Battlestar Twist Is A Reminder Of Why Sam Was Captain America's Choice

Warning! Spoilers for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 4 below.

Not only did Lemar Hoskins, a.k.a. Battlestar's, death serve as a shocking moment in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, but it also provided a reminder as to why Steve Rogers chose Sam Wilson, a.k.a. the Falcon, as his replacement for the next Captain America. The moment came in episode 4, "The Whole World Is Watching," when Sam and Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier, get into a fight with the Flag-Smashers and John Walker, the actual new Captain America, and Hoskins fight with them. Watching Lemar and Sam fight was a reminder of their similarities and what can happen to Sam.

Unlike the other people fighting around them, Sam and Lemar are non-powered humans. They don't possess superhuman speed or strength or durability like Super Soldiers Walker and Bucky, who each gained their powers through being injected with different formulations of the Super Soldier Serum. Neither do they have any particularly deadly weaponry - outside of Sam's wings, which are mostly used for flight and some minor defensive measures, Battlestar and Falcon fight with fists and feet, and while they're highly skilled fighters, they're still human and breakable. That moment was driven home in an all-too sickening manner when Flag-Smashers leader Karli Morgenthau hurls Hoskins like a rag doll into a stone column with her super-strength and appears to accidentally kill him, either by crushing his skull or snapping his neck. It was a reminder of what he, as well as Sam, risk every time they fight alongside superpowered partners.

Besides the fact that they were both right-hand men to Captain America, Sam and Lemar had one important thing in common — they are good men trying their best, who are still brave enough to fight because it's the right thing to do, regardless of the risk to themselves. Lemar's death drives home how important that trait is in Sam. Without the Super Soldier serum, Lemar was just a fragile human. But he did his best, even until his final moments. Steve saw the same characteristic in Sam, which is exactly why he passed the shield onto him. While Sam has access to his Falcon flight suit, he's a completely ordinary human. In spite of that, he chose to fight alongside Super Soldier Steve Rogers and do what was right, just as Lemar did with John Walker.

Steve rogers captain america replacement Sam Wilson falcon and the winter soldier

Steve recognized this trait in Sam because it's what made Steve himself Abraham Erskine's choice to be the first Super Soldier Serum test subject in WWII. When audiences first meet Steve in Captain America: The First Avenger, he is weak, small, and can't keep up with his fellow soldiers. But despite that, he never backs down, even willing to jump on a grenade to protect the others. A similar parallel can be drawn between Sam and the rest of the Avengers. While Sam is by no means weak, he is one of the few Avengers without any superpowers. The dangers they face pose a greater risk to Sam, but in spite of that elevated risk, Sam chooses to fight because he feels a duty to help and to be of service.

Battlestar's death drives home the stark reality of what Sam risks every time he fights. Lemar was willing to go up against Super Soldiers even though he knew the chance of defeating them in hand-to-hand combat was low. He believed in what he and John were fighting for, so Lemar was willing to die for the cause. Sam believed in Steve Rogers, so he was willing to do his best as an Avenger. Just as Steve said before he traveled back in time in Avengers: Endgame, Sam is a good man. Erskine told Steve the same thing before he took the serum. That's what the shield represents — doing one's best to be a good person and protect the vulnerable with selfless bravery. Sam continues to uphold that promise, despite the fact that he could very well meet a similar end as Battlestar in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. That's what made him Steve's choice for Captain America.

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