The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Yeah, yeah. There's spoilers. Has anyone not seen this show by now?

 Nobody needs me to tell them how fantastic this series was.

Instead I'll tell you how hysterically funny I found it.

Not because of the show itself, but because of the reactions of folks who only know the MCU movies and shows, and have never read comic books.

The internet exploded with distaste of John Walker, even before he went off the deep end.

"How dare he try to replace Steve Rogers?"

Meanwhile, I'm sitting there thinking, "I've known he was an arrogant ass since he replaced Cap in the comics back in 1987.  Then I reached a point where I hated him more two years later when, as U.S. Agent, he was a government watchdog assigned to the West Coast Avengers (Which also included living through the Vision and Scarlet Witch stuff from the last Disney Plus series.  That's where I learned comic book creative team changes can really mess with what titles I liked.)

The creative folks behind the MCU make excellent choices but it comes off very strange based on prior comic knowledge sometimes.

Since before I was born, Bucky Barnes was one of a tiny handful of comic book characters in the "They will stay dead no matter what" pile.  This status lasted for forty-two years!  Having him pop up, revived as a main character only five years into the MCU and become a huge presence at that was a bit disconcerting.

 

On the positive side, Baron Zemo is now truly the supervillain he is in the comics. In another bit of weirdness, it was his dad (the first Baron Zemo) at the end of World War II who was responsible for Cap being frozen and Bucky's death in the original tales.

I bet this version never accidentally glues his mask to his face permanently with Adhesive X though.

It's also odd seeing a combination of story lines that were decades apart. Walker as Cap is from back when I was a teenager. Sam took the mantle only ten years or so ago.  Meanwhile, due to Tony Stark not understanding people at all, Bucky was Cap somewhere in between there. 

The MCU and this series has been outstanding at showing what is the important part of being "Captain America." It has nothing to do with being a good fighter or warrior. That's shown as something anyone can have the skills and training.  It goes back to the original film, and being a good man.  It's about beliefs, and being able to live, project and explain those beliefs.

That's why Bucky has the skills and powers to wield the shield, but not the personality or passion.  Its also why Sam is perfect for it.

The show did a fantastic job with all of the characters in it, and in laying an insane amount of seeds for future projects.  The Young Avengers continues to grow with Elijah's grandson.  Elijah himself could be featured in a flashback MCU version of "The Truth."  Zemo is a fantastically developed and dangerous villain now.  Sam and Bucky are poised for new roles and adventures. Sharon is positioned in a way she never was in the comics, but given what happened with her boyfriend and her aunt, its completely understandable.

Finally there's the U.S. Agent. (yes his name really is "Johnny Walker" and in the comics he used the alas "Jack Daniels."  Comics are not known for subtlety.)  Whether Julia Louise Dreyfus is actually "Madame Hydra" or just and incredibly shady U.S. government contact, the show has done well at what the comics forget some times.  John is still heroic. He's a troubled, arrogant ass, but a heroic, troubled, arrogant ass.

With the show runner of this series set to make Captain America 4 its time for some major star spangled celebrations.