New MCU villain, Flag-Smasher, is at the heart of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, according to showrunner, Malcom Spellman. Originally a relatively minor villain in the Marvel comics – primarily an antagonist to Captain America – Flag-Smasher has received an update on the new Disney+ series in the form of Erin Kellyman’s Karli Morgenthau. Karli leads an anarchist group called the Flag-Smashers, who are positioned as villains in episode 1, but who appear to be more complex after episode 2.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier shows the aftermath of the Avengers: Endgame Blip in far more detail than WandaVision or Spider-Man: Far from Home. The death and revival of half the planet’s population caused sweeping social crises, huge numbers of refugees, unstable political alliances, and severe economic downturn. Though the world’s governments seem to be working toward fixing those problems in the show, their ineffectiveness has caused groups like the Flag-Smashers to push for their own solutions.

Related: Falcon & Winter Soldier Asks 5 Big Questions About The MCU's Secret History

Speaking recently with ET, showrunner, Malcom Spellman, discussed Kellyman’s performance as Karli and her overall role in the story. He described what she brings to the show without giving too much away, but expresses that Kellyman's character is the one holding the series together. Read what Spellman said below:

She’s amazing. I would argue that there is – how do I say this without spoilers – to me, in a way, she’s the glue for this series. Because, what she’s able to do as far as authenticity and humanity – you’ll see what I mean in her storyline – if you don’t buy her completely, then the scenes she has with other people we can’t name feel completely fraudulent.

Flag Smashers Falcon Winter Soldier

There are a lot of spoiler-shaped holes in Spellman’s description of Karli’s character, but her “humanity” has already become a central focus in the brief screen time she’s had. The Flag-Smashers are seen stealing medicine and vaccines for various refugee camps, and they’re heralded as heroes by the people they help. That makes it seem unlikely that Karli’s group would remain true villains for the entirety of the series.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 2 invokes the Power Broker – a mysterious, unseen villain who seems to be behind the Flag-Smashers’ superpowers. If the Power Broker becomes more of a primary antagonist going forward, that could create a common enemy for Karli, Sam, and Bucky to team up against, seeing as how the Power Broker doesn’t seem to be on great terms with the Flag-Smashers anymore. It should be interesting to see how the allegiances between factions continue to change in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and what Karli's ongoing role in the story will be.

Next: Who Is The Power Broker? Falcon & Winter Soldier’s Secret Villain

Source: ET

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