When they're not bickering with each other, Sam and Bucky will be facing three different villains in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier. The Disney+ era of the MCU has started brightly thanks to WandaVision, which kicked off Marvel's superhero streaming extravaganza with considerable fanfare. Following closely behind is Falcon & Winter Soldier, delayed from 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic. The series picks up with Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes after Steve Rogers passed down the Captain America shield to Falcon in Avengers: Endgame. Together with his best frenemy, Anthony Mackie's flying vigilante will feel the weight of the mantle he's inherited, and protect Old Glory from those who would do her harm.
A brand new Falcon & Winter Soldier trailer aired between the football breaks of this year's Super Bowl LV, revealing more about the Captain America legacy series. Bucky and Sam attending couples therapy is the obvious highlight, but the footage also showcased a returning, ass-kicking Sharon Carter, a thrilling aerial chase sequence, and both members of the titular duo handling Cap's old weapon.
The trailer also offers a better look at the villain selection in Falcon & Winter Soldier. Two of the trio were announced in advance, while another made her debut in a previous promo, but the footage also hints toward the goals of each antagonist, as well as how they fit into the dysfunctional dynamic of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes.
Baron Zemo
Daniel Brühl's involvement in Falcon & The Winter Soldier was confirmed back in mid-2019, continuing the story of Helmut Zemo after his debut in Captain America: Civil War. Hailing from Sokovia - the country that fell during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron - Baron Zemo doesn't necessarily grieve for his fallen homeland, but his entire family was lost in the Ultron attack. Naturally, Zemo blames the Avengers for his tragic loss. Not only did the battle cause untold destruction to Sokovia but, lest we forget, it was Tony Stark who created Ultron in the first place. As revenge, Zemo used Bucky to trigger a rupture within the Avengers that is yet to truly heal. He was last seen in the custody of the CIA.
It's clear from the trailers that Zemo is continuing that same crusade in Falcon & The Winter Soldier. The widower is seen grieving over the Sokovia memorial and his voice-over ominously chimes in with "superheroes cannot be allowed to exist." Zemo is also rocking his trademark purple mask from the comic books, which could be connected to his escape from jail.
In Captain America: Civil War, Zemo succeeded in breaking the Avengers, but he failed to end the cult of superheroes. Instead, a certain selection of heroes have now been legitimized through the Sokovia Accords, which, in some ways, is the exact opposite of what the good Baron intended. Where before he sought to destroy the Avengers from within, Zemo now looks to be on the attack, as the new trailer shows the masked Sokovian causing a massive explosion. With such lofty ambitions, Baron Zemo is likely the overarching villain of Falcon & Winter Soldier, but the question of his escape will be an important one. Zemo was pretty tightly locked down at the end of Captain America: Civil War, so did he escape, or did someone let him go as part of a wider anti-superhero agenda?
John Walker/U.S. Agent
Speaking of anti-superhero agendas, the new Falcon & Winter Soldier trailer affords a slightly closer look at Wyatt Russell's John Walker. One of the first promotional shots released for Sam and Bucky's televised bromance showed Russell in full Captain America regalia trotting out onto a sports field, complete with fireworks, dancers and a giant "A" covering the grass. Following the presumed death/disappearance/public disowning of Steve Rogers, the U.S. government has selected Walker as their next Captain America, and he's regressed the title back to the 1940s era of pomp and propaganda. Falcon & Winter Soldier positions Walker as an antagonist for several reasons - firstly, he's using the Captain America name in a way Steve Rogers despised, and secondly, he's besmirching the legacy of Cap by, intentionally or otherwise, ignoring Sam Wilson is the chosen successor.
Curiously, the Falcon & Winter Soldier marketing is keeping their John Walker cards close to the chest, and he's now the only major character yet to be shown up-close. The new Cap could go one of two ways, both of which are supported by the comic books. Either he's a Steve Rogers fan frustrated with how the government are using him, or a ruthless goon with no desire to uphold the traditional values of Captain America. In the former scenario, Walker may end up an ally of Sam and Bucky, with all three men bonding over their Captain America trading cards, but if Walker truly is a villain, he'll be the most physically formidable threat for Falcon and Winter Soldier.
It's worth remembering that while John Walker will inevitably court the ire of fans (how dare he stand where Chris Evans once stood!), the real villains are those responsible for his creation - the agents bastardizing the Captain America mantle and keeping Sam Wilson out of the picture. This may or may not play into how Baron Zemo found his freedom.
Flag-Smasher
The third major villain revealed so far for Falcon & Winter Soldier is Flag-Smasher. Known in the comics as Karl Morgenthau, the MCU has seemingly gender-flipped the role, with Erin Kellyman looking like the leader of this Uruk-hai-inspired terrorist cell. With that said, it's possible Morgenthau is orchestrating events in the background, and Kellyman's character is merely an underboss within the Flag-Smasher organization. In the Marvel comic books, Flag-Smasher leads an anarchist group called ULTIMATUM, and seeks to crush the concept of nationalism - but not on Uncle Sam's watch. Karl Moregenthau does battle with Captain America, despite having no superpowers of his own and, change of gender aside, the MCU version shares similar motivations and abilities in Falcon & The Winter Soldier.
Flag-Smasher is perhaps the immediate threat in Falcon & Winter Soldier - the enemy Sam and Bucky are tasked with handling. The Winter Soldier soon learns that's easier said than done, and Falcon is quick to taunt his partner for getting beat by a "little girl" - strange, since it's the 1917-born Barnes you'd expect to come out with the casual sexism. It's also interesting that Cap's friends appear to be working hand-in-hand with the military here. Several trailer scenes show the pair alongside uniformed soldiers, which would suggest both Falcon and Winter Soldier are now recognized superhero assets, and can therefore be tasked with official missions by the government. If this is the case, the Flag-Smasher group would probably be one of their assignments.
Since Flag-Smasher is, with all due respect, a bit of a B-list Marvel villain, her terrorist group could be getting funding from higher up the food chain. Perhaps the masked villain is unknowingly doing the bidding of Baron Zemo, with the Flag-Smashers' emergence part of his ongoing ploy to take superheroes down for good in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier.