Every MCU Theory Falcon & The Winter Soldier Debunked

While The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had some surprises in store, it also debunked several MCU theories that were made before it started airing. The second of Marvel's many Disney+ shows, Falcon & Winter Soldier dealt with the history of the MCU while also setting up its future. That led to some big reveals and new characters, but everything played out as fans might have expected.

To the former, The Falcon and the Winter Solider introduced a new Captain America in the form of John Walker, it explored the legacy of the super soldier serum and a forgotten hero in Isaiah Bradley, and it brought in Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (or Val, for short), which could well have major repercussions for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Phase 4 and beyond.

Part of the fun of any MCU project, be it the movies or these new Disney+ shows, is the speculation surrounding them. Whether it's building on clues in past movies, casting rumors, or using the comic book source material, theorizing is a key factor in driving online discussion and audience investment in the MCU. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was no exception to this and, just like with other MCU movies and shows, it was also no exception in many of them not coming to pass.

Old Captain America Would Return

Chris Evans as old Captain America in Avengers: Endgame

Since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier very heavily builds on the end of Avengers: Endgame, and more specifically the decision by Steve Rogers to choose Falcon as his successor, then it's understandable that there was speculation regarding the possible involvement of the old Captain America. That intensified when reports broke about Chris Evans returning to the MCU (though Kevin Feige has since denied Evans is coming back), although such talk was seemingly too late to be linked to Falcon & Winter Soldier. Either way, there were theories that Rogers would return to officially crown Sam Wilson as the new Captain America, or perhaps to be killed off and have his arc ended for good. Steve was mentioned a few times, but only in vague terms to say that he's "gone," leaving it open to interpretation as to whether that means he's dead, back in the alternate timeline, or on the moon.

Yelena Belova Would Appear

In Marvel's Phase 4 plan before the coronavirus pandemic, Black Widow would have released before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. While the two properties are separated by several years in the MCU timeline, since the former is a prequel to Avengers: Infinity War, there were some clear links, at least thematically and tonally, as both carried vibes and plot elements from both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. However, there were theories and rumors of a bigger connection: that Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova would appear in Falcon & Winter Soldier. This does make some sense, given she'll likely be taking on the Black Widow mantle, and with hints in the MCU show at the Thunderbolts, then it's possible that's where Yelena's future is headed. Further adding weight to this notion is that Val was originally supposed to debut in Black Widow, suggest she will recruit Yelena for whatever team she's putting together. Whether she was ever meant to appear and whether or not the pandemic scheduling altered those plans is unclear; Yelena will turn up in Hawkeye after Black Widow, which lends more credence to the idea of her originally appearing in Falcon & Winter Soldier, but obviously it never came to be.

AIM Are Falcon & Winter Soldier's Villains

Promotional poster for Iron-Man 3 featuring Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian

Sticking with Black Widow, and another theory for how it might connect to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was via AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics), the villainous organization from Iron Man 3 headed up by Aldrich Killian. Shots in the trailers for Black Widow have seemingly shown AIM operating on Yelena Belova, leading to speculation that they will return in the MCU and could perhaps have a bigger role than just that movie. Footage in teasers for Falcon & Winter Soldier showed villains in the same yellow-and-black color scheme associated with AIM, and the idea of the super soldier serum making a comeback - which was around long before the show debuted - would fit with their plans for science-based villainy. The new super soldier serum was instead revealed to be created by Dr. Nagel, at the behest of the CIA. The costumes, meanwhile, were worn by Batroc's LAF organization, a new name in the MCU. It remains possible AIM will eventually return, but this wasn't it.

Madripoor Sets Up X-Men Or Eternals

Falcon and Winter Soldier Trailer Madripoor

It was revealed thanks to set photos that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier would be bringing Madripoor from Marvel Comics into the MCU. Given the crime haven has long been associated with the X-Men - in particular, Wolverine has a storied history there, while Magneto also built a mansion in its Hightown - and with Marvel Studios regaining the rights to those characters following Disney's purchase of Fox, then it naturally led to theories that this would setup the X-Men's MCU arrival. Similarly, with Eternals on the horizon, it had also been speculated that Madripoor could link to them in some way and perhaps introduce the Ebony Blade of the Black Knight. While Madripoor could return in future MCU installments and perhaps be used to introduce the X-Men at some point, it was only used in Falcon and Winter Soldier's story itself, such as the super soldiers and Sharon Carter as the Power Broker.

Zemo Will Be The Main Villain

With Zemo confirmed to return in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, then it was understandably theorized that he would be the show's main villain. While there were several figures in play for this role as teased by casting, rumors, set photos, and trailers - including Flag-Smashers and John Walker - the presence of Zemo, a major villain from a past MCU movie, suggested he might be the Big Bad. It could have been that he was controlling the Flag-Smashers, that he was the Power Broker, or was pulling the strings in some other way. While Zemo definitely pulled a lot of strings, his arc was not an outright villainous one: it concluded his story with Bucky Barnes, and ended with him back in prison and taking out the Flag-Smashers, goals that aligned with the heroes and setting up a more anti-heroic future for him.

Bucky Will Die

Bucky screams in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

With no firm plans for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's eponymous characters beyond that show, then it was unclear what, exactly, would become of Bucky Barnes. While Sam Wilson was always destined to become the new Captain America, setting up a future in that role, Bucky's potential wasn't so obvious. The idea that it might kill off Bucky was already a pertinent one before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 1, which set up Bucky's story for exploring his PTSD, the pain and grief from his time as the Winter Soldier, and his attempts at being better. That kind of story does scream tragedy, and so the early episodes certainly seemed to fit with the notion that Bucky was at risk of dying. Thankfully, Falcon & Winter Soldier gave Bucky a much happier ending; he still has some work to do, and he's apparently not the White Wolf just yet, but there's room for more now he's still alive.

Incredible Hulk Characters Will Return

MCU Phase 1 Fights Hulk vs. Abomination Cropped

It was confirmed that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier would bring back some old Marvel characters, and combined with the widespread belief that it would explore either the remnants of the super soldier serum or create a new version, then there were theories that characters from The Incredible Hulk would return in Falcon & Winter Soldier. This in particular applied to Emil Blonsky, aka Abomination, who himself was a mutated form of a super soldier. Alongside him, there was also speculation that General Ross might return, in keeping with the links to Black Widow (where Ross will appear) and the setup for the Thunderbolts. Abomination's story fit in anyway by offering a parallel to John Walker's origin story, but there was no return for The Incredible Hulk's characters, though that might be something Marvel saves for She-Hulk.

Next: All 14 Marvel Movies Releasing After Falcon & Winter Soldier