The Falcon And The Winter Soldier has established its first major mystery in the form of the Power Broker. The identity of the powerful figure in the criminal underworld of the MCU is a huge question mark in the series. Who are they? What is their ultimate goal in proliferating the Super Soldier Serum?
The question of who the Power Broker is may not be as intensely interesting as the mystery of the Engineer in WandaVision, but there are candidates for this mysterious figure. The possibilities include characters from the series, the MCU in general, and the comic books that originally spawned the Power Broker.
The Corporation
The Power Broker first emerges in Marvel Comics as a member of the supervillain organization, The Corporation. The character debuted in Machine Man #6 in September 1978.
Curtiss Jackson was created by Roger Stern and Sal Buscema and is an executive in The Corporation. Among the other members are Eugene Stivak, the Vamp, and Moonstone (a nemesis of Carol Danvers, who could possibly be the villain in Captain Marvel 2). The Corporation came into conflict with the Avengers when they tried to acquire the Machine Man.
Trying To Capture Machine Man
The first evil gambit of The Corporation is to capture the Machine Man, the Living Robot, who was created by legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby (originally for the Marvel Comics adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey). The Machine Man had come to Earth to try and understand humanity, but, unfortunately, runs into Curtiss Jackson in one of his first encounters.
Jackson tries to acquire the Machine Man to exploit his advanced technology, but thanks to the Hulk and the Avengers, escapes any major harm. Though the Power Broker's ambitions in the comics would evolve, his interest in the Machine Man shows he's out to gain an advantage in any way possible.
Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation
Jackson's next big angle came in an unlikely form. He founded the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation. Though Edward Garner had created it initially as a forum for superpowered people to perform, Jackson exploited it to create superpowered individuals.
Many of the wrestlers in the league have undergone experimentation by the Power Broker, giving them superhuman abilities. Among the major figures in the league were Armadillo, Vance Astrovik, and Enigmo.
Creating The Second Ms. Marvel
One of the most significant members of the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation and products of the Power Broker is Sharon Ventura. Sharon is actually the second woman to hold the mantle of Ms. Marvel. Sharon received her superpowers from the Power Broker and it was a traumatic process that wasn't exactly what she signed up for.
In addition to altering her physical strength and stamina, the Power Broker infused Sharon with a chemical to make her obedient to her. She eventually broke free. As a member of UCWF, she met Ben Grimm (the Thing) and eventually became a member of the Fantastic Four.
The Super Patriot
The most important product of the Power Broker's efforts in this era was John Walker. Walker underwent the augmentation process to become the Super-Patriot. His mission ventured outside of the wrestling ring into another arena. He staged protests and attacks in public that were critical of the direction of the United States at the time and Captain America in particular.
His journey would take him places Walker or Jackson never could have expected. Very quickly Walker became the new Captain America, taking over for Steve Rogers, and then once Rogers returned to the role, Walker became the U.S. Agent.
Scourge Of The Underworld
The Power Broker suffered defeat at the hands of numerous heroes, in particular Captain America. His greatest injury came from the Scourge Of The Underworld. This mysterious vigilante hunts down supervillains and major criminals. His attempt to kill the Power Broker leaves Jackson grievously wounded.
The Scourge plays a major role in the Captain America comics of the mid to late 80s. Created by writer Mark Gruenwald, the Scourge 'assassinated' the John Walker Captain America in a staged scene, after Walker's identity had been publically compromised.
Mech Suit
Curtiss Jackson eventually became the subject of his own experiments. This led to his wildest iteration. After his injuries from the Scourge Of The Underworld, Jackson undergoes his own augmentation process. Unfortunately for him, the experiment went wrong, leaving him severely injured and dependent on a giant mech suit of armor called a Hover Harness.
Though he tried repeatedly to reverse his condition, Jackson's cruel efforts in de-augmenting Battlestar led the U.S. Agent to destroy his lab and equipment. Jackson had no choice but to continue using his Hover Harness.
Maximum Security
The Power Broker would eventually successfully reverse his augmentation and return his normal human form. He also returned to his criminal activities, which led to his major role in the Maximum Security storyline that ran through Marvel Comics in early 2001. In this story, the Kree turns Earth into an intergalactic penal colony.
Jackson tries to exploit the situation by recruiting alien prisoners to his cause, and eventually bonds with an alien symbiote (not the same kind as Venom) to gain alien powers. However, the entire plot is undone by the U.S. Agent, who, at this point, is part of the Superhuman Tactical Activities Response Squad.
Anonymous Replacement
The Power Broker is killed by the Punisher not long after Maximum Security. But his title and role would be taken up by another, mysterious man. The second Power Broker appears as a man in a kind of power suit. He's also able to project energy blasts from his hands.
He emerges in conflict with Ant-Man when he tries to promote the use of an app called Hench. Hench serves to allow people to hire supervillains for various misdeeds. Ant-Man undoes the plot, but he remains at large and continues to try and find new ways to monetize evil.