Author: Katie Faust

Loki Episode 6

Loki

Well, that certainly happened.

I wish I could say more about the finale of Loki, truly, but it has left me in a strange state of mind. As Taylor and I cover in this week’s podcast, we have some mixed feelings about this finale. I have a feeling that because they confirmed a season 2, they felt that they were able to be a little more relaxed in what they did in the finale. I personally think that this is what skewered the episode. But before I go any further, listen to this week’s podcast to really understand how we felt about the finale.

https://anchor.fm/ltmft/embed/episodes/Episode-7-Loki-Episode-Six-Breakdown-e14j405

I think that, unfortunately, the Loki series had the weakest finale. As I said above, the promise of a second season seemed to mess with the ending of the first. It feels that the writers almost made the second season a cop out to really wrapping up the first. While I have seen many mixed feelings about this finale, it seems that many were not in love with it for various reasons. I just feel that they could have done more with it than spending most of the episode talking. I also think that this episode showed that Loki has taken a backseat in his own series, but I wonder if this means Sylvie will be playing a more vital Loki role in the future.

As for things we missed, I’m not sure if there was much to miss. 25-30 minutes of the episode was Sylvie, Loki, and Kang talking. Maybe the only thing I somewhat missed was the Multiverse opening itself. I still don’t super understand how it opened or what changed to open it. The Multiverse I certainly understand and I keep seeing that Kang relinquished control but I truly don’t get why. At one point he says he’s tired, but that seems like a weird reason to have just stopped keeping the order to the Sacred Timeline. But if it really does all boil down to the fact that Kang was tired and stopping meant the Multiverse, than we need to understand just how powerful he is. And if this version of Kang was powerful, I would hate to see what versions of Kang who are less nice and out for revenge and power look like. Another thing to point out is that he is more powerful than Thanos, as he could have stopped Thanos completely if he believed him to be a real threat that would win. But he chose not to because he knew the Avengers would stop him. As for these other Kang’s who are coming, well, I would have to think that their stories make them a whole different type of threat. Something that many on the higher ups at Marvel have said is that these next few phases are going to deal a lot with space and the cosmic, magical aspect. This would be a great place to cue Kang the Conqueror.

Now the magical question left after watching the Multiverse open and Kang be introduced is whether or not he is the big bad of the next phase, aka Thanos style threat of phases 4-6. He certainly has the ability to be, but he was already confirmed for the new Ant-Man and the Wasp, which makes me question if he will be the threat we lead up to for the next few years. Now that we are four works into phase 4, I can say I believe we will see the big bad at least hinted at soon, since we see Thanos the first time in the first Avengers. While the purple grape disappears for a little and seems forgotten, he begins to make more consistent appearances a little later on. But as far as big bad, we have to remember the Multiverse means that there are quite literally infinite possibilities as to who may arrive, whether other versions of Kang or not. Going off this thought, the Multiverse also means just about anyone may show up, meaning dead heroes or characters that do not yet live in our MCU universe. I have some very specific characters in mind for both of these, so I am pretty hyped to see what happens.

I briefly brought up Sylvie’s fate earlier, but it remains a solid question. She is, at least for our purposes, still chilling in Kang’s house at the end of time. Where, or when, she will show up again outside the Loki series is unknown, as the Multiverse does guarantee she would be able to reenter a timeline. And I mean literally any timeline. She is certainly not a means to an end and will reappear somewhere. But I find that it is interesting the parallel drawn between her and Loki. As he was the one to explode and introduce the big threats to Phases 1-3, Sylvie is now the one to do so with Phases 4-6. We have gone full circle ladies and gentleman, so put your seatbelts on, because Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Loki Episode 6”, Chris Smith, BGR

Loki Episode 5 and Black Widow Reactions

Loki

Man did Marvel spoil us.

Before I jump into all the things missed or feelings that were just inexpressible, first let me remind everyone to take a detour to the podcast and listen to the newest episode. Another doubleheader, we hit both Loki Episode 5 and Black Widow, so if you have not seen both make sure to watch them before going any further.

https://anchor.fm/ltmft/embed/episodes/Episode-6-Loki-Episode-Five-Breakdown–Black-Widow-Movie-Reactions-e148o73

So let’s begin with Loki, as that released first. I want to address a really interesting fan theory that I came across about who might be running the TVA, or at least created it. While Taylor and I have agreed we could see Kang the Conqueror appear here, this theory actually says that it is possible that Marvel’s writing room are who created the TVA. Which, I suppose, is quite literal. But I thought it was interesting because it would mean the breakdown of the fourth wall, would solidify that our MCU is the ‘sacred timeline’, and would essentially make all the TV shows, prior to the new one’s, canon. The second point is what I find the most interesting, as it would quite literally emphasize that anything else could have happened outside the MCU movies, they just weren’t included in the sacred timeline. As mentioned in previous week’s podcasts, the TVA is too specific on what strings they pull and the stories they let play out, so I find this to be really intriguing. Not to mention, it could explode the Multiverse, as it would essentially be proving so much more is capable beyond the writers.

Something else that is fairly important to point out is that Loki has been renewed for another season. This means, that unlike all of the other shows so far, it does not need to wrap up completely. There can be a cliffhanger, although the cliffhanger does not necessarily need to be leading directly into the next season. As mentioned in the podcast, we are running out of materials for the Multiverse to open in prior to Spiderman. The likelihood of it opening in this upcoming episode and finale of Loki is high, and so there can be a massive cliffhanger due to the shows nature.

Moving to Black Widow, the movie itself was amazing. As someone who wasn’t excited about it for quite a bit of time, I really thought it was great. The opening scene was probably hands down the best opening scene any Marvel movie has ever had. Black Widow, especially in the comics, has always been one of my favorite characters. I feel that this movie finally did her background justice and, while it was not a full origin, at least really delved into the trauma her character endures in order to become who she is. But I digress, so now that it has been out, let’s discuss some of the small things missed.

For one, when we see Alexei in jail with his tattoos showing, he does in fact have Natasha and Yelena’s names tattooed. They are written in Russian and are a part of the tattoo that has roses included. It was easy to miss since a most of us don’t know Russian, but some smart fans looked it up and translated it. Something else I didn’t see until the second time I watched it was that Natasha’s one fake identity is Fanny Longbottom. At the end of the movie, Yelena addresses her dog when she goes to visit Nat’s grave and the dog’s name is Fanny. These are just some small things that I definitely didn’t realize right away. Another one would be that Loki actually addresses Drakov’s daughter in the first Avengers. They also reference Budapest, which makes it even more interesting to find out more about those two situations that were not explored before.

As amazing as it was, I will say no movie is without complaints. I do wish this would have come out when it actually was supposed to. Unfortunately, the movie had a feeling of forgottenness and that it was done just to be done. I also feel that they could have definitely done Taskmaster much better and, while it was certainly a twist to have it be Drakov’s daughter, I think it undermined how cool that character really is in the comics. Lastly, I’m pretty upset we didn’t get a Steve cameo. While I know Taylor and I talked a little bit about this in the podcast, it was disappointing to have holes remain on how she ended up in contact with him again and how they reconnected. The first end credit scene, if we can really call it that, deserved to have Steve step out of the jet or SOMETHING. But I know we can all certainly complain about anything, so if these are my only issues with the movie, I say that it means that movie had to be good.

My final words come about the final end credit scene. It is likely that Natasha is buried out in Ohio, as we hear Valentina say she is allergic to the mid-West, where Ohio resides. It is also possible her grave is with her mothers and others that Drakov killed and buried. My only thought to this was because of how he described the location of the body, it seemed fairly similar. Either way, it is likely Yelena was responsible for giving her a grave, as it said daughter and sister on it, and the Avengers do not know about Natasha’s family. I have also heard rumors Yelena was snapped, which is why Nat seemingly holds the vest at the end of Infinity War. She likely thought of her sister and in Endgame, since she doesn’t address any family, it is likely she knows her sister, at least, was one of the ones to disappear. Regardless, it ripped me to shreds to see her grave. Even writing about it now I am tearing up. As a fan of Natasha’s from a young age, Endgame hurt me really badly and seeing the finality of her grave was too much for me to handle. Some scars have not faded quite yet Marvel. I really like that this movie sets up Hawkeye, but more specifically I like HOW it sets it up. I am so ready to see Yelena go after Clint. But it also paints a much bigger picture on the organization Valentina is a part of, as Yelena will not be happy when she finds out she was manipulated. I believe we will be seeing much more of this organization appear in Hawkeye, since it is likely Yelena will turn her sights on them when she realized that Nat actually sacrificed herself.

I really do hope everyone enjoyed this movie, especially because we did wait so long for it to arrive. If you haven’t seen it yet, well I just spoiled some of it, but definitely go watch it! Also, don’t forget that the final episode of Loki is coming and brace yourself for whatever the heck we are going to see. As all this content comes out, keep up with both the podcast and the blog because Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Black Widow”, Brian Tallerico, Roger Ebert

Loki Episode 4 and Black Widow Predictions

Loki

Did everyone make it out of Loki episode 4 alright?

I genuinely have watched that man die so many times, I’m afraid to say I was not the least bit fazed when he was pruned. Now Mobius on the hand…that one hurt me. After finally believing Loki and working to help him, the man was killed. Or was he? If Loki has a world for himself and his variants, does everyone? Or is there at least another world somewhere where all the variants go to chill on a really lavish vacation? I would like to think Mobius is there on his jet ski. Let me just have this moment.

Regardless, a new episode means a new podcast! And this one is extra special and extra long, as it also includes our Black Widow film predictions. Check it out below!

https://anchor.fm/ltmft/embed/episodes/Episode-5-Loki-Episode-Four-Breakdown–Black-Widow-Movie-Predictions-e13rq3f

Now to cover something we not only missed but totally talked about incorrectly, we have to delve into the whole ‘Loki was pruned but ended up on some timeline or something with a bunch of other Loki variants problem’. I will openly tell you I was ridiculously distracted by crocodile Loki to look anywhere but at the variants that address Loki at the end. Because of this, both Taylor and I missed probably the most important aspect of the scene, which was that they were in a destroyed New York. The Avengers tower rose tall in the background, destroyed, but easily recognizable to any Marvel fan. In the trailer, we see a shot that also includes this apocalyptic world, just from a very different angle. As per my thoughts in previous podcast episodes, this could be tied to if Loki either won against the Avengers, or New York was nuked. Had New York been nuked, I would think Loki would still have been able to survive, as our troublesome God literally always does. While I expect to have some of this explained to us (hopefully) within the next episode, I did have to address the fact that we totally didn’t see the skyline at all.

Another thing we missed was the possibility of Runes behind the “Time Keepers”. Now throughout those shots, several glowing symbols can be seen, although each of them are the same. If you do not remember, Runes are what Agatha and then Wanda used in WandaVision, which block another witch (or anyone with magic) powers from working. When we see Wanda’s, they look eerily similar to the ones we later see behind the Time Keepers. Personally, I don’t believe it is Wanda that is controlling the TVA. However, I do think that possibly the Scarlet Witch before her (or at least the spirit of the Scarlet Witch), may be what created them. Since Scarlet Witch is a Nexus being and the TVA seems to do what is best for them, I wonder if they are instead doing what is best for the person they are actually serving. The Scarlet Witch holds an immense amount of power and it would make sense that, at least the spirit, was trying to keep the Multiverse closed and controlled. But Wanda herself would likely want it open, as it is possible her children are trapped somewhere within. It is also possible this is why the TVA never stopped Thanos or Wanda from making the Hex, as they needed Thanos to take everything from her and needed her to form the Hex in order to fully become the Scarlet Witch. Am I maybe getting five thousand steps ahead of myself? Yes, possibly, but it would completely irk me if I, in some weird world, ended up being right and I didn’t say anything.

Of course, the second half of the podcast is all about Black Widow predictions, and since we still have to see the movie, there isn’t anything we missed yet. I hope you all go take a listen and are prepared for the second to last episode of Loki. I also hope everyone has gotten their tickets for Black Widow or are prepared to pay to watch it home. Continue to keep up with all this amazing content, especially this week, because Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Loki Episode 4”, Rick Stevenson, Screen Rant

Loki Episode 3

Loki

I am so happy for so many reasons.

For one, Taylor and I actually didn’t miss a ton in this episode, and that in general makes me feel good. I promised before that we aren’t quite as bad at finding things or noticing important moments as the first two episodes made us seem. And now maybe we were more accurate because this episode was less related to the TVA, where I think a lot of hints get thrown at us that we don’t fully understand. Being on a planet/moon in the future allows for fewer opportunities for moments that tie to our MCU world. Not to mention, the TVA is an interesting organization that we seem to know less and less about each episode, so whenever they are involved things are always confusing.

But of course, it would be wrong of me not to mention the momentous moment of Loki coming out as Bi. It was beautiful and I am so happy to see Marvel representing the LGBTQ+ community, especially with characters who are not inherently straight in the comics. It is definitely a big moment for Marvel and I am really excited for what this may mean in the future.

Make sure to listen to Loki Episode 3 podcast, as there is a lot to go over from this episode. Further details into Sylvie and who she is as a person is 100% important for understanding our 2012 Loki, along with understanding the TVA as a whole. Her variant lifestyle is also critical for this whole time travel conundrum that we have been facing since Endgame.

Now rumor has it that episode 4 and episode 5 of Loki are Tom Hiddleston’s favorites. I don’t know about you guys but I do trust the man with my life. So I am very excited to see where we go, as episode 3 did end with Loki and Sylvie not making it off a planet that was minutes away from being destroyed. My thoughts are the TVA will likely grab them, since I can’t for the life of me think of how the two of them would get out of this situation, but I suppose anything is possible in Marvel.

We are almost halfway done with Loki and while I know we are all crying about that right now, I want to give everyone a quick reminder. Black Widow is coming out in less than two weeks!! If you haven’t bought your tickets, get out there and get them so you can watch it opening weekend. As she is one of my favorites, I am praying that this is not her last movie. Unfortunately, as of right now I will face the facts we know and assume that it is. Either way, we have waited over a year for this so get ready and get excited! New podcasts and blog posts are released each week (as of right now) to keep up with all the content coming our way. On top of this, check out Twitter as well to interact with us and see some great Marvel memes. As always, (and this goes for movies now that we are finally getting new ones), keep up with all of the content that Marvel is releasing, because Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Loki Episode 3”, Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter

Loki Episode 2

Loki

Is that Lady Loki?

Lol no but Taylor and I did think it was in our newest podcast episode, Let’s Talk: Marvel Fan Theories the Podcast, Episode 3, which you can check out below.

Now to address the issue of Lady Loki. It is, in fact, not her and actually the Enchantress. The Enchantress is tied to Loki and, for those pointing out the smallest detail of the blonde hair, the Enchantress does have blonde hair so don’t worry. She mimics Loki’s powers and is a known issue for him. This makes sense all the way down to the small detail of Loki saying how he would never treat himself that way. Simply put, Loki wouldn’t treat another Loki that way, so he wasn’t wrong.

Something else we failed to mention was that variants began in quite a few key places, including Titan, Ego, New York, Asgard, and VORMIR. Hello, yes Vormir is where one of the variants has started and as the trailer left many speculating about a certain red head, we are now close to possibly seeing some version of Natasha. Of course, this is not a guarantee, but with the location of Vormir it at least makes one hope. For some of those who may also not recognize these other locations, Titan is the home of Thanos, Ego is the living planet aka Starlord’s dad, New York is just the place of half of the major MCU attacks, and Asgard is self explanatory. Within the next few episodes of Loki, we are expecting to see Loki likely travel to each of these. Keep in mind, one of the apocalyptic scenes in the trailer has a shattered New York skyline, including Stark Tower. This is likely what we will see when Loki enters this variant and, at this point, I’m thinking will have to deal with a nuked New York. But who knows, as New York has been a scene of many battles both in the MCU and in the comics with comics Spidey constantly destroying New York blocks.

Another something that we only briefly mentioned was how sketchy the judge in the TVA is. Turns out, she’s even sketchier than previously believed. She has a connection to Kang the Conqueror, who is rumored to be appearing in the next Ant-Man. And considering she talks about some agent that she has on the side, it definitely makes one think. Any sort of big agency is sketchy, especially one that wields this much power. But an agency with a head that is secretive to even those who work closest to her makes one wonder. Keep an eye out for her and the TVA as a whole because organizations like these usually have a dark side.

I hope everyone has been loving Loki as much as we have. It is definitely going to be picking up so if anyone has had any concerns based on it being a little slow, worry no longer. I’m super excited to see what next episode brings and especially where it brings us, both in the physical sense and in the timeline sense. Keep up with Loki and the podcast because Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Loki Episode 2”, Eric Francisco, Inverse

Loki Episode 1

Loki

It has finally happened. Loki has returned to the MCU.

As a big Loki fan, I will admit I supported the theory of Loki not turning blue in Infinity War meaning he was still alive very strongly. Even if I was wrong.

But as promised, a new podcast episode explains all of the thoughts and theories that we were left with after this episode, so check it out!

I do need to preface something as everyone goes to check out the podcast. We record right after we watch the first episode. This means that while we see quite a bit while watching, there is a lot we don’t notice until after the fact. This usually comes from seeing others talk about things on Twitter or social media in general. So while we talk about a lot, there are some things we miss, which I will cover here for everyone.

First things first, I will be honest, we both missed Peggy in the background of that one scene. I noticed the woman but honestly was more focused on Loki to put together who in fact it was. I promise we are not terrible at being observant but I know many fans pointed this out and we, sadly, missed it. What this means is hard to tell. Does this have to deal with Steve and going back to live a life with Peggy? Is this a completely unrelated storyline? I have no clue.

Speaking of Steve, many fans, along with Taylor and I, remain pretty baffled with how his going back in time works. Now that time travel has somewhat been explained to us a little more, I feel like it makes even less sense what Steve did. At first, as I believe we even say in the podcast, maybe Steve’s arc was always to go back. But then a fan tweeted something that made me delete that thought all together. As an avid “I hate that Steve went back” supporter, I was happy this happened because I was not ready to try and be at peace with the fact he went back. I’ve been angry for two years and I will continue to remain so. But the fan pointed out that had Loki not taken the Tesseract, therefore creating a variant, the Avengers would have gotten the Tesseract in 2012 and never gone back to the 70s at all. Then I thought even more into this and realized Peggy had kids, so if she had them with Steve, where are they?

Now I will say, these were really the two biggest things we happened to miss within the show or didn’t think about until after we had already recorded the podcast. One last thing is that we also missed the Skrull. I promise you, we were paying attention to the show. We were just watching Loki so intensely we missed some of the things happening behind him.

I hope everyone is enjoying Loki so far just as much as the two of us are. This show is going to be so important for the Multiverse of Madness, along with hopefully finally wrapping up those scenes and storylines in Endgame that continue to baffle fans. Make sure you guys keep up with the podcast and show cause Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Loki Episode 1”, Dani Di Placido, Forbes

Loki Predictions

Loki

Happy Loki premiere eve eve!

While we wait the final few days until our beloved God of Mischief graces our television screens once again, I have some great announcements.

First things first, catch our new podcast, Let’s talk: Marvel Fan Theories, streaming on your favorite platform for podcast listening. Our newest episode talks about our predictions on what we think is going to come out of this Loki series. Listen to it before watching the premiere of Loki on Wednesday and then keep up with them for thoughts, reactions, and theories about every new episode.

Next, you might see the site going up and down within the next few days, along with it looking a little different. With the entrance of the podcast, the site itself is also undergoing some changes. We say goodbye to the long blog posts that followed each episode and hello to posts introducing the new podcast episode. As changes continue to come, please be patient with us!

Third, check out our Twitter to stay up to date with new podcasts and also to just have some great discussions with us. We will be actively tweeting during our first time watching the show to share some of our genuine first reactions to things. Make sure to like, retweet, and follow us!

Lastly, to make everything so much easier for everyone, everything I just talked about can now be found on the home page! The Twitter feed and ability to either link to or listen to the podcast directly from the website are now both right on the front door to make it all so much easier to interact with us. So follow the Twitter, blog and podcast for optimal Let’s Talk: Marvel Fan Theories content!

And don’t forget:

On Wednesday’s

We Wear Green

Image 1: “Loki”, Erin Carson, CNET

Image 2: “Loki Odinson” by marvelousRoland is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Marvel Memes

Marvel Memes

Now, I know the second best thing behind the shows and movies are of course the various memes that hit the internet as soon as either of them drop. The best part about the shows has been that we are able to get new memes on a weekly basis that we can enjoy and circulate until the next week comes around with a new wave. I just wanted to take some time to share some of my favorite memes that have come from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. If you don’t follow at least one Marvel meme page I definitely recommend it or check out some great accounts on TikTok that make hilarious videos as well.

“New Captain America”, Adam B, Know Your Meme

This meme is in reference to John Walker being the “off brand” Captain America. The joke goes along to reference something everyone has dealt with before: a wonky wheel on a shopping cart. There’s always that one wheel that doesn’t quite work right, and in this case, that is John Walker when all three other wheels are perfect, aka Steve Rogers.

“New Captain America”, Adam B, Know Your Meme

Another great meme in reference to John being “off brand”. Essentially, this one is saying that John is of course a completely different person who dresses up and calls himself Captain America. However, at the end of the day, he isn’t Steve Rogers and will still take off the suit every night just being good old John Walker.

“He’s Out of Line but He’s Right”, nightwing_2, Know Your Meme

I love this one because it almost references two Marvel related things at once. It uses a clip from TFATWS, while referencing Wolverine’s ability to regenerate. Essentially, Zemo is saying something completely out of left field that is true but morally wrong, while Sam is addressing that and pointing out how it isn’t morally okay, but he isn’t exactly wrong. This has I’m sure happened to many of us when a friend has said something that’s kind of messed up, but it isn’t exactly wrong. In this case, it may be messed up to eat someone, but if the person always regenerates body parts he technically is an endless buffet and therefore could feed the world. Extremely morally wrong but not necessarily the wrong answer.

Of course, these are only a few of the best ones out there, so go check out more. Memes, especially Marvel memes, are some of the most creative and best conversation starters out there. I promise you if you end up in the Infinity War or Endgame section of memes they are priceless and some of the best memes that I still have saved on my phone even to this day. Have fun searching up memes all night! Big things are coming to this webpage so while we may be quieter for a little, there will be some changes coming, so look forward to seeing some interesting new content soon!

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 4

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Oh. My. God. I actually don’t have words.

If you haven’t seen the episode I’m pleading you to leave before reading more because I am about to explode. But to give a general jist, this is my exact reaction to the final scene:

I sat there in pure shock, seeing John kill a man in the middle of a busy town square with the shield that Steve carried for years as a symbol of righteousness. It made me sick and I truly wish I could comprehend to you all how much I am shaking as I write right now. There are some things you truly wish you are never right about, but there are others that you never even saw coming. So while I expected John to take the serum and while I expected him to become one of the biggest problems within the series, I never once imagined it would turn out like this. I also am just shocked at how gruesome the scene itself was and it honestly has me in more shock than Infinity War did, and trust me that’s saying something right now. It was funny because for a second I completely sympathized with John, losing his best friend in that way, although I can’t say from the start it hadn’t been expected. Prior to John taking the serum, I couldn’t make sense of why they would send two humans to battle 8 super soldiers who could easily kill them with one punch. And to be fair to the Flag-Smashers, they were battling a relatively equal fight and had removed Battlestar from the fight because he was never the target. But you also can’t help but see the parallels and the way the show framed John to compare him to Steve. Steve ‘lost’ Bucky and tried to drink his sorrows away. When he couldn’t, he eventually laid his life down for his country and quite frankly the world. John lost Lemar and publicly executed someone. With the shield. In a way that was also a call back to Steve when he was fighting Tony. He disarmed Tony, he didn’t kill him. The serum was intended for a good man, which Steve was, and as we can see, John isn’t. The repercussions of this is going to be immense and the only way to handle John at this point is to neutralize him. He has become too dangerous. And this is the set up for how Sam eventually gets the shield. But besides that, the symbolic significance of the blood on the American shield outshines everything else. For one, Steve chose a shield because it is a defensive weapon and shows protection, while John just used the shield in an offensive manner, to commit murder. Once again highlighting the blood that America has on its’ hands. I can’t WAIT to see how the U.S. government works to get out of this situation.

As far as Zemo escaping, I pray the dude comes back. But I know he won’t rest fully until those super soldiers are killed and I am concerned that Bucky will be on that list. Sam’s offhand comment asking Zemo about Bucky is why that concern comes to mind and now that he is on the loose and has no reason to spare him, I worry he has become a target. However, the Wakandans are looking for Zemo and likely won’t rest until they find him. Not to mention the actual police are looking for him as well. But like I said, I don’t think Zemo will just disappear knowing there are still 6 super soldiers wandering around creating chaos, so I expect him to make a return, most likely killing Karli since he shows no mercy towards her. But John Walker is also now a super soldier, which puts him on Zemo’s radar as well and he isn’t particularly fond of John already.

Now what is intriguing to me is that Karli and Sam clearly have a connection, which leads me to wonder if they are going to end up teaming up to take down John. I can’t see John going back to America or going back to his American operatives after what he just pulled, since they quite literally would have to arrest him. He will most likely go on the run and him being a super soldier now makes him even more dangerous than ever. Karli wants him dead, I’m sure Bucky wants him dead now more than ever after urging Sam to steal the shield and now seeing it used as a murder weapon, and Sam would likely want him neutralized as well. He wasn’t happy when he realized that John had taken the serum and being witness to a murder I’m sure didn’t make him John’s absolute biggest fan. The Flag-Smashers and Sam and Bucky now have a common enemy and Karli has a soft spot for Sam, and vice versa. While he isn’t thrilled she threatened his sister, he understands her and her cause. My hope is seeing Captain America kill one of her closest colleagues doesn’t put Karli into that final spiral where there is no coming back.

While I obviously didn’t always like Sharon, I think last episode was an accidental lapse in judgement about her. She may have helped Bucky and Sam, but as I noted before she has the perfect villain backstory. In the comics the Powerbroker was a man, however, Marvel has changed quite a bit when putting comics into stories for the big (and now little) screen. To be fair, there are a lot of comics with a lot of story lines and some are pretty weird. Therefore, it wouldn’t be too far out of their powers to make Sharon the Powerbroker. She seems to wield a lot of power and has a lot of insight. Now there also hasn’t been a lot of information about whether or not she was snapped, but either way, the power and lavish lifestyle she seems to have is a little suspicious to me. And the Powerbroker has been adamant about coming after Karli and the Flag-Smashers, but not quite as aggressive in coming after Bucky and Sam after they literally killed the doctor who remade the super soldier serum.

Let’s congratulate Zemo on doing the best thing that could be done and smashing the super soldier serum bottles (of course except one, cause there’s always one). It cuts the possibility of more soldiers down a lot more. But let’s keep tabs on who is still out there. Karli and the Flag-Smashers are now down to 6. We have weirdo John who is about to get his entire life rocked. Bucky, but he’s shown to be on the good side and therefore isn’t a threat and will not be subjected to testing. And finally there is Isaiah, who should be finally free of testing. The importance at this point is to stop the spread and weaponization of super soldiers, or the Flag-Smashers are going to be the first of a long line of issues. As Sam pointed out, Zemo was the most useful one by smashing all the vials.

I also just have to talk about how the Dora Milaje kicked John’s butt. To be fair, it was 100% on him that they even attacked him and he was warned not to interfere with them. And Bucky sitting there with his sassy comments absolutely killed me. But speaking of, Bucky of course stayed in Wakanda for a long time and they gave him the arm that he currently wears. We see at the beginning of the episode that Ayo was the one who tested the mind tinkering that Shuri did to see if the Winter Soldier programming was gone, so it is clear the two of them also have a connection. Quick side note, I literally sobbed watching that scene because he was so scared it wouldn’t work and when he realized it did I just couldn’t handle seeing him crying of pure joy. But to my point, when Ayo quite literally disarms him, the pain within Bucky’s face upon realizing they hadn’t trusted him just broke me. The Wakandans created a safe way to disarm (once again, quite literally) him in case they couldn’t get all of the programming out and it showed on Bucky’s face that this hurt him greatly. Whether this will impact his relationship with the Wakandans or not is still up for interpretation, but there is a reason we continuously are being reminded of Bucky’s relationship to the country and the people. White Wolf also keeps appearing, so I wonder if when Sam does take on being Captain America, if Bucky will choose to go by White Wolf as well, since I think it is clear he is moving away from his Winter Soldier origins. I think it would be very interesting if Bucky plays a role within the next Black Panther, however, now that they have to address the loss of Chadwick, that franchise may be in a slightly messy place.

One thing you have to always remember is that these characters have futures in different parts of the MCU. We know where Wanda is going to end up, but as of right now Sam and Bucky’s futures are a little blurry. The outcome of this episode is going to play out and allow us to understand where these two characters are going to come into play later in the MCU. The rumors flying about episode 5 are fairly intense, so I know next week is going to be crazy. I hope everyone is loving this show because it is amazing and just took a very dark turn. Stay tuned for next week’s episode and theories and don’t forget to comment your thoughts or theories or message directly!

Image: “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 4”, Kofi Outlaw, Comicbook

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 3

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Oh man this episode had me so excited.

The action within it and the new quartet had me absolutely glued to my TV. I understand Zemo is a hated villain, but this episode really made me love him. Not to mention, I was pretty happy that my theory from last week, that Bucky and Sam would play a part in his escape, ended up being true. Although I suppose if we want to get technical, Sam had no part and Bucky hypothetically didn’t either. Speaking of someone who was hated, I was also pretty okay with Sharon in this episode. Maybe it was because she wasn’t being shoved at us as some random love interest and actually has some depth now. I hope she stays on Sam and Bucky’s side, and for her sake I also hope that Sam does eventually get her the pardon. My thoughts are that since we see Sam and Bucky with the shield in the trailer, Sam eventually does become Captain America, he will make sure she is pardoned. Since rumor mills have continuously talked about her being a possible love interest for Bucky, I hope they build up her character before they do anything with her being a love interest again. If she eventually does end up with Bucky, which I think is possible only because in the first episode, we find out Bucky has tried online dating and went on a date (which seems just like a weird detail to throw in there randomly), then I think she could be really good for him. Trust me, that hurt to say as a Bucky fan, but it’s true. I have hope for her character and I really don’t want Marvel to mess her up. Although, it would also be really interesting if she ends up being a partial villain. At this point, she has the perfect back story for it and just because she helped Sam and Bucky doesn’t mean she isn’t going to double cross them.

I need to get the John Walker tea off my chest. Obviously, we don’t like him, but he felt more like a villain to me in this episode than Zemo, an actual villain did. We can definitely see that he is in the process of breaking down. This guy doesn’t sit right with me at all. I think, while it is painfully obvious that he isn’t Steve, we need to still recognize that he is becoming more and more different than Steve, almost the opposite even. Him asking the guy who was helping the Flag-Smashers if he knew who he was so was just so blatantly arrogant, something Steve had never been and something he would hav never done. The Captain America mantel never once went to Steve’s head and instead made him a better version of who he was. As the series progresses, I believe we will see John unravel more and more, and I still stand by him somehow getting his hands on the serum. It just feels like something he would do as he realizes more and more people could care less about this Captain America wannabe. He expects respect that he has never once earned in that suit, which will lead to his spiral.

Let’s talk about one of the two most important parts of the episode: Ayo. She brings in a whole new situation to the show, wrapping Wakanda and Bucky’s ties to the nation into all of this. Keep in mind in case you forgot in Zemo’s sudden coolnness, that he did kill their King. My hope is that Ayo sticks around with Sam, Bucky, and Zemo, adding to the group as she watches over Zemo until she returns him to prison or Wakanda. Either that, or she will become a bump in the road for Bucky and Sam in furthering their search for answers. I do hope that Bucky being behind Zemo’s escape doesn’t damage his relationship with the Wakandans, but instead him of all people trusting Zemo to a degree helps Ayo in understanding his importance to their mission. I do wonder how her appearance in the episode is also going to effect Black Panther 2 possibly and if we may get a throw away line in reference to how they may explain Chadwick’s death within the MCU. Most of the show was filmed in 2019, so it is likely we may not get anything at all since Chadwick had not passed yet. However, because the show finished filming later on after being shutdown due to Covid for awhile, so if Ayo sticks around, there may be a reference. Either way, her cameo is exciting and I’m intrigued to see how they move forward with her appearance in the show.

I did say there were two important parts of the episode, didn’t I? The Powerbroker is very important to keep in mind and is likely to be the main villain moving forward. Not so much for being bad, but more for being, well, let’s just say problematic. The issue with the Powerbroker is that in the comics, he is the one behind John Walker and Lemar Hoskins’ (Battlestar) newfound ‘powers’. He does also have ties to Ms. Marvel, which is set in place in the Phase 4 timeline. The biggest likelihood with him is that he will end up helping our fake Cap into becoming more like a superhero, enabling him to become the biggest problem for Sam and Bucky.

Karli needs to be a concern for the sake that she killed people for her cause, showing that while she may have been a sympathetic villain before, she is turning more and more dangerous as she grows more desperate. The biggest concern as well is the fact that there were 20 test tubes of the super soldier serum, but as of the beginning of the show, we only know of 8 super soldiers. Obviously we also know these were all stolen, which I’m sure the Powerbroker isn’t thrilled about. As fans, we need to be aware that there is a lot more at play than the original episode or two gave us. We have a lot of storylines that are becoming intertwined and a lot of possible villains running around. With the possibility of 12 other super soldiers yet to be made, the worry is who exactly ends up taking it, and more importantly, where is it?

This may be just because I am a huge Bucky fan, but I would like to point out something that maybe everyone caught, or maybe not. When he was acting as the Winter Soldier in order to be “undercover”, people were recording him. Now he was pardoned, however, a lot of his pardon was based on the idea that he lives a quiet, peaceful life. And as we saw in his therapy, he wasn’t to hurt anyone. Unfortunately, I think he is going to see some repercussions, unless Sam and him succeed in taking down the Flag-Smashers, which may be his only way to not be possibly arrested for his actions. I also worry for the toll that some of this is taking on his newly redone brain, which I think Sam also was worried about throughout the episode. As much as Zemo has started to grow on me, we can’t forget he is a villain. The first thing he said to Bucky was his trigger words, don’t forget. His intentions are not completely pure, and as much as I love Sam and Bucky, they are bumbling idiots half of the time. If Zemo is ready to leave and escape, he will, which is why I am hoping Ayo plans to stick around.

Every week just keeps getting better and better and I can’t wait to see what happens next week. I’m sad that we are halfway through the show, but I think that it will help lead up to the other half of Phase 4, the part that won’t be quite as mystical. But only time will tell, so I hope you guys have been enjoying TFAWS as much as I have and will stay tuned until next week for more. As always, comment your own thoughts and theories and if you have any thoughts or theories you want me to touch on, feel free to message me directly. See you all next week!

Image: “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 3”, Chief Editor, Dailyhindnews