Why Falcon & The Winter Soldier remakes the original Captain America theme

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier brought back the old Captain America theme, showing that the US government views John Walker as a PR tool.

Warning: SPOILERS for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 2 – “The Man with the Star Sequins”

The Falcon and the Winter SoldierThe remake of the original Captain America theme talks about how the United States government wants to use the new Cap, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), as a propaganda tool, just as they did with the original Captain America, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), during World War II. In “The Star-Spangled Man”, Sam Wilson / Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) meet the new Captain America and struggle with which means that someone else besides Sam took over the legacy of Steve Rogers and wears his shield.

In Captain America the First AvengerOriginally, Steve Rogers was supposed to be the first of a new generation of super soldiers created for the US military. But after Rogers’s experiment with the super soldier serum was successful, a Hydra assassin killed the creator of the serum, Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci). The secret of the Super Soldier Serum died with Erksine and there was no way to replicate his formula. This meant that Steve Rogers was the only super soldier and was considered too important to risk in combat. Instead, Senator Brandt (Michael Brandon) promoted Rogers’ rank to Captain and sent him on a national USO tour for war bonds. Dressed in a striking red, white and blue suit with a matching triangle shield, Steve was renamed Captain America and became a propaganda tool. Rogers performed more than 200 USO theatrical shows, in which he saw him beat up an actor playing Adolph Hitler while a choir of dancers cheered him on. Captain America was billed as “The Man of the Stars with a Plan” and even had a theme song to accompany it.

Related: Why The New Captain America Isn’t A Super Soldier

In The hawk and winter Soldier episode 2, “The Star-Spangled Man”, that catchy song was remade by the Custer’s Grove High School Marching Band as part of the Good morning america television broadcast introducing the public to John Walker as the new Captain America. Dressed in a new Cap costume, Walker headed to the field where he once played soccer in high school and drenched in the adulation of his hometown crowd as Cap’s theme “The Man with a Plan to star sequins “accompanied him. Along with a sea of ​​new Captain America products such as posters, t-shirts, and action figures, the revival of the WWII-era theme song is part of the US government’s public relations blitz. American public the new Cap as their national hero. It was a garish display that was everything Steve Rogers himself despised for being Captain America and successfully fought against, preferring to serve on the field and use his skills to help people and fight important battles.

Using Captain America as a propaganda tool shows once again that the United States government learned nothing in the 80 years since Steve Rogers was sent on his USO tour. Rogers understood the importance of Captain America as a symbol, but despised being used to fulfill agendas; Steve hated him in WWII and continued to oppose being manipulated by politics, be it by SHIELD in Captain America: The Winter Soldier or the United Nations insisting that it sign the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War. However, with Rogers gone and John Walker, a loyal soldier, now Captain America, the government once again wants to use the star hero as a media relations chess pawn.

To John Walker’s credit, he also bristles at the appearance of “the job” That means giving interviews, shaking hands with senators, and bowing to government agendas. But as John’s best friend Lemar Hoskins / Battlestar (Che Bennett) reminded him of being the “Star Man” is the job. Walker’s path as Captain America can be even more difficult than Steve Rogers’ as, unlike the original Cap, John is not a Super Soldier and has no enhanced abilities. He may already be an expert at throwing Cap’s shield and in top physical condition, but Walker has a lot to accomplish to match Steve Rogers as Captain America. Walker also feels the obvious pressure to be the “Man of the Stars”, which could lead to bad news for the new Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

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