Why Falcon & The Winter Soldier Remakes Captain America’s Original Theme

Warning: SPOILERS for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Episode 2 - "The Star-Spangled Man"

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's remake of Captain America's original theme speaks to how the U.S. Government wants to use the new Cap, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), as a propaganda tool just as they did the original Captain America, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), during World War II. In "The Star-Spangled Man", Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) meet the new Captain America and wrestle with what it means that someone else besides Sam took over Steve Rogers' legacy and carries his shield.

In Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers was originally supposed to be the first of a new breed of Super Soldier created for the U.S. Army. But after Rogers' experiment with the Super Soldier Serum proved successful, a Hydra assassin murdered the serum's creator, Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci). The secret of the Super-Soldier Serum died with Erksine and there was no way to replicate his formula. This meant that Steve Rogers was the only Super Soldier and he was deemed too important to risk in combat. Instead, Senator Brandt (Michael Brandon) promoted Rogers' rank to Captain and sent him on a national USO tour for war bonds. Clad in a garish red, white, and blue costume with a triangular shield to match, Steve was renamed Captain America and became a propaganda tool. Rogers performed more than 200 USO stage shows, which saw him punch an actor playing Adolph Hitler while a chorus line of dancing girls cheered him on. Captain America was billed as "The Star-Spangled Man With a Plan" and he even had an accompanying theme song.

In The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 2, "The Star-Spangled Man", that catchy song was remade by the Custer's Grove High School Marching Band as part of the Good Morning America telecast introducing John Walker as the new Captain America to the public. Clad in a new Cap costume, Walker took to the field he once played football on in high school and soaked up the adulation of his hometown crowd as Cap's theme "The Star-Spangled Man With a Plan" accompanied him. Along with a sea of new Captain America merchandise like posters, T-shirts, and action figures, the rebirth of the World War II-era theme music is part of the U.S. Government's public relations blitz to sell the American public on the new Cap as their national hero. It was a garish display that was everything Steve Rogers himself despised about being Captain America and successfully fought against, preferring to serve in the field and use his abilities to help people and fight important battles.

Utilizing Captain America as a propaganda tool once again shows that the U.S. Government learned nothing in the 80 years since Steve Rogers was sent on his USO tour. Rogers understood the importance of Captain America as a symbol but he despised being used to serve agendas; Steve hated it back in World War II and he continued to stand against being manipulated by politics, whether it was by S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier or the United Nations insisting he sign the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War. However, with Rogers gone and John Walker, a loyal soldier, now Captain America, the government once again wants to use the star-spangled hero as a media relations chess pawn.

To John Walker's credit, he also bristles at the aspect of "the job" that involves giving interviews, shaking hands with senators, and kowtowing to government agendas. But as John's best friend Lemar Hoskins/Battlestar (Che Bennett) reminded him, being the "Star-Spangled Man" is the job. Walker's road as Captain America may even prove tougher than Steve Rogers' since, unlike the original Cap, John is not a Super Soldier and has no enhanced abilities. He may already be an expert at throwing Cap's shield and he's in peak physical condition, but Walker has a lot to live up to in order to equal Steve Rogers as Captain America. Walker also feels the obvious pressure of being the "Star-Spangled Man", which could lead to bad tidings for the new Captain America in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

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