventually stepped up to be the next Captain America himself.
- To Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Both were entrusted with a powerful weapon (E.D.I.T.H was given to Peter, and Cap's shield to Sam) by the heroes they deeply respected (Tony Stark for Peter, and Steve Rogers for Sam) but chose to give it away because they believed they weren't worthy of it, only for it to for it to fall into the wrong hands which forces them to step up to the role that they initially rejected. While Peter is naïve and inexperienced, and at times unable to recognize people for what they really are (as seen with him immediately trusting Quentin Beck, who turned out to be a narcissistic Fake Ultimate Hero), Sam is an experienced soldier and hero, and good at reading people, as seen when he catches on to Zemo's tendency to tilt his head when he's planning to manipulate someone. Also, while Peter is a chatterbox in combat, Sam is reserved, only talking when there are breaks between or after fights, or if he needs to inform his teammates about something.
- To Rhodey. Both are technological heroes who served in the Air Force, but Rhodes served proudly and embraced authority while Sam left due to Riley's death and tells Steve he's happy no one's giving him orders anymore. Their different perspectives especially make sense given that Rhodey's a career officer while Sam would have been enlisted.
- Flaw Exploitation: In Civil War, he gets completely curbstomped by Spider-Man during their fight but after noticing how Peter never shuts up in combat, he uses it to his advantage; once Peter starts blabbering again, Sam uses the opening to get Redwing to tie a wire on him and toss him out the window.
- Flying Brick: Sam becomes this when he combines his high speed wingsuit with the shield's vibranium durability.
- Fragile Speedster: He's no match for some of the heavy hitters in the MCU, but in the air, Falcon's speed and agility allow him to hold his own against Helicarriers, Quinjets, Iron Man, etc. In The Winter Soldier, he is actually the group's tank at one point, his Deadly Dodging skills allowing him to draw off a majority of enemy fire (and even turn it back around on them in some cases).
- A Friend in Need: Does not hesitate to open his door to the fugitive Steve and Natasha.Natasha: Everyone we know is trying to kill us.
Sam: ...Not everyone. - Friendly Enemy: In Civil War. Despite being perhaps the staunchest member of Team Cap, he immediately rushes to assist Rhodey when the latter's suit fails, and expresses genuine concern for him later to Tony. With his former status as a Combat Medic, it makes perfect sense.
G-Q
- Goggles Do Something Unusual: His upgraded Avengers outfit has goggles with powerful zoom and scanning functions, allowing him to be the "eyes in the sky" for the New Avengers, identifying targets and scanning key objects. The goggles' powerful zoom function are even strong enough to track Ant-Man when he's shrunken. Of course, they also have the relatively mundane function of keeping dust and other objects out of Sam's eyes when he's flying—a must, considering the breakneck speed and maneuvers Sam employs in the air. His "Captain America" suit also retains them—with its interaction with the Redwing drone implying any intel it gathers is now directly fed to Sam in a form of Heads-Up Display.
- Glass Cannon: The most agile Avenger in the air. His MK III flight suite has missiles, offensive drones, can deflect small firearms, and packs considerable firepower in its small frame. However, Sam himself is virtually unarmored, making him vulnerable to a good hit.
- Good Wings, Evil Wings: His new set of wings as Captain America invokes angelic imagery, demonstrating his benevolent nature.
- Guile Hero: He's not just a shooter, he's also very intelligent, with a grasp of tactics that even Steve Rogers respects. Within a few minutes of meeting Steve, Sam was able to forge a solid connection based on their shared army experiences.
- Guns Akimbo: He uses submachine guns as his primary offensive weapons in combat. He stops using them in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, likely because the production team thought that it would have made it very easy for him to take out The Flag-Smashers if he had them with him in the series.
- Headbutting Heroes: With Bucky Barnes. When the two of them are forced to work together in Civil War to help Steve, they make snide remarks to one another whenever they get breathing room. With Steve no longer around to ease tensions between them in their own miniseries, Sam and Bucky are just barely holding it together to deal with the Flag Smashers, and constantly get into arguments whenever they're in the same room.
- The Heart: He's a PTSD counselor and fellow war veteran, and in Winter Soldier, one of his key roles is helping Steve open up emotionally. In Civil War, Sam ends up being the closest thing to a peacemaker between the two rival factions, willing to help Tony if it means helping Steve. He's also genuinely concerned for Rhodey and tries desperately to save him, despite Rhodey being on the opposite side.
- Heart Is an Awesome Power: Sam's experience as a counselor, emotional intelligence, and level-headed nature are useful assets in his mission against the Flag Smashers, contrasting against his allies. Sam can instantly see through Zemo's manipulative techniques (while Bucky can't), and his attempt to talk down Karli (although it was scuppered) was more successful than the violent methods previously used. It also makes him uniquely suited to inherit the role of Captain America as a symbol of peace and justice, instead of aggression and war.
- Hero Antagonist: In Ant-Man, he crosses paths with the eponymous superhero when the latter breaks into the Avengers HQ to steal a piece of technology needed to stop Darren Cross, and the two end up fighting. He's still an unambiguously heroic character but he just happens to be at cross-purposes with Ant-Man in the latter's story.
- Hero of Another Story: Sam's past as a pararescue jumper, in which he completed missions impressive enough that even Black Widow thinks he's a badass, namely the capture of a wanted terrorist that he completed even after his wingman was shot down during the same mission. His work counseling veterans with PTSD, while less flashy, also counts.
- Hidden Depths: In the movies, Sam's mostly shown as a superlative soldier with his jetpack, but in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he's revealed to be fluent in Arabic and able to maintain his Stark-tech level suit himself.
- Home Guard: A member of the Air National Guard, which is to the USAF what the [Land] National Guard is to the US Army.
- Honor Before Reason: Sam is willing to put his own safety on the line to help Steve in Winter Soldier because he's Captain America and bad guys need to be stopped.
- Humble Hero: He doesn't bring up the fact that he is The Falcon, a member of the Avengers who saved the world a couple times in casual conversations, unless that person brings it up first. When civilians want to thank him for his heroism, he is graceful in accepting it.
- Iconic Sequel Character: He makes his first appearance in The Winter Soldier, which is the sequel to The First Avenger.
- I Call It "Vera": Has an Attack Drone connected to his jetpack that he calls Redwing.
- I Can See You:
- In Winter Soldier, Sam calls Sitwell on his cell phone and tells him that he must follow him to a van a few blocks away. At first, Sitwell doesn't take the threat seriously... until he sees the sniper laser on his tie.
- Sam also says this word-for-word when he first met Scott Lang in Ant-Man:
- Jet Pack: His flight suit is a jetpack with wings. The wings serve the dual purpose of aiding maneuverability and functioning as a shield. The pack also contains space for a separate drone by the time of Civil War.
- Jumped at the Call: Needs all of zero convincing to jump in and help Steve and Natasha. He's also on board with Steve in tracking down the recovering amnesiac Bucky in the post-climax.Steve: You don't have to come with me.
Sam: I know. When do we start? - The Lancer: He winds up becoming this to Steve. As a heroic war veteran, he strikes a contrast with Steve because he has a different sort of unique ability. This is especially true at the end of The Winter Soldier where they tag team Project Insight. In Civil War, Steve is shown to trust Sam's tactical advice implicitly, even if the advice is to leave Sam himself behind.
- Legacy Character: At the end of Endgame, an aged Steve Rogers hands Sam his vibranium shield, essentially passing the mantle of Captain America to him. This is also a reference to the comics run where Sam temporarily became Cap, because Steve was drained of the Super Soldier Serum and subsequently became an old man. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier reveals that Sam is initially reluctant in succeeding Steve as the new Captain America before slowly embracing the idea after becoming acquainted with John Walker and Isaiah Bradley.
- Leitmotif: "Louisiana Hero".
- Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Is very insistent in Ant-Man and Civil War that no one talks about how he lost a fight to Ant-Man.Sam: ...It's really important to me that Cap never finds out about this.
- Lightning Bruiser: His new Captain America suit's gadgets are primarily composed of vibranium and the shield also provides him a good offense and defense in contrast to his previous status as a Fragile Speedster.
- Manly Tears:
- When Steve gives him the shield at the end of Endgame, Sam is visibly choked-up about receiving such a weighty mantle and dealing with the fact that one of his best friends is now an elderly man, meaning they may not have enough time together left.
- When Sam is wiping Nico's blood off Steve's shield, he is clearly welling up, reflecting on how he contributed to this marring of Steve's legacy by giving up the shield.
- Master Actor: Inverted. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier shows that Sam is horrible at acting, as he's unable to convincingly act like the drug lord Conrad Mack while infiltrating the Little Princess bar in Madripoor, causing his, Zemo's and Bucky's espionage mission to go awry. Sam actually lampshaded this back in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where he declines Nick Fury's offer to join him underground, saying he's more of a soldier than a spy.
- Mid-Season Upgrade: In Infinity War, he has more Redwing drones at his disposal, using them to take out some Outriders.
- Military Superhero: Like Steve, Sam's a war veteran.
- Movie Superheroes Wear Black: Wore a black suit in his Winter Soldier introduction, like the Ultimate Marvel Falcon but not the one from the regular comics (to the chagrin of Mackie, who wanted the red and white costume). His upgraded costume in Civil War is similar, but with obvious red highlights to emphasize the Falcon moniker. Averted in the Disney+ series, which ditches the armored parts in favor of the classic white and red.
- My Greatest Failure: Haunted by the loss of a close friend in his unit. However, he's learned to deal with the trauma from it by the time of the film, and keeps an upbeat attitude.Sam: Some stuff you leave there, other stuff you bring back. It's our job to figure out how to carry. Is it going to be in a big suitcase, or in a little man-purse? It's up to you.
- My Sister Is Off-Limits: He tells Bucky not to flirt with Sarah and even threatens to have the Wilsons' family friend, Carlos, chop him up and feed him to the fish. Bucky being, well, Bucky, isn't even phased.
- My Suit Is Also Super: By virtue of being made by the Wakandans (as Bucky requested of Ayo), Sam's Captain America suit can not only endure high-altitude flight, it is also bulletproof (though presumably not to the extent of the Black Panther suits). Its retractable wings are also comparatively more durable and can serve as "extra legs" if Sam needs to stabilize himself in a fight.
- Nerves of Steel: On multiple occasions, he is willing to retract his wings and go into free-fall if it means gaining a tactical advantage, including a couple of nosedives directly at the ground.
- Never Bring a Gun to a Knife Fight: Sam establishes his badass credentials in The Winter Soldier by using a small knife to handily disarm and dispatch an automatic weapon-wielding HYDRA mook.
- Nice Guy: He's on the same level as Steve, a reassurance that the morally gray modern days still have people as decent as him.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In Civil War, he insists that Tony go alone to Siberia to meet with Steve and Bucky, meaning that there is no one to talk Tony down when Zemo reveals the truth about Tony’s parents’ death. Downplayed, however, since he made Tony promise to go as a friend, and he had no way of knowing what Zemo was up to.
- The Nicknamer: A rather brief one in Civil War: he slyly calls Scott Lang "Tic-tac". Come the end of the film, it's more of an Affectionate Nickname rather than an insulting one.
- No Body Left Behind: He gets disintegrated along with half the universe after Thanos snaps his fingers with the completed Infinity Gauntlet. He gets better.
- The Not-Love Interest: Sam is the one who is most emotionally supportive of Steve, tries to get him to talk about his feelings, and establishes an instant rapport with him. The way he's introduced before the plot is and immediately clicks with Steve, combined with the aforementioned emotional support, means he fills a lot of the functions of a typical superhero movie girlfriend.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Acknowledged In-Universe that he and Steve are quite similar as both are war vets who return home unable to truly adjust to the world they left behind. Both lost their best friend and are genuinely nice people to boot.Sam: Hey, don't look at me. I do everything he does, just slower.
- Oh, Crap!: During his fight with Rumlow, he has a wide-eyed look when he sees a Helicarrier about to crash into the Triskelion and immediately bolts.
- Older Than They Look: Due to being a victim of Thanos' Snap, Sam is physically five years younger than his real age.
- Out of Focus: He is heavily sidelined in the Avengers films, and only gets a few lines in each of his appearances. Special mention goes out to his appearance in Age of Ultron, in which he was only around for about 35-40 seconds and is the only Avenger without a fight scene. Subverted when he becomes the primary protagonist of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
- Overshadowed by Awesome: Downplayed. Though he's still a Badass Normal, he has some trouble holding his own without his flight suit and is trounced by superhumans like Spider-Man. One example is his fight with Rumlow; Sam, a military veteran who's been out of the field for a while, is pushed down but refuses to give up, while Rumlow, a seasoned STRIKE agent who's still in action, overcomes him repeatedly and may have won if not for an entire Helicarrier falling on his head.
- Papa Wolf: He is enraged when he finds out that Karli threatened his nephews when she called Sarah.
- Passing the Torch: In Endgame, Steve gives Sam the shield. The latter feels horribly inadequate and it's this humility that affirms Steve's belief that he'll do just fine.
- Primary-Color Champion: Sam's Captain America suit invokes this trope since he is the rightful successor of Steve Rogers.
- Put on a Bus: In Age of Ultron, he's stated to be continuing the search for Bucky while Steve is occupied with the Avengers.
- Punny Name: In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, while debating whether he should take up the mantle of Captain America, he visits his nephews, who naturally call him Uncle Sam.
R-W
- Razor Wings: In Endgame, Falcon angrily drives the tips of his wings into an alien Mook's chest. Cue the cheering.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Subtle, but in the Avengers team meeting in Civil War, he is the first and most adamant anti-Accords advocate, before even Captain America, who leads that argument and makes similar points more eloquently. He calls out Rhodey/War Machine for playing both sides as an Avenger putting country before duty, notable as Rhodey, Steve, and Sam are all military veterans (Rhodey and Sam even served in the same branch, United States Air Force). Later in the same movie, he also holds less of a grudge than anyone on either side and cares for the well-being of people he adamantly disagreed with.
- Rebel Relaxation: Is physically incapable of not leaning back when seated. It's ironic because he's not rebellious in the least, at least until Civil War, at which point it's played for laughs.Bucky: Can you move your seat up?
Sam: No. - Red Is Heroic: He is an Avenger with red coloration on his goggles and wings. He also has a red attack drone named "Redwing".
- Reduced to Dust: He was among the billions who were killed by being fragmented into ashes by Thanos' Badass Fingersnap at the end of Infinity War. He got better though.
- Rejecting the Inheritance: Initially reluctant to take on Steve's shield because he doesn't feel like he's deserving of it, and instead gives it to the Smithsonian for storage. This drew criticism from both Rhodey and Barnes, the latter of whom felt the shield was part of his family (with Steve). The last statement by Bucky was enough to convince Sam to finally take up the shield.
- Replacement Goldfish: It's not directly remarked upon, but the picture of Sam's fallen wingman is a pretty close ringer for Steve Rogers appearance-wise.
- Respected by the Respected: When Sam presents his "resume" from the Falcon program, Natasha immediately recognizes one of his missions. She's openly impressed and starts trying to figure out how he successfully completed it.
- Returning War Vet: In The Winter Soldier, this is his common point of connection with Steve (and sure enough, Sam is eventually called upon to deploy his unique aerial combat skills).
- Scrap Heap Hero: When Sam is introduced in The Winter Soldier, he's been out of active duty for quite a while due to the traumatic loss of his wingman, and is living a quiet, normal life as a VA counselor.
- Seen It All:
- Witness his complete non-reaction to Scott going from ant-size to normal-size right in front of him.
- When they first meet Spider-Man, a shocked Bucky blurts out, "What the hell is that?" Sam just grimaces and says, "Everyone's got a gimmick now" in an annoyed tone.
- Sergeant Rock: Sam was an NCO during his military days, and he very much plays the "making sure what needs to be done gets done" role on Team Cap, particularly during the airport fight.
- Shame If Something Happened: When he threatens Agent Sitwell into coming along as their prisoner in The Winter Soldier.Falcon: You're gonna go around a corner to your right. There's a gray car two spaces down. You and I are gonna take a ride.
Sitwell: And why would I do that?
Falcon: Because that tie looks really expensive, and I'd hate to mess it up.
[Sitwell looks down, where a sniper's laser pointer is currently over said tie] - Shell-Shocked Veteran: After watching Riley die, Sam couldn't bring himself to stay in the field any longer. He and Steve bond over how something as ordinary as a soft bed seems alien after their service.
- Shipper on Deck: He smiles at Steve after he and Sharon Carter share a kiss.
- Ship Tease: According to Mackie, Sam has a crush on Black Widow. However, she doesn't know about it and Sam's only hints of it are when he gives Natasha a friendly greeting upon first seeing her and later insisting they get medical help for her after she's shot in the shoulder.
- The Shrink: While Sam's a counselor rather than a licensed MD, he fits type 3 nicely. He compassionately sizes up Steve's issues within about two minutes of conversation and even offers a no-pressure excuse for him to visit the VA and possibly seek counseling (claiming he just wants Steve to make him look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk), which Steve takes him up on. Sam also correctly deduces that Vitriolic Best Buds is the way to go with Bucky.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!:
- Provides one of the best examples in the MCU. When Brock Rumlow starts to monologue about the hopelessness of the good guys' situation and how they should all just bow to HYDRA, Sam has this to say:Sam: Man, shut the hell up.
- His reaction when Karli mocks his new Captain America outfit.Karli: You of all people bought into that bullshit!?
Sam: I'm trying something different. Maybe you should do the same.
- Provides one of the best examples in the MCU. When Brock Rumlow starts to monologue about the hopelessness of the good guys' situation and how they should all just bow to HYDRA, Sam has this to say:
- Signature Move:
- Sam has a habit of retracting his wings mid-flight, curling into a tight ball, and unfurling at the very last second, which results in his kicks/punches having a lot of force behind them.
- While fighting in close quarters, Sam has also taken to using his jetpack's thrusters to significantly increase the force behind his forward attacks. When combined with the Captain America shield, Sam can essentially do the Charging Star maneuver to devastating effect, which both John Walker and Georges Batroc can testify to.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Sam is this in the context of the Ant-Man films (which mark his only Infinity Saga-era apperance outside of the later Captain America and Avengers films). Sam's fight with Scott Lang in the first Ant-Man ends up having massive repercussions for Scott and his corner of the MCU during Phase Three. Their encounter is what brings Scott into Captain America: Civil War as part of Steve Rogers' Avengers faction. The fallout from Civil War then sets up the status quo for Ant-Man and the Wasp and positions Scott for Avengers: Endgame (wherein Sam having introduced Scott to the Avengers ends up being crucial to Infinity Saga's climax).
- Spanner in the Works: As the Honest Trailer notes, Sam is essentially a random guy Steve met on the street. By simply being compassionate and reaching out to Steve as a fellow veteran, he unwittingly becomes the one person Steve feels safe seeking out as an ally after S.H.I.E.L.D. has turned against him. Needless to say, Sam goes on to really screw up the villains' plans.
- Superhero Packing Heat: Wields a pair of guns in his flight suit, which flip out from the backpack to be put in his hands.
- Superior Successor: He proves to be a better Captain America than John Walker, as he is able to handle the pressures that come along with it and make smarter decisions than Walker, who tends to be indiscreet and extreme when it comes to tactics.
- Supporting Leader: In Civil War, Cap consistently calls on Sam to make big-picture decisions for the team, and back him up on any task he can't complete alone. This is especially useful on occasions when Steve is too personally invested to objectively assess situations. Sam orchestrated the team's battle strategy in the airport sequence, as well as enabling most of the strategy in the Lagos response to Crossbones' attack. Additionally, he recruited Ant-Man, who (alongside his mentor) was previously reluctant to work with the Avengers. This is probably another reason why he inherited the mantle of Captain America from Steve.
- Swiss-Army Weapon: In Civil War, Sam's Combat Wings can now transform into a portable shield, fire missiles, and launch an attack and scouting drone named Redwing. In Endgame, Sam uses his wings to stab an opponent during the final battle. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam can use his jetpack's thrusters to either burn opponents attempting to attack him from behind or utilize it to increase the force behind his own forward attacks.
- Sympathy for the Devil: In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he expresses support for the cause of the Flag Smashers, but stresses to Karli in a heartfelt conversation that he cannot condone the methods they've started resorting to.
- Taking Up the Mantle: When Steve Rogers retires, after much hesitation and initially giving up the shield, Sam becomes the new Captain America.
- Therapy Is for the Weak: A walking, talking, flying aversion. He's a Military Superhero who also counsels other veterans dealing with PTSD. Sam's backstory implies that he's working from experience as he himself had a breakdown of some kind after the loss of his wingman.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: Though Sam has no qualms with killing his enemies prior to his mini-series, he tries his best to avoid killing any of the Flag Smashers, having come to sympathize with their cause, a contrast to what other parties (Zemo, Walker and the Power Broker) during the conflict have in mind. During his final confrontation with Karli, he never throws a punch at her, even when the young woman is forcing him to fight her.
- Token Flyer: Falcon serves this role to Steve's group in The Winter Soldier and Civil War, being the only one capable of flight, thanks to his jet pack.
- Took a Level in Badass: By Captain America: Civil War, Sam is far more experienced in combat and has upgraded his wings to the point where he's capable of taking on both Iron Man and War Machine. He also has a drone for sneak attacks and recon. After finally embracing his role as the next true bearer of the Captain America mantle, Sam's mastery of the shield combined with his new vibranium suit and wings leads to him being able to hold his own and outright take down multiple super-soldier level combatants.
- Two First Names: Or three, in this case.
- Underestimating Badassery: He has an unfortunate tendency to do this.
- When he first meets Scott Lang, his friendly demeanor and funny-sounding nickname don't make Sam think he's much of a threat. He is left feeling very embarrassed.
- When he first meets Peter Parker, Sam thinks he's just some clown with a gimmick. Apparently, he forgot what happened the last time he took on an Ascended Fanboy with an insect-themed gimmick.
- When he first meets Karli Morgenthau, all he sees is a petite young woman, not a super-powered terrorist. She nearly kills him.
- Undying Loyalty: It's subtle, but it's clear that Sam has pledged his to Steve. He decides to go with Steve on his search for Bucky, even though earlier in the movie he tried to convince Steve that it was very likely Bucky couldn't be saved.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: After finding out that Sharon Carter had to turn to a smuggler's life to survive after helping Team Cap in Civil War, Sam assures her that he'll get a pardon for her so she can return to the States. He keeps his word and gets Sharon not only her pardon, but fully restored CIA clearance, much to her gratitude. Unfortunately, Sharon is also Madripoor's dreaded Power Broker, and intends to use her restored job to enrich herself even more by selling government weapons on the black market.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: After Bucky regains his memories and joins Cap's side, he and Sam have this dynamic. They constantly bicker, but they have the same goals and Bucky is never far from Sam's side when the fighting finally starts. Sam is also the only person Bucky can act normally around aside from Steve.
- Warrior Therapist: Sam works at the VA counseling veterans and soldiers who come back from wars with PTSD, and he's also an elite soldier.
- Weak, but Skilled: Sam is just a normal human with relatively meager firepower in a field of superbeings who either have enhanced strength, armor, energy-manipulating abilities, or a combination of all three. He is, however, still incredibly dangerous due to his flying skills and highly strategic mind that allow him to perform precision strikes, as well as enhancing his fellow teammates' effectiveness.
- Weaponized Exhaust: While fighting the Flag-Smashers with Bucky, John, and Lemar in Latvia, he gets grabbed from behind by one of them and he activates his wingsuit's exhaust to break free before kicking the Flag-Smasher who grabbed him.
- Wearing a Flag on Your Head: True to form, his suit as Captain America is evocative of the American Flag. He even calls himself "a black man carrying the Stars and stripes" in his public speech to the GRC.
- Wing Shield: Falcon's upgraded EXO-7 wings can be used as shields thanks to being made out of a special bullet-resistant carbon fiber material. Their shapeshifting capabilities are shown off the most in Captain America: Civil War, where they fold into shields to cover Falcon's front as he drops in between two mercenaries attacking the IFID. They can also be used one at a time to cover his lower body while he's attacking, and also merge to form a bigger shield to protect his backside.
- The Worf Effect:
- Mentioned on the commentary track: Sam is a very skilled combatant, but he's new to the superhero business and the Winter Soldier is a killing machine going back at least six decades. The Soldier eliminates him as a threat in one move, and Sam barely has time to release his parachute—it doesn't inflate all the way and slows his descent only enough to keep him from serious injury.
- Gets hit by this again in Ant-Man. He has a brief but exciting battle with Scott, who defeats Falcon and escapes in a display of how far his training has come.
- Worf Had the Flu: Was unable to defeat Agent Rumlow in The Winter Soldier due to him losing his harness and guns after a prior fight with Bucky, forcing him to rely on his fists. Additionally, Sam was out of practice, while Rumlow was a seasoned STRIKE agent.
Redwing
Redwing
The Redwing model seen in Civil War and Infinity War.
The Redwing model seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The Captain America model.
Species: Drone
Appearances: Captain America: Civil War | Avengers: Infinity War | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Sam's personal attack drone given by Stark, which Falcon has a fondness to. A new Redwing model is introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier which gets destroyed by Karli Morgenthau. Sam is given a new model made of vibranium from the Wakandans along with his Captain America suit.
- Adaptational Badass: Given its change from a falcon to a high-tech drone, Redwing is far more combat capable, housing guns, missiles, and several other weaponry inside it.
- Adaptational Mundanity: In the comics, The Falcon is able to telepathically read birds' minds and see out their eyes, including a particular empathic link with his pet falcon Redwing. In the MCU films, his psychic powers are left out, so Redwing was rewritten as a robotic drone aircraft.
- Adaptation Species Change: In the comics, Redwing was a falcon that Falcon himself had a telepathic link to. Here, Redwing is a flying drone.
- Attack Drone:
- Redwing is primarily a scout drone, but it does have a small gun to deal with individual threats, and a grappling cable Falcon uses to drag Spider-Man away. Also, in a pinch, you can straight-up launch it at someone's face.
- During Infinity War, in place of Redwing, Falcon can now eject three arrowhead-shaped smaller drones from his jetpack, which can fly over and through enemies since they are sharp.
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier brings back Redwing—and the drone itself now has the projectiles that can give even helicopters a run for their money.
- The upgraded Redwing drone that came with the Wakandan Captain America suit is even more loaded—with its own grappling hook capable of catching a moving target in the air and AI capable of gathering/processing intel on its own. Also, there are two of them - though Sam only refers to one of them as Redwing.
- Badass Adorable: Considered cute by Sam.
- Companion Cube: Sam treats the drone almost like a pet, giving voice commands in a casual, friendly tone, and telling the team to thank it rather than him for its contributions.Sam: [to Natasha] Go on, pet him. He's cute.
- I Call It "Vera": Sam named the drone "Redwing."
- Pragmatic Adaptation: In the MCU Redwing is a drone that Sam can remotely operate rather than a bird he shares a telepathic link with.
- Red Is Heroic: Redwing is a red-colored drone that aids Sam Wilson and the Avengers on missions.
- Surveillance Drone: One of Redwing's functions. It is equipped with a camera that can see through solid objects in order to detect enemies and sends visual data and other info into Falcon's goggles.
- Swiss-Army Weapon: The drone is fitted with as many armaments that can be crammed inside such small equipment, including machine guns and a grapple projectile. Missiles and a Laser Cutter were added for newer models.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: The newer Falcon Redwing drone gets smashed to pieces by Karli Morgenthau in just the second episode, much to Bucky's delight.
- Weaponized Exhaust: Of a sort: the Redwing drones with Sam's Captain America suit can also attach themselves to a target and assist in lifting them when Sam's regular physical strength will not suffice.
Variants
Zombie Apocalypse Sam Wilson
Sam Wilson / The Falcon
Species: Zombified human
Voiced By: N/A
Appearances: What If...?
On Earth-89521, Falcon was infected with a zombie virus.
- An Arm and a Leg: Zombie Sam is missing his left arm.
- Dead Alternate Counterpart: He's killed by Okoye in the episode, making him this to Sacred Timeline Falcon.
- Death by Adaptation: Okoye slices him in half in this universe.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: He had his head blasted by Jocasta in the comics. Here, he gets vertically bisected by Okoye.
- Disabled in the Adaptation: He's missing an arm in this version while his Earth-2149 counterpart has all of his limbs.
- Face–Monster Turn: The Quantum Virus stripped away his humanity, reducing him to a flesh-eating monster.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: Gets killed when Okoye slices him down the middle to save Bucky.
- Handicapped Badass: He's missing his left arm, but he still gives Bucky and Okoye a lot of trouble before the latter kills him for good.
- In Spite of a Nail: This Falcon still stages an assault at a train station, except this time it's in New York rather than Scotland.
- It Can Think: He is still able to operate his wings, using them to fly and shield himself from bullets when fighting Bucky.
- Noodle Incident: Whatever caused Sam to be infected by the horde isn't explained.
- Screaming Warrior: He grunts and growls a lot during his fight with Okoye and Bucky.
- The Undead: He's a zombie.
- Undeathly Pallor: Like the majority of the undead, Sam's skin is very pale.
- Unexplained Recovery: He is killed by Okoye, but appears alive and whole in a cameo in the season finale (assuming Doctor Strange didn't summon a similar, but different universe).
"On your left."
