Heartwarming / The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Heartwarming pages are for post-viewing discussion; they assume you've already seen the work in question and as such are spoiler-free.

"Now, they'll never forget what you did for this country."

Episode 1: "New World Order"

• Sam is doing maintenance on his gear in a cafe when someone says "Avenger!" It is a civilian man who thanks Sam for saving his wife (presumably reviving her after Thanos's Snap). Sam replies, "Always happy to help, sir." In the man's native tongue, no less.
• Bucky's session with his therapist; more importantly, the session itself is part of his government-appointed pardon. It shows that even with how chaotic the world's become after the Blip, they still recognize Barnes is a good person beneath the Winter Soldier mantle.
  • During the session, the therapist helps herself to Bucky's phone, where she points out that Sam has tried all week to talk to Bucky. It makes sense on multiple levels: not only is Sam trying to help a mutual friend of Steve's, but he was a therapist and a military veteran himself.
  • Despite her claims that Bucky has no one to call a friend, she's proven wrong when he meets up with his neighbor Yori. Their exchanges give off a Vitriolic Best Buds vibe similar to what he and Steve had as far back as The First Avenger.
    • To make things even better, it's a direct parallel to how we were first introduced to Steve and Bucky: Steve/Yori getting into an alley fight and Bucky pulling up to save the day (though, for this instance, Yori's the one who needs to be pulled away from Unique).
• Bucky takes his elderly neighbor Yori out to lunch, which is apparently a weekly ritual of theirs. Yori mentions to Bucky that he ought to ask their bartender out on a date. Bucky balks at this and Yori promptly sets them up. While it's largely played for comedy, it's a sweet moment that shows genuine friendship between Bucky and Yori.
  • Crosses over with Tear Jerker when it's revealed that Bucky (as the Winter Soldier) killed Yori's son and he's trying to make amends. During the date that Yori sets up, Leah tells Bucky that his friendship with Yori does wonders to help the old man cope with his son's absence.
• The memorial to Steve Rogers at the Smithsonian is nothing but pure heartwarming. Sam gets up on stage and gives a beautiful speech that both eulogizes Steve and emphasizes why Captain America is a mantle that only a select few could ever live up to. He caps it off by stating that while the mantle of Captain America is important, what's more important is the person behind it, someone that only Steve truly represented.
  • If one looks in the background, there are banners that say things like "Farewell, Steve" and the various exhibits explain away Steve's more controversial actions as being driven by a desire to protect his friends and do what was right, not what was easy. Despite going against the government's wishes and coming to blows with Tony, in the end, Steve is remembered as a true hero by the nation he always wanted to serve.
• Rhodey has an encouraging and brotherly talk with Sam as they walk through the Smithsonian exhibit. They reflect on the past, the Blip, and the Captain America mantle. He respects Sam's decision, despite his objection and clear discomfort with the shield becoming government property.
  • Rhodey tells Sam to bring his nephews to DC so Rhodey can teach them how to fly "the right way".
  • At the end of their conversation, Rhodey tells Sam he'll be in touch.
  • Many fans found seeing a low stakes conversation between two Black superheroes in their downtime very heartwarming by itself, since this isn't really something seen in the universe previously. The showrunner, Malcolm Spellman, has stated that this was very much intentional and many iterations of this conversation were written until they could craft dialogue that firmly presented this idea.
    Rhodey: It's a new day, brother.

Episode 2: "The Star-Spangled Man"

• Bucky refers to the White Wolf nickname that the Wakandans have bestowed upon him with something like fondness. It's clear that his time in Wakanda was meaningful to him, and he has such immense respect for the people of the country that he's not going to let Sam's "White Panther" joke slide.
• John Walker wants to do the best job he can at being Captain America, not wanting to replace Steve. He also clearly wants to work with both Sam and Bucky.
  • The writers apparently knew Walker's reception by the audience wasn't going to be positive. So the very first thing the second episode does is work to humanize him, to show that he's not the pompous jerk many feared he would be. During his very first scene, Walker displays a great amount of humanity in expressing his desire to be Captain America and live up to the mantle, before sharing a tender moment with his wife and showcasing an earnest, friendly rapport with Lemar Hoskins, his best friend.
  • When Lemar is thrown from the truck, Walker throws his shield so that he can land on top of it and use it as a sled rather than skidding along the rough pavement.
• Upon meeting Karli for the first time, Bucky, who has mistaken her for a hostage, greets her kindly and asks her in a concerned tone if she's alright. He even returns her (slightly creepy) smile. Granted, the situation didn't turn out very well, but hey—points to typically asocial Bucky for at least trying to help what he initially thought was a young girl in trouble.
• It's made clear in this episode that the Flag-Smashers are a tight-knit group, amiably chatting with each other when they aren't running a mission and being willing to sacrifice their lives to help the others (with one doing just that in order to buy the others enough time to escape the Power Broker's men).
  • When one of them gets shot, Karli makes sure to kick Walker off first before running over to their downed friend and concernedly asking if he's okay.
• In its own really strange way, the fact that Isaiah Bradley and Bucky Barnes are able to have a civil conversation, despite all the bad blood between them. Isaiah only gets angry at the end when Bucky unwittingly breaks his last straw, but up until then he and Bucky reminisce about the Korean War and their one-on-one duel like it was a friendly sports game. Indeed, Bucky doesn't tell anyone, even Steve, about Isaiah as he genuinely feels sympathy for the man and wants him to spend the rest of his life in peace.
• When Sam is getting profiled by some cops, Bucky is the one who rebukes them for not recognizing who he is. The subtext here being that regardless of how they may act towards each other, it's obvious Bucky respects the hell out of Sam as a hero and Avenger, and won't hesitate to defend him.
  Officer: Is this man bothering you?
  Bucky: No, he's not "bothering" me. Do you know who he is?
• When Bucky gets arrested instead, Sam follows him and waits at the police station, despite not having any reason to do so.
  • Do they really have a problem with the other? Or is the problem just that Steve's gone?
  • Take note that when Bucky got arrested, it was afternoon outside. By the time Sam and Bucky exit the police station with Lemar and John, it's night time. Sam clearly waited all day for his friend to be released, even when they'd just been at each other's throats a few hours ago.

Episode 3: "Power Broker"

• After Zemo is released, it is revealed that he actually has someone to go home to: his family butler, who seems to have been keeping his properties in order (and readily welcomes him to his plane)—not unlike Alfred Pennyworth. They readily resume their familiar banter even with Sam and Bucky's presence. It also circles back to Tear Jerker, to an extent, in that if Zemo's suicide in Captain America: Civil War actually happened, the old man would have been left alone.
• Throughout the episode, despite them clearly still stinging from each other, Sam has shown nothing if not concern for Bucky's wellbeing—even making sure he's okay and not Lost in Character after being forced to masquerade as the Winter Soldier to intimidate the Bad Guy Bar into letting them meet Selby. Bucky, for his part, seems to have become quite deferential to Sam (even if they are still bickering in multiple instances, and with Zemo needling them both).

Episode 4: "The Whole World Is Watching"

• At the top of the episode, we get a flashback to six years ago, shortly before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. Bucky and Ayo are alone, and she recites his command words. They don't work, and he breaks down while she happily tells him that he is free.
  • When Ayo says the word "Homecoming," Bucky's mind flashes back to the memory of Steve staying with him on the crashing helicarrier, trying to break to him through the Winter Soldier programming. In the end, it was Steve who helped Bucky return to who he was, and a callback to Word of God statements on the friendship between the two serving as an embodiment of "home".
  • Just the fact that Bucky responds to Ayo in Xhosa instead of English. He has so much respect for Wakanda, its inhabitants, and their culture that even though he only spent two years at most in the country, he still tried to learn their language as best as he could.
• Despite his hatred for the Avengers, and especially for super soldiers, Zemo readily admits that the serum never corrupted Steve Rogers (though he also adds that there has never been another Steve Rogers).
• It's subtle, but both John Walker and Sam go through similar experiences throughout this episode. They're both recognized and disrespected for offering to help, and by the end of the episode, both have suffered the loss of a beloved partner. The big difference is that while Walker gives in to his rage and aggression, Sam never gives up his hope and compassion for even his enemies, always willing to talk to the likes of Karli Morgenthau, unarmed and completely vulnerable.
  • It's particularly reflected in their responses on whether they would take the Super Soldier serum. Walker mulls over the issue, surreptitiously seeks advice from Lemar, and eventually justifies his rationale to take the serum by saying it could help him as a soldier. Sam doesn't even have to think to reject it.
• In this episode, Sam begins to prove why Steve chose him as his successor in the first place. He makes his presence clear at the funeral, shows he's without his suit and thus unarmed, and allows the procession to finish and clear out. He assures Karli as best as he can that he means no harm and is only there to talk. He just wants to hear why she's doing what she's doing, and even empathizes with her raison d'être and feelings of loss. Right up until Walker's untimely interruption, he most likely would've been completely willing to help Karli reach her goals with far fewer human casualties, and only disagrees with her because he couldn't abide by the endangerment of innocents. Sam's not a perfect soldier... but a good man.
  • The way Sam disagrees with Karli using violence to achieve her noble goals but doesn't resort to violence himself to stop her can also be read as the fact that Sam doesn't want to kill anyone. He doesn't like bullies. He doesn't care where they're from.
  • And remember the reply to that quote, which also fits perfectly with Sam, the only normal human being between all these Super Soldiers clamoring for a fight:
    "There are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need now is a little guy."
  • Look at Sam's body language in this scene, too. He's completely relaxed, even turning his back towards Karli a couple of times as he talks to her—not down at her, to her. Despite the fact that he sees her as a kid, he respects her authority and goals well enough that not only does he take the time to hear her out, never once answering condescendingly as John Walker probably would have, he also has that much faith in her character to not hurt him, even if she could. And it works.
• Another moment that shows Sam as a fundamentally decent person. When he comes across John Walker in the Flag-Smasher hideout, the former simply tells him that "they've got Lemar". Sam tags along without question, bringing to mind the scene in Captain America: Civil War where he tries to save War Machine.
• During Donya Madani's funeral, Walker persuades Bucky to let him in before his 10 minutes is up, not by threatening him or by persuading him that Sam doesn't have what it takes, but by warning him that Sam could get hurt if he doesn't do anything. It shows that in spite of all their differences and their issues with each other, deep down Bucky cares a lot about Sam's wellbeing.
  • Noteworthily, despite the antagonism between him and Sam, Walker makes it clear he isn't against Sam trying to reason with Karli just because he believes force is the only way, but also because he is truly concerned about him. They may not be on good terms but Walker still acknowledges Wilson as a hero and didn't want to let him walk into what he perceived to be a suicide mission on his own. The way he talks about it when he makes Bucky back off only makes it even more evident.
  • Even before then, when Walker is highly skeptical that Sam can go in against a super-soldier unarmed and without backup, Bucky's immediate reply is, "He's faced worse." Despite their personality differences, Bucky absolutely respects Sam's prowess as an Avenger.
  • Then there's how quick Bucky is to support Sam once it gets personal. He doesn't even hesitate to go with Sam for his second meeting with Karli, clearly empathetic for what happened when Sam's family got threatened. Then in the later fight, he protects Sam from a flag smasher, even giving him a half snide "You're welcome."

Episode 5: "Truth"

• When Sam and Bucky find Walker in the train station, despite being previously antagonistic to him, they clearly understood that Walker was acting out of grief over Lemar's death and tried to reason with him and convince him to surrender himself to the authorities and explain properly what happened so he can limit the damage done and possibly face a lighter punishment, even indicating they would be willing to back him up, and only fight him when Walker, too crazy to see reason and misinterpreting Sam's request to surrender the shield, refuses to listen to their pleas and attacks them.
  • Astonishingly, Bucky actually shows Walker sympathy for once. Instead of being a jerk to him like he used to be, he doesn't jump into action against him immediately and instead tries to act nice, gently stating that it wasn't Nico who killed Lemar and even advising him against brutality and revenge. Having not only lost Steve, the man who was easily his brother-in-arms, but also engaged in brutal and ruthless acts and regretted it and even with HYDRA, the organization responsible for brainwashing him, dismantled not bringing him any peace, he perfectly understood what Walker was going through and genuinely wanted to help him out of the dark path he was on.
  • Even after having to fight him and getting beaten up in order to take the shield, Wilson still asks about what would happen to Walker and when he learns jurisdiction will be taken, he is genuinely saddened, showing that despite all their previous conflicts, Wilson truly sympathized with Walker's situation and regretted having to come to blows with him.
• After the Dora Milaje take Zemo into custody, Ayo warns Bucky to stay away from Wakanda for a while, but also calls him White Wolf. In her eyes, leading them to Zemo and not killing him clearly assuaged much of the hurt he caused by freeing Zemo in the first place. She even agreed to do a favor for him.
• The first episode established that Paul and Darlene Wilson were pillars of the community. Sam makes a few calls, asking for help to fix the boat, and the community comes out in full.
  • Sarah Wilson follows in her parent's footsteps in this regard providing her sons with extra lunches for their disadvantaged classmates.
• Bucky takes the result of that favor (a new suit for Sam, likely a Captain America suit) down to Louisiana to deliver it personally. He and Sam are awkward around each other at first, but Bucky offers to help with the boat and Sam needs all the help he could get. It goes a long way towards easing their tension, culminating in Sam offering Sarah's couch for Bucky to spend the night.
  • For that matter, Bucky sleeping on a warm, comfortable couch for once, and not on the floor like in the first episode. Plus, for the first time in forever, he doesn't seem to have had a nightmare.
  • When Bucky wakes up, he sees Sam's nephews playing with the shield, and gives one of the few genuine smiles he's had since regaining his mind.
    • Sam's nephews playing with the shield also subtly demonstrates that the ideals it symbolizes can inspire African-Americans and serve as a positive image for them despite America's current and past racial issues, and it's a refutation of Isaiah Bradley's claim that no self-respecting Black man would want to be Captain America. It's reinforced after Sam's Training Montage, when his nephew AJ reverently traces the outline of the star at the centre of the shield as Sam holds it, wordlessly beaming with pride at his uncle finally taking up the mantle.
  • The fact that Bucky's favor (likely the last one he'll be getting from the Wakandans for a while) was to get Falcon a new vibranium suit tells you just how much he cares, and how much the Wakandans respect Sam to gift him with a suit made from their sacred metal.
• During their game of frisbee with the shield, Sam asks Bucky if he's still having nightmares. Unlike in the first episode, where Bucky lied to Dr. Raynor, he tells Sam that yes, he is still having nightmares. So Sam offers advice on what to do about them. This is a moment where we see the "best buds" part of Vitriolic Best Buds. Bucky clearly prefers opening up to his friend, who is also a therapist, than Raynor.
• Bucky apologizes to Sam for not considering the weight of offering Captain America's shield to a Black man, and for being caught up in his own issues. Sam accepts, and offers Bucky good advice for dealing with the nightmares.
  • Bucky also confirms that he and Steve talked it over before Steve headed back into time and by implication jointly agreed on the choice of Sam as the next Cap.
• Walker goes to Lemar's parents and sister to personally apologize for his death. His parents accept it, and his mother even hugs him. Even Lemar's sister, who seems furious with him, chooses not to voice it.
• Sam and Sarah talk after Sarah decides to try and save both the boat and the house. He thinks she always thought he was running away, but she never thought that. She is proud that he's fighting for the world and their family both.
• During their confrontation at the memorial for Sokovia, Zemo expresses nothing but compassion and respect for Bucky, revealing that he harbors no ill-will towards the man, and that he took the liberty of crossing out his name in Bucky's list of people he needs to make amends to or for.
  • The way Zemo crosses his name off Bucky's list is a bit of foreshadowing to what Sam tells Bucky later, of being of service to the people he hurt as the Winter Soldier in order to properly make amends. Despite their antagonism, Bucky helped Zemo find some closure, gave him a cause to fight for one last time, and even defended Zemo against the Dora and Walker. They may never be friends, but there is a bond between the two, and they're most certainly not enemies anymore.
• Compare Isaiah's fury at the two leads when he's first introduced in episode 2, telling them on no uncertain terms to get out and stay out, to his scene here with just Sam. Despite Sam arriving unannounced and with a symbol Isaiah despises, the two sit down and have a frank discussion about the place a black man has in America, not just in its history but in its present. It becomes clear that Isaiah is rightfully bitter and resentful for all that's happened to him under the U.S. government and pointing out that many people's attitudes towards black people haven't really changed since then, and is willing to bare this grief to Sam because of a genuine belief that he's trying to help.

Episode 6: "One World, One People"

• During Sam's "debut" as Captain America, he's recognized by some bystanders, one of whom calls him "Black Falcon". The other quickly corrects him to say, "No. That's Captain America."
  • After Sam rescues the helicopter pilot, another group of civilians on the bridge greet him with thunderous applause.
• Just the fact that the suit Bucky asked the Wakandans to commission for Sam has a new Redwing built in. Even though the drone does annoy the hell out of him, Redwing obviously means a great deal to Sam, and Bucky knows even a detail as small as that can help his friend feel more at home in his new suit.
• Bucky's walking through the barricades set up by the police, and they let him pass, no trouble. This is a silent callback to an earlier episode where Walker refers to him and Sam as "two Avengers". One of the officers present even greets him not as the Winter Soldier, but as "Sergeant Barnes."
• It's a small moment, but after the Filipina senator manages to keep the helicopter from crashing, Sam genuinely congratulates her and the two are seen sharing grins of shared camaraderie.
  Sam: Nice work, Ayla!!
• When Bucky saves some of the senators from one of the security trucks, one of them takes the time to thank him profusely for saving their lives. The look on his face implies that this is the first time a civilian has ever done that for him.
• While chasing down Karli and the remaining Flag Smashers to avenge Lemar's death, Walker comes across a hijacked GRC vehicle about to go over a ledge. After a moment of thought, he abandons chasing after the Flag Smashers and chooses to save those inside. This proves that when push comes to shove, Walker will do the right thing and is a hero at his core.
  • It's even made better by the symbolism of him having to throw away his makeshift shield to do so. Keep in mind that the shield is a product of his Sanity Slippage. When he throws it away, he goes back to his core: as a good man who doesn't need to uphold or have the extremely weighty mantle of Captain America to be a hero.
• When Sam saves the politicians' van all by himself, Bucky excitedly mouths "Sam!" under his breath and can be seen looking at his friend with a mixture of awe and joy on his face.
• Following the fight, Walker teams up with Bucky and helps him lure the remaining Flag Smashers into being captured by the police. Despite all that has happened, Bucky finally accepts him as an ally, even if he still doesn't like him on a personal basis. He even helps Walker up after the latter has taken a particularly bad spill and pulls John out of the way, just in case Sam slips and the van falls.
• "The only power I have is that I believe we can do better."
• During Sam's speech to the GRC officials, we see shots of Isaiah and Eli, Joaquín, Sarah, Bucky, and even John all watching him with obvious pride.
  Bucky: Nice job, Cap.
• Even until the very end, even when she's wailing on him and threatening to kill him, Sam refuses to fight Karli, and is willing to give up his own life to let her see the light, much like Steve trying to get through to Bucky in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
• Even though she's revealed to have been the indirect cause of the conflict in the series and had been lying to everyone about what she's really doing, Sharon still takes the time to genuinely compliment Sam's new Captain America outfit.
• Sam tells Isaiah that he won't let anyone tell him that he can't fight for his country, especially with everything their ancestors (Isaiah included) went through building and bleeding for it. Even though Isaiah ultimately brushes it off with a "Shit. I almost bought that" (which Sam clearly sees through), he still needed a few moments to hide how much that means to him, despite all his cynicism.
• Sam taking Isaiah and Elijah to the Smithsonian, and revealing that Isaiah's sacrifices for his country are now immortalized right next to Steve's, implicitly calling him the second Captain America. You see what is probably his first genuine smile in decades, his eyes tear up, and he pulls Sam into a heartfelt hug (and he's shaking the whole time).
  Sam: Now, they'll never forget what you did for this country.
• Walker's sheer joy at becoming the U.S. Agent. He's ecstatic to finally be a hero on his own terms, with a mantle that he can call his own with no expectations to live up to someone else. His wife Olivia is also clearly incredibly happy for him.
  • Olivia deserves an entry herself for staying by John's side throughout the season and supporting him through everything he goes through. This hasn't been a happy time for her, but she is still clearly Happily Married.
• Bucky bonding with Sam's nephews at the party by playing superheroes, and even letting them hang off his vibranium arm. Just the fact that Bucky is hanging out with the Wilsons shows that he's finally found a new family after decades of loneliness.
  • The fact that Bucky showed up to the party with a cake is quite sweet too.
  • Also on a bit of a deeper level, the fact that Bucky has spent the whole show trying to figure out how much of his Winter Soldier programming is still in him, and deal with the guilt that comes along with a past like his. His only other friend is the father of one of his victims, he has a therapist to make sure he doesn't go back to his old self again, and the Wakandans put a failsafe in his arm just in case...so it's pretty safe to assume that Bucky's worried about himself and his arm, and what he's capable of. But with the Wilsons, he finally feels comfortable enough to play with Sam's nephews and let the kids hang off of his arm, one of the things most connected to his past.
• Bucky writing a "Thank You" note to his psychologist. Their session in episode 1 was pretty tense, and gave the impression neither of them wanted to be there. This is a nice note to the contrary.
• The title card at the end credits now reads "Captain America and the Winter Soldier", showing that the mantle has well and truly been passed to Sam, and he has become a leader and a beacon of hope to people around the world, just like Steve was.

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