Sam's Relationship to New Falcon is Captain America 4's Emotional Core

Screen Rant

Director Julius Onah explains how Sam Wilson’s relationship with the new Falcon Joaquin Torres will affect Captain America: New World Order.

Captain America: New World Order director Julius Onah reveals that Sam Wilson's relationship with the new Falcon is the upcoming film's "emotional core". Development on the fourth Captain America film was confirmed in 2021, and its title was officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year with the release date set for May 3, 2024. Captain America: New World Order will star Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson and will pick up after the events of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. It was also recently confirmed the film's cast will include Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Leader.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier served as a bridge to a new Captain America era as Sam and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) both coped with Steve Rogers' decisions at the end of Avengers: Endgame. In Rogers' absence, Sam assumed his mantle as Captain America to continue his friend's legacy, and as a result, Sam passed on the Falcon wing-suit to his friend Torres, who had helped he and Bucky investigate the Flag Smashers during the MCU show. With both Sam and Torres fulfilling new roles, it was expected that Captain America: New World Order would further explore their new dynamic, and now, one creative behind the film is offering a tease as to how important it will be for the story.

This expectation was recently confirmed by the director of the Captain America sequel. Screen Rant was in attendance at the D23 Expo when Onah explained how Sam and Torres' relationship would play out in Captain America: New World Order. The director revealed that not only is the pair's relationship one of his favorite in the movie, but it also informs how Sam thinks of himself as Captain America. Check out Onah's full comments below:

Danny Ramirez, who is playing Falcon, he and I go back a bit. And Anthony is somebody I've been a huge, huge fan of as well. Getting to work with them, director to actor, and being able to shape these characters and take the relationship forward is incredible.

Their relationship is one of my favorite ones in this movie. It really helps form the emotional core of how Sam has to define himself as Captain America. Because he loves this guy, they are both soldiers, they're brothers, and their journey I think is going to be something that really resonates with audiences.

tfatws: Sam gives his wing-suit to Torres

Based on Onah's words, Captain America: New World Order will focus on what being Captain America means to Sam, as opposed to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, which focused on his struggle of whether to assume the role. This likely means that Sam and Torres' relationship will be more equal than it appeared in the Disney+ limited series, in which Torres' admiration for Sam was obvious, but the series didn't really explore Sam's feelings toward Torres until he gave him the wing-suit. It seems clear that Captain America: New World Order will explore those feelings now that Onah has said that the pair's relationship helps Sam define himself as Captain America.

While the D23 Expo held several reveals about Captain America: New World Order, including the Leader's return as an MCU villain, there are still few plot details available. Onah's explanation of Captain America and the Falcon's relationship is one of the first glimpses MCU fans have received of what the movie will be about. With almost two years to wait, there is undoubtedly more to the story, but for now, audiences can look forward to seeing Sam and Torres again when Captain America: New World Order arrives in 2024.