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"The legacy of that shield is... complicated, to say the least."
"When Steve told me what he was planning, I don't think we understood what it felt like for a Black man to be handed the shield. How could we?"
Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes

Truth is the fifth episode of the first season of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

Synopsis[]

John Walker faces consequences for his actions, and Sam and Bucky return to the U.S.

Plot[]

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 77

Having just publicly executed Nico, John Walker runs away into an abandoned facility. With the death of Lemar Hoskins and Nico's murder still fresh in his mind, he is confronted by Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, who demand he give up the shield. Walker retaliates by fighting them both, momentarily incapacitating Barnes and severely damaging Wilson's EXO-7 Falcon by destroying the wings. As he proclaims that he is Captain America, Walker attempts to kill Wilson but is stopped when Barnes pins Walker down. Wilson uses his remaining thrusters to take Walker's shield away, breaking one of his arms.

In Riga, the GRC raids the camp in an attempt to find Karli Morgenthau, but can only subdue her followers. Reuniting with Joaquín Torres there, Wilson is informed that government officials are taking over and investigating Walker's actions. Morgenthau is also revealed to be laying low after Nico's murder, with Wilson and Torres believing she will be rebuilding her forces and cover during this time. As Wilson leaves the camp with the shield in tow, Torres is told to keep the damaged EXO-7.

John Walker walks out

Walker is summoned to a council of government officials in Washington, D.C. who strip him of the Captain America mantle, OTH-discharge him from the military, and revoke all of his benefits in retirement, leaving him frustrated and manic. As his wife Olivia suggests seeing Hoskins' parents to cope with the loss, the couple is visited by a woman named Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who voices her support with Walker's actions, including taking the Super Soldier Serum. She informs him about the legal gray area surrounding ownership of the shield before leaving behind a mysterious contact.

D+SB Spot 8

While wandering the abandoned GRC camp, Morgenthau-- furious about the deaths of her fellow Flag Smashers and Donya Madani-- rallies her remaining teammates and plans to ramp up their mobilization. At a memorial in Sokovia, Barnes confronts Helmut Zemo with a cocked firearm. Zemo reiterates his belief that Morgenthau cannot be redeemed from her radicalization, and because her influence stretches across the globe, the only reasonable solution is to kill her. Barnes decides to disregard his advice. He aims the gun toward Zemo, only for him to reveal that it is unloaded. The Dora Milaje arrive to detain Zemo for imprisonment in the Raft; he bids his well-wishes toward Barnes before leaving. Ayo advises Barnes to distance himself from Wakanda for the time being due to his role in Zemo's escape.

Isaiah Bradley & Sam Wilson

Wilson returns to Baltimore to visit Isaiah Bradley, wanting to know from his past. Bradley informs Wilson that, along with him, a number of additional black soldiers were taken in to be unknowingly injected with different versions of the serum. Despite the serum being unstable within a vast majority of the recipients, they were all sent out on missions. While some began dying off, some became prisoners-of-war. After overhearing an officer's desire to destroy the POW camp to eradicate the evidence, Bradley infiltrated the camp alone and liberated his comrades. Due to being the eventual sole survivor of the serum, Bradley himself was captured and experimented on for the next 30 years. During this time, letters written to Bradley from his wife Faith before her death were not allowed to reach him.

It was only until a nurse helped falsely declare Bradley dead that he was able to escape. A distraught Wilson insists on sharing his story with the world. However, Bradley is adamant about keeping his name buried in history, fearing the people who erased him from society would come for him if news of his survival broke. He tells Wilson that America would not allow a black man to be Captain America, nor would a self-respecting black man want to be. Wilson glances at the shield before eventually leaving the house with it, calling his sister Sarah to inform her he would be coming home.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 104

Sam learns from his nephews that Sarah could not sell the family boat, as it was a total loss. He gets the idea to call the Delacroix community to come together to fix the boat, as they are indebted to the Wilson family from years past. Barnes arrives with a case Ayo delivered to him as a favor and stays to help with the fix-up. During this, the two brief each other about Morgenthau; while Torres would be drafting a plan to defeat her, Barnes mentions Zemo's beliefs about her. Wilson also convinces Barnes to stay in Louisiana despite the latter's scheduled flight out the following day.

John Walker - Custer's Grove

Elsewhere, Walker is with Hoskins' family, hoping to bring them solace, "knowing" that he had brought Lemar's killer to justice. While walking out on the street, he encounters his promotional poster on a wall. In Madripoor, Sharon Carter contacts Georges Batroc hoping to offer him a job. Before Sam and Barnes could complete their boat repair, Sarah relieves them of their work. As Sam begins to practice throwing the shield between trees, Barnes apologizes to him regarding his previous frustrations about his decision to retire it, noting that its symbolism was the closest thing he has left to a family.

Sam catches the shield

Wilson urges Barnes to stop apologizing to the people he had affected as the Winter Soldier and start building meaningful closures with them, one-by-one. Before leaving, Barnes tells him to give a call once he has a lead on Morgenthau. Motivated by Bradley, Sam insists unto Sarah that they cannot afford to lose their boat, their totem of African-American history. With the belief that Bradley's pain and sacrifice would be for naught if no one continued to fight, he continues to train with the shield that once belonged to his friend, improving his accuracy to near-perfection.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 155

Two months later,[1] Morgenthau reveals to the rest of her teammates that she has hired Batroc: he gets his chance to enact payback on Wilson, while the Flag Smashers gain the armed strength of his forces, the LAF. As the GRC prepares to debate on the highly controversial Patch Act, which would force relocations of millions back to their home states, the Flag Smashers rally their supporters all across Europe. A few supporters infiltrate the GRC building in New York City, enabling a mass-hacking that disrupts the debate. Before the assault, Torres passes a lead to Wilson about the locations of Flag Smasher incidents. Wilson then opens the case, marveling at the sight of the gift from the Wakandans.

In a mid-credits scene, Walker melts his military decorations to weld a personalized replica of the shield.

Cast[]

Main Cast:

Guest Stars:

Appearances[]

Locations[]

Events[]

Items[]

Vehicles[]

Sentient Species[]

Creatures[]

Organizations[]

Mentioned[]

Music[]

Song title Artist Location(s)
Black Panther Theme Ludwig Göransson
Hey Pocky A-Way The Meters
Chocolate Samurai Fantastic Negrito

Trivia[]

References[]

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Truth.

External Links[]

Season One New World OrderThe Star-Spangled ManPower BrokerThe Whole World Is WatchingTruthOne World, One People
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