The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has created the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next Scarlet Witch. The Disney+ series has been blurring the lines between the good vs. evil debate, pitting Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes between the likes of John Walker’s Captain America, Karli Morgenthau and the Flag Smashers, and Baron Helmut Zemo, a war criminal. However, it’s in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s introduction of Karli that the MCU is following in the footsteps of Wanda Maximoff and her journey through WandaVision.
Karli is a super soldier and the leader of the Flag Smashers, a group who wants to restore the world to its post-Blip state after being displaced following the return of half the world’s population in Avengers: Endgame. At the core of Karli’s ideology is that government officials — namely, those who were in power before Thanos’ snap and who were returned to the same positions thereafter — don’t care about the people who weren’t dusted. Karli’s goal is for the Flag Smashers to topple the corrupt systems that are still in place despite the Blip. After having a one-on-one conversation, Karli seems torn between believing Sam regarding the possibility of a peaceful resolution and carrying out her plans with the Flag Smashers.
Karli being on the fence about what to do echoes much of Wanda’s journey in Avengers: Age of Ultron and WandaVision. When first introduced, Scarlet Witch was working with Ultron, who wanted to destroy the Avengers and all humanity to start anew. While Wanda abandoned Ultron and later joined the Avengers, she was in doubt about her actions. The Scarlet Witch's role in WandaVision planted her firmly back in the morally gray area. She went rogue at the end of her standalone series, opting to isolate herself instead of working with any side (for now) and it’s possible Karli will do the same at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Karli has already established herself as a sympathetic character, one whose intentions aren’t as bad as the U.S. government has made them out to be. While Zemo argues a super soldier can’t be removed from supremacist ideals, domination isn’t exactly what Karli and the Flag Smashers are fighting for. Similar to Scarlet Witch, Karli has taken certain matters into her own hands and, while she’s caused some harm to others, her choices stem from a place of hurt and turmoil. When Wanda joined up with HYDRA, she thought it was for a good and greater cause. The same can be said for Karli, whose role within the Flag Smashers is to right the wrongs of those in power.
She believes she’s doing the right thing, but her efforts aren’t without some doubt. Karli isn’t a traditional superhero nor is she a villain, which is often the case with Scarlet Witch and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s fourth episode made that abundantly clear. Whether she will join up with Sam, Bucky, and the Avengers or go her own way remains to be seen, but her journey in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier could set her up to follow in the footsteps of Wanda moving forward. Either way, there is a lot more to Karli’s story that the MCU can explore down the line.