The House of Mouse is having a moment in the grand scheme of the Streaming Wars. From The Mandolarian to WandaVision, they have been steadily pulling more and more subscribers onto their platform. Each show brings with it over-the-top action and a surprising amount of self-discovery. So, when it came time for Falcon and The Winter Soldier to air it was only natural that they finally address a major struggle that Sam Wilson (Falcon) would face. Could he, a Black man, step into the role of Captain America? From episode one and on we watch him battle imposter syndrome as well as your typical bad guys before donning the stars and stripes as Captain America. This is a powerful moment in the show. Even the actor, Anthony Mackie, expressed how much this moment meant for him and his family. It also was a polarizing moment for Marvel fans.
Now, I’m not going to include individuals that dislike the show because they feel Marvel is too PC for folks that have been downright racist. The fans I’m referring to are those that feel Sam as a character was too much of a moderate. Looking at some comments from Black Twitter, fans were frustrated with Sam. When looking for what they would have wanted from Sam it was clear to see that they wanted Sam to be more aggressive when voicing the wrongdoings of America. Looking at current events in America, one can see where this expectation could be coming from. The Sam they were hoping for would be one that is more left of center, someone that would embody the current political movement within Black culture. The Sam that was presented was one that politically is a centrist. He acknowledges the many wrongdoings within the country but won’t call out the systems that had a hand in those wrongdoings. Instead, he believes that everyone has to have a voice at the table.
In the beginning of the show, I too found myself annoyed with Sam. His character seemed to have either forgotten the difficulties that exist for Black folks or was of the mindset that anyone can be successful if they work hard enough. Looking at the bank scene in episode one, we see his sister try and tell him that the bank won’t give her a loan. With the underlying message being understood by many people of color. Instead of taking her for her word, Sam insists that he can fix the problem by showing up with her and using his notoriety to get the loan. Sam quickly is brought back to Earth when the banker takes his photo and still declines to give them the loan. As they leave the bank Sarah again tells Sam getting a loan won’t work. Sam’s response is that he’ll take care of it. He has connections, and strongly believes they will give them the money.
Fast forward to Sam’s interaction with Isaiah Bradley, Isaiah tells Sam to keep the memory of his past buried. Sam responds by basically telling him the same thing,
I know people, I have connections.
Those interactions bothered me and I had to analyze within myself where this was coming from. Sam, after all he went through, still had trust for the systems that failed him. Whether that system be the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D, or the U.S Government, Sam continued to believe that they were looking out for him. Despite literally not having a dime to his name, Sam never spoke out about the lack of support he should have received. Instead, he continued to blindly support them, fighting fights for the U.S with zero compensation or support. I assumed that he’d be able to relate to Isaiah’s past experience dealing with the government and their mistreatment of him, but in the end he did not appear to make that connection. Even Isaiah himself called Sam out for reflexively trying to justify his imprisonment. Sam is a perfect example of someone that follows respectability politics, he’s non-threatening, compliant, and above all else: a patriot. Respectability politics are defined as: marginalized groups required to prove that their values align with ideals already held by the dominant group, which are built from pre-existing prejudices and cultural interpretations of that group. While the writers avoided making Sam the “angry Black man” but they wound up making his likeability his main character trait. He’s the approachable Black character that acknowledges the problems within the world but does it in a way to avoid naming the problem (racism or xenophobia).
At the very end of the show Sam goes on a speech about labels and how they affect treatment, but he does so without diving below the surface. Ultimately making an argument that is just a topical statement that judging people is wrong. It’s not an aggressive statement and it avoids placing blame on any specific group of people or naming a systemic problem.
I understand that Captain America is a hero for all, but the execution of it was a bit lackluster. When starting this show my hope was that Sam would lose his naivete over the course of the 6 episodes. I saw him as a Black character that fully trusted the powers in command and was confused when they betrayed that trust. I’d hoped that he would learn to trust the people and be there to call out inequalities and use himself as the people’s connection.
Yet, in the end we got a hero that makes ambiguous speeches about racism and xenophobia without naming that’s what he’s talking about. My hope is that this is a part of Sam’s arc, that in time he’ll see that his words carry power and with the power he could help enact change. I am still incredibly proud of Anthony Mackie and the work he put in for this role and I do want to shout out the writers for starting Marvel down this more serious path. I also will be watching diligently to see just how Sam grows into his new title and the choices he makes.
