Everything Falcon & Winter Soldier Reveals About What Happened After Civil War

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is shining more light on the consequences of Captain America: Civil War. There is a sense in which Captain America: Civil War should be considered one of the defining moments in MCU history. The passing of the Sokovia Accords ultimately led to a superhero schism that tore apart the Avengers, granted with a little help from Baron Zemo. Meanwhile, two new superheroes – Black Panther and Spider-Man – found themselves operating in a wider context than ever before.

This explains why so many Marvel movies are set in the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War. Black Panther takes place just a week later, with T'Challa returning home after his father's death; Spider-Man: Homecoming is set (mostly) several months later and explores the relationship between Peter Parker and Tony Stark. Even Black Widow will take place setting after Captain America: Civil War, with Natasha Romanoff on the run for betraying Tony Stark and his team in order to help Captain America escape the authorities.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier is set years later, and a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Thanos snapped his fingers and erased half the life in the universe, with the survivors united in their grief. Now that has been put right, but the world is still reeling with shock from all that it has suffered. Still, it is clear the passing of the Sokovia Accords and the events that immediately followed are still influencing the lives of Earth's remaining superheroes even now. Let's explore all the consequences of Captain America: Civil War that have been revealed so far.

Baron Zemo's Fate

Although he attempted suicide at the end of Captain America: Civil War, Zemo's life was spared by Black Panther. He was assigned to a prison cell at the headquarters of the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre in Berlin, ironically the very jail he had infiltrated in order to get to the Winter Soldier; he seems to have been content to spend the rest of his life behind bars, satisfied that he had fulfilled his mission and torn the Avengers apart. Baron Zemo appears to have been one of those who was left alive after Thanos snapped his fingers, meaning he served long years in jail. It doesn't sound as though the Blip caused Zemo to rethink his philosophy at all; ironically, his actions had left the Earth relatively undefended, making it easier for Thanos to triumph.

Sharon Carter on the Run

Sharon Carter in Falcon and Winter Soldier Episode 3

According to Falcon & Winter Soldier episode 3, the great-niece of Peggy Carter wound up on the run because she helped Steve Rogers and his team during Captain America: Civil War. Although Sharon and Steve parted with a kiss, they don't appear to have hooked up at all over the years, with Peggy never drawn into his Secret Avengers activities. Instead, she ultimately found her way to the corrupt island of Madripoor, a country that had no extradition agreements with foreign powers. Sharon built a new life for herself on Madripoor, embracing the lifestyle of a black market art dealer and becoming hardened by the experience. Somebody must have kept track of Sharon, because her name was seen among the list of Thanos' victims in Avengers: Endgame, and she was restored to life when the Hulk used the Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers: Endgame. Sharon swiftly resumed her former life, presumably finding opportunities in the chaos of the post-Blip world.

The U.S. Restarted its Super-Soldier Programs

Dr. Nagel in Falcon and Winter Soldier Episode 3

The Incredible Hulk revealed the U.S. government continued its super-soldier experiments after the Second World War, although according to the novelization most of these programs had gone haywire. In the wake of Captain America: Civil War, the U.S. launched another super-soldier program and provided samples of Isaiah Bradley's blood to a scientist named Wilfred Nagel. He succeeded where everybody else had failed, managing to not only duplicate Abraham Erskine's formula but also improve upon it; his super-soldiers gained all the enhanced abilities of Captain America without visible growth of their musculature, and he didn't even need Vita-Rays or complex machinery to boost the process. And then Nagel was Blipped out of existence and returned to a world that had drastically changed – one where his program had lost its funding and was not viewed as a priority. Furious and frustrated, Nagel found his way to Madripoor, where he began to produce the serum for the Power Broker instead.

It's interesting to speculate about the relationship between the relaunched U.S. super-soldier experiments and the Sokovia Accords. You'd expect the Sokovia Accords to strictly control such programs, which may well mean the U.S. was conducting them clandestinely, secretly breaching the Accords. That may well explain why Nagel was tasked with creating super-soldiers who couldn't be spotted because of their impressive musculature, simply because the U.S. hoped to keep their new creations secret. Where Captain America and the Avengers operated in public, Nagel's creations may well have been a black-ops team who acted in the shadows. Hopefully Falcon and the Winter Soldier will reveal more about this aborted program.

Wakanda Continued to Monitor Baron Zemo

Black Panther spared Baron Zemo's life, but that doesn't mean the Wakandans forgot the man responsible for the death of King T'Chaka when he bombed the United Nations. Falcon & Winter Soldier episode 3 suggested the Wakandans conducted a deep-dive into Zemo's financial interests, successfully identifying some of his potential bolt-homes scattered across the globe should he ever escape. When Bucky broke Zemo out, the Wakandans clearly considered it a matter of national security, and King T'Challa assigned Ayo and the Dora Milaje to watch over his safe-houses. The interesting question is whether Black Panther wants to correct his earlier decision, and have Zemo killed, or whether he simply wants to ensure Zemo lives out the rest of his days in prison as punishment for his crimes. No doubt we'll learn more in Falcon & Winter Soldier episode 4.

More: Falcon & Winter Soldier Proves Tony Stark Was Wrong In Civil War