The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale shows how Sam Wilson’s legacy will surpass Steve Rogers’

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale arrived on Disney+ this weekend, and even with a few snags in the road, there was one undeniable highlight of the show’s conclusion: Seeing Sam Wilson take up the shield and publicly embrace the role of Captain America.

After watching him grapple with what it means to be a Black man and wear the stars and stripes, Sam’s ending offered a powerful conclusion to his storyline. Because Sam doesn’t represent what America is — certainly not the America that wronged Isaiah Bradley, and not the one attempting to resettle refugees desperate to stay where they are. Instead, Sam’s Captain America embodies what this country could be if it reckoned with its faults and listened to its most vulnerable people.

That’s why Sam is able to obtain recognition for Isaiah Bradley and the others forced to take the Super Soldier serum against their will. It’s why he successfully secures a pardon for Sharon Carter years after Captain America: Civil War. It’s why he delivers Karli Morgenthau’s message and ensures it’s acted upon, even after she’s gone.

And just as Sam steps up in all of these situations, he demands U.S. leaders to do the same. His speech following his fight with the Flag Smashers is all about doing better, and that’s a message Captain America has always embraced — though Sam’s Captain America promises to hold the people in power accountable in ways Steve Rogers didn’t. For Sam, carrying the shield isn’t just about eliminating Earth-shattering threats like his “Big Three” and fighting crime; it’s also about addressing the systems and circumstances that push groups like the Flag Smashers to violence in the first place.

How Sam’s legacy as Captain America will move beyond Steve’s

Over the course of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, there’s been a lot of discussion about Steve Rogers’ legacy and what it means to uphold it. As Sam tells Bucky, “The legacy of that shield is complicated.” He’s not wrong. So far, it’s meant something drastically different in the hands of both Steve and John Walker.

And that meaning is shifting again as Sam carries it. Sam Wilson’s legacy as Captain America will differ from Steve Rogers’ in a major way, even if it embodies similar values. Unlike Steve, Sam hasn’t been afforded the privilege of overlooking or staying ignorant about the problems that require the most attention. For that reason, Sam is equipped to fight for ordinary people in a way Steve simply wasn’t.

Perhaps nothing drives this message home more than the fact that, by the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam is the only main character to not have taken the Super Soldier serum. With Bucky, that ship sailed long ago, but John Walker and Karli Morgenthau also inherit superhuman abilities — yet Sam is the one to deliver the impact both of them strove to.

Because Sam is a Black man who grew up in America, he’s also in a better position to fight for marginalized people, something Steve could and should have done, but ultimately, never would have been able to fully grasp the significance of. Sam has faced the consequences of systemic oppression firsthand, and he knows the struggles that accompany it. He understands how damaging and dangerous it can be, and that it requires just as much attention as dealing with supervillains like Loki or Ultron — probably even more.

And while Steve wasn’t tethered to any family or friends beyond the Avengers in his present-day timeline, Sam runs in circles made up of the very people Captain America should, ideally, represent: the ones impacted by the government’s actions, but whose voices aren’t always heard when it comes to making major decisions. It’s Sam’s dedication to those people that will push his legacy as Captain America beyond Steve’s — and mold it into something that doesn’t just represent a nation and its self-proclaimed ideals, but also the well-being of all the people impacted by its choices.

What did you think of Sam Wilson finally becoming Captain America in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale? Was it a satisfying conclusion for you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!