Content Warning: This article contains discussions of terrorism and violence
It’s always customary for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be compared to the comics once a new TV series or movie has been released. Now that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has concluded, it makes sense to compare the things from the comics that made the cut and the stuff that didn’t.
The major aspects of Sam becoming Captain America and Bucky’s past as the Winter Soldier were too big not to be adapted, but a few things that were crucial to the comics related to the Flag Smashers and Wakanda, among other things, didn’t show up. There were other important points from the comics that were included and it’s worth learning more about them in detail.
Included: The Dora Milaje's Fight Formation
The Dora Milaje arrived to confront Bucky and Sam for harboring Zemo, following which they got into a scuffle with John Walker. Not only did they beat them, but the Dora Milaje’s fighting style also showed cohesiveness.
This was a reference to the comics where the Dora Milaje’s status as the elite forces of Wakanda requires them to work as a unit, which involves the group engaging against targets at the same time and in a formation that is decided from before.
Left Out: The Wakandan White Wolf
The Wakandans acknowledged Bucky as an ally and a strong character in his own right, referring to him as the White Wolf. The series made him out to be the only one with the title, but the comics have actually had an entirely different character with the mantle.
In the comics, the White Wolf was introduced in Black Panther vol. 3 #4 as the brother of T’Challa, who was in charge of the Hatut Zeraze secret police. Although he was seen to have a deep love for Wakanda, his jealousy over his brother eventually led him down a dark path.
Included: Morgenthau's Contempt For National Borders
Karli Morgenthau was known as Karl Morgenthau in the comics, who was a man that took on the Flag-Smasher identity. Similar to the MCU version, he had contempt for national borders due to his belief that certain nationalities were given preferential treatment.
While the MCU altered Karli’s motivations to be about the Blip, the general outline was the same as she was against the idea of separating people by nationality. She also shared the comics’ version of being an extremist, whose initial agenda went severely out of hand.
Left Out: Joaquin Torres Becoming The New Falcon
The focus on Torres made some fans wonder if he would be revealed as a spy. However, the reason for this was mainly due to the fact that he’s the character who’s supposed to become the next Falcon. The Disney+ series threw heavy hints at this but didn’t make things official.
Torres becoming the Falcon was left out to simply show him in possession of Sam’s former gear. He was also a huge fan of the Falcon. It’s more than likely that he will become the superhero in the future but this was skipped in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Included: Sam Wilson's Captain America Costume
Although there have been costumes for Sam Wilson in the comics, the most well-known variant was the one used by the Disney+ series. It incorporated his Falcon attribute of flying while retaining the white, red, and blue colors.
This was an homage to his turn as the new Captain America in the comics, where this variant is the one that’s most associated with Sam Wilson when he’s taken on the mantle of the superhero.
Left Out: The Manner Of The Death Of Sam's Parents
The death of Sam and Sarah’s parents was a factor in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as they discussed their family history and possessions. What was left out in the series was the much heavier background the comics gave Sam’s parentage.
In Captain America #277, it was revealed that his father had been killed while trying to stop a neighborhood fight, while his mother had died a couple of years later by a mugger. In its place, the MCU series left the death of the parents ambiguous at best.
Included: John Walker As Captain America And U.S. Agent
Easily one of the most important references to the comics was John Walker’s turn as Captain America. In the comics, he took on the mantle after Sam was overlooked for it in Captain America #333. Another significant reference was him being branded as U.S. Agent.
He first showed up in this identity in West Coast Avengers Vol 2 #44 after Walker had left the Captain America moniker due to his declining mental health. The Disney+ series played it straight by having Walker first take on Captain America's role and then become the U.S. Agent.
Left Out: The ULTIMATUM Group
The MCU altered the history of the Flag-Smasher by adapting the ideals under the Flag Smashers group (as opposed to one person taking on the identity). In the comics, the Flag-Smasher had used ULTIMATUM as his underlings, whose full-form was The Underground Liberated Totally Integrated Mobile Army To Unite Mankind.
This was left out in favor of making Karli Morgenthau a more sympathetic character, who didn’t use a faction that was outright evil as ULTIMATUM was. The comics also had Morgenthau make himself the Supreme leader of ULTIMATUM, which Karli never did in the MCU.
Included: Zemo Wearing The Character's Trademark Mask
Zemo briefly wore a purple mask in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and it may have appeared as needless to many non-comic book fans. However, this was a direct reference to his appearance in the comics where he’s generally seen with the mask.
This was due to Zemo falling into a vat of Adhesive X in Captain America #168. which scarred his face. Of course, none of this was adapted for the MCU as Zemo only wore the mask sparingly and didn’t don it again after initially putting it on.
Left Out: Sam's Ability To Communicate With Birds
Sam’s uniqueness was highlighted early on in Captain America #117, where he was shown to have an affinity for birds and an empathetic connection to them that allowed him to communicate with the animals. This is why his Falcon moniker was so appropriate and has shown up in alternate versions as well.
However, the MCU hasn’t broached this topic and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier left out anything to do with birds. This was most likely due to Sam’s transition toward becoming Captain America and the idea of him being empathetic to birds wasn’t needed anymore.