Why Zemo Makes Captain America Like The MCU's Red Skull

In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 3, Baron Zemo makes an unexpected comparison between Captain America and the Red Skull. Likening Steve Rogers to his archenemy from Captain America: The First Avenger may draw some skepticism from Sam, Bucky, and the show's audience. However, considering how we see the imagery of Captain America being used in Steve's absence, it appears as if Zemo's words may contain some kernels of truth.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has tasked itself with exploring Captain America's legacy and responsibility. Zemo has a particularly perverse take on Steve Roger's impact on society. "The danger with people like him, America’s Super Soldiers, is that we put them on pedestals," Zemo says, referencing Steve. "They become symbols. Icons. And then we start to forget about their flaws. From there, cities fly, innocent people die. Movements are formed, wars are fought." He then addresses Bucky, a veteran of World War II, who know the power of dangerously powerful symbolism better than most. "As a young soldier sent to Germany to stop a mad icon. Do we want to live in a world full of people like the Red Skull?" Captain America and Red Skull may differ greatly, but both have been elevated to idol status, inspiring legions of followers - for better and for worse.

Interestingly, Zemo seems to be criticizing the very thing that Steve Rogers grappled with during most of his Infinity Saga journey: the repurposing of American iconography for less-than-heroic intentions. In Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve bemoaned being used as a propaganda tool while the U.S. government paraded him around in order to sell war bonds. Steve was later horrified when, in Captain America: Winter Soldier, he learned that S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization that used him as a tool, was secretly being manipulated by Hydra double agents. Disillusioned by his experiences and the government's continued meddling that came with the Sokovia Accords, the ending of Captain America: Civil War saw Steve abandoning his shield and, with it, his Captain America identity.

However, after Avengers: Endgame, it seems as if the world still views Captain America as source of great inspiration, so much so that the U.S. government hastily enlists John Walker as Steve's replacement. It is becoming increasingly clear that Walker wasn't chosen to really step into Steve's shoes (he wasn't even given the Super Soldier Serum, after all), but instead to keep the idea of Captain America alive. Zemo is right: the symbology of Captain America, like that of Hydra and the Red Skull, is in constant danger of being reappropriated and weaponized - a thought that surely occurred to Sam before deciding to give up the iconic shield in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 1.

The show has already begun to explore the complexities of American identity, using the medium of superhero storytelling to examine some of the United States' more uncomfortable chapters of history. The reveal of Isaiah Bradley, a Black man who acquired abilities after being given his own dose of Super Soldier Serum before being unjustly imprisoned and experimented on despite years of heroic service to his country, was a shock to Sam. Isaiah's story, inspired by the real-life Tuskegee experiments, is an obvious parallel to the experiences of many Black Americans who have been historically subjected to their own injustices and unfair treatment. While Steve Rogers certainly wouldn't approve, it is nevertheless chilling to think that the very symbol of Captain America could have helped obscure the very real traumas Isaiah endured.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier season has reached its midpoint, but there are still plenty more opportunities for the show's creators, led by showrunner Malcolm Spellman, to inject even more political and social commentary into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, for now, it is looking as though Zemo could be right: the imagery of Captain America's shield has far greater power than even the most potent dose of Super Soldier Serum.

Next: Falcon & The Winter Soldier: Every MCU Easter Egg In Episode 3