MCU Theory: Sharon Carter Defeats Power Broker (Not Falcon & Winter Soldier)

Sharon Carter could be the one to defeat the Power Broker in The Falcon & the Winter Soldier, not Sam and Bucky. Marvel's latest Disney+ TV series has introduced a shadowy force into the MCU, a crime boss known as the Power Broker. In the comics, Power Broker, Inc. was a dangerous organization dedicated to creating super-soldiers; the MCU's version appears to be rather different, and frankly a lot more dangerous. Although they are based in Madripoor, their criminal empire appears to span the globe.

Naturally, there is intense speculation over the identity of the Power Broker; one popular theory is that the Power Broker is actually Sharon Carter, who has either gone bad while on the run since Captain America: Civil War, or who was perhaps always secretly a villain in the first place. Certainly Sharon's story seems odd; it's strange that the Winter Soldier would be granted a pardon for his countless crimes, but Sharon – whose only known crime was taking Captain America's shield and Falcon's wings – is still considered one of the world's most wanted.

But that doesn't necessarily mean Sharon is a villain; rather, it just suggests her story is nowhere near done just yet. There is, in fact, another intriguing possibility; that she will be the one who brings down the Power Broker.

Sharon Carter Has A History Of Undercover Work

Sharon Carter helping Steve Rogers in Captain America Civil War

It's easy for viewers to forget just how Sharon Carter was introduced in the first place. She worked in SHIELD like a great-aunt Peggy, but – while she was one of the few trusted by Nick Fury – she doesn't appear to have been particularly high-ranking within the organization. She was introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a field agent who had been assigned to go undercover in Steve Rogers' apartment block, acting as one of his neighbors. She had done a good job, because until she drew her gun Cap had no idea she was actually working for SHIELD. Granted, Captain America was never a particularly suspicious nature, but Fury could have expected him to get occasional houseguests who might recognize a spy; so it's reasonable to assume Sharon was good at her job.

Captain America brought SHIELD down in flames, but it doesn't seem to have taken Sharon long to find alternative employment; when she returned in Captain America: Civil War, she had joined the CIA – and she was apparently respected enough to even be allowed access to some of the most high-profile objects the CIA held as evidence in Berlin, even managing to steal Captain America's shield. Given previous involvement with SHIELD probably acted against her after the world learned SHIELD had been compromised by Hydra, this is no mean feat. It suggests Sharon has a solid record behind her, one good enough to make her a crucial hire for other espionage agencies.

Sharon Carter Could Be Undercover At Madripoor

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Sharon Carter

All this certainly means Sharon's presence in Madripoor, and her acting in a manner that frankly seems somewhat out of character, should raise flags with viewers. It is quite possible that she is actually working with the CIA; that they decided to take advantage of her fugitive status to use her to infiltrate the Madripoorian underworld, setting her up to get close to the Power Broker. That would explain why she was scouting out Selby's operation, given Selby clearly has ties to the Power Broker, and it would further fit with Sharon's getting involved with Sam and Bucky; she would have wanted them off the island as quickly as possible so they wouldn't compromise her operation. The final scene of Falcon & Winter Soldier episode 3, which saw Sharon being picked up by an unidentified ally, could well see her talking with a fellow undercover agent. "We've got a big problem," she told them. "Actually a couple of them, I'll tell you in the car, let's go." Her concern could be that Sam and Bucky's attempt to track down the Flag-Smashers would inevitably lead them to crossing paths with the Power Broker's forces, potentially ruining her own plans.

It's worth noting such a plot would fit very well with portrayals of Madripoor in the comics. There, Madripoor is not only a hive of criminal activity, it is also frequently visited by super-spies and SHIELD agents. Jessica Drew, Nick Fury, Carol Danvers, and of course Wolverine have all regularly visited Madripoor, often in an undercover capacity in order to infiltrate various criminal enterprises. It would be quite fitting for Sharon Carter to be doing the same.

Sharon Carter Could Be The One Who Brings Down The Power Broker

/Emily-VanCamp-as-Sharon-Carter-in-The-Falcon-and-the-Winter-Soldier

Most viewers are expecting Sam and Bucky to be the ones who take down the Power Broker, simply because this is their show after all. But they are forgetting the Power Broker does not actually lie at the heart of Marvel's Falcon & Winter Soldier series. Rather, in thematic terms the story is really all about the legacy of Captain America, which means the final episodes should really be about John Walker proving he is unworthy to wield the shield and Sam Wilson stepping up to become the next captain America, whether he gets the blessing of the U.S. government or not. The Power Broker is actually, thematically at least, something of a tangent.

This raises the possibility Sharon Carter will be the one who finally brings down the Power Broker, fulfilling her off-the-books mission. Such a resolution would be a smart way of drawing all the secondary plots together quite neatly, and it would frankly be far more organic than the idea of turning Sharon herself into the Power Broker. What's more, it would avoid turning one of Steve Rogers' few love interests in the MCU, not to mention his relative thanks to his time travel marriage to Peggy, into a villain. Episode 3's title was "The Power Broker," but rather than signify it was secretly introducing the show's bad guy, it would actually have been teasing the introduction of the character who would take down the Power Broker, leaving the unworthy Captain America himself to Falcon & Winter Soldier.

More: Marvel Finally Remembered How Powerful Sharon Carter Is