Falcon and Winter Soldier Gives Joaquin Torres His Wings | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 5, "Truth," now streaming on Disney+.

Much of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier deals with the weight behind the legacy of Captain America's shield and who should inherit it, and the series' hero Sam Wilson struggles with whether or not to accept that burden. But as Sam comes to grips with his responsibility, he leaves behind a legacy of its own, and possibly sets up a new hero in his wake.

Joaquin Torres has his own superhero history in the comics, the seeds of which have already been planted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This episode pushes him another step toward becoming the next Falcon.

Sam Wilson does not seem to think of his own symbolic status as the Falcon throughout much of the series. While his position as a hero and an Avenger earns him the treatment of a celebrity, it never seems to come up that he may be leaving something behind if he were to move into the mantle of Captain America. That's probably why he discarded his wings so readily in the latest episode.

To be fair, the wings had seen better days. While in battle with John Walker, enraged following the death of his partner Battlestar and empowered by the Super Soldier Serum, the crazed Captain managed to rip Falcon's wings off in their skirmish. Joaquin showed great interest in the wings as he looked over the aftermath, in awe that they were even destroyed. As Sam moved to leave them behind, Joaquin's own interest seemed to linger, and this could be the perfect setup for a new hero.

The MCU's future is currently rife with potential new heroes and successors to the current Avengers, but this is a particularly sly introduction on Marvel's part. Having only been around since 2015, Joaquin Torres is a relatively new character whose name could easily slip many fans by, and thus far in the Disney+ series, he is already serving as the tech-savvy backup role in support of Sam's missions. If Sam were to move on to the role of Captain America, as he seems well primed to do at this point, Joaquin could easily take up his old mantle.

An inevitable rematch with John Walker is bound to happen, as the misguided hero creates his own shield in the episode's post-credits sequence, and Sam unlatches a high-tech briefcase Bucky gave him, a package from Wakanda that could easily be a new iteration of the Captain America costume. After practicing doggedly with the shield to be able to wield it effectively, it seems that Sam Wilson is ready for the role. But exactly what training Joaquin will need with the wings remains to be seen.

It may be too early to expect Joaquin to immediately fill Falcon's boots, but the set up is clearly there. Whenever he is needed most, the heroes of Marvel can expect some backup from their next high-flying hero.

Directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly and Daniel Brühl. New episodes debut on Fridays on Disney+.

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Brenton Stewart (700 Articles Published)

Brenton grew up in Kansas and earned his B.A. in Chicago studying the Great Books of the Western World. Always believing comics were the real Great Books, he immersed himself obsessively in nerd culture where he covers everything from superheroes to Avatar to prestige television.