Top 10 Things You Missed in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 3
#10: A Bar Fit for Wolverine
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As Sam and Bucky are walking through the streets of Madripoor, they spot a sign for the princess bar. This was one of Wolverine’s go to establishments within the crooked city in the comics. During a time where he was wearing an eyepatch and going by the extremely creative nickname “Patch”, he once met up with the Hulk at the Princess Bar. If Sam, Bucky, and Zemo had gone in, would they have found Wolverine grabbing a drink with Professor Hulk? Well, since mutants like Wolverine haven’t yet been introduced to the MCU...yet, that meeting would be unlikely. But the princess bar still stands as a great call back to our favorite Canadian X-Men.
#9: Bucky Gets Payback
Bucky finally got revenge on a man who wronged him in the third episode. And no, we’re not talking about Zemo. When Sam gets in the back, Bucky seems unwilling to move his passenger seat up for Sam. This extremely petty moment is a great callback to “Civil War.” While the duo is waiting for Sharon to give Steve his shield, Sam refuses to move his chair when Bucky’s in the backseat. Let this be a lesson to you. If you’re sharing a car with the Winter Soldier, either move your seat or be prepared for him to take extremely petty revenge against you about 7 years later.
#8: Sam Doesn’t Go Left
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During a shootout, Bucky scolds Sam for not going left. Although it seems like an odd complaint, this directional mixup just continues a long and literal running gag within the MCU. Steve Rogers showed off his athletic prowess by saying “on your left” whenever he zipped by Sam on their exercise route. Falcon notably borrowed that phrase when he returned for the final battle against Thanos in “Endgame.” After that epic entrance, Bucky probably assumed that Sam would approach battles from the left from that point on. Hopefully, they’ll be better coordinated the next time things go left for them.
#7: Sharon Has an Extremely Famous Monet Painting
It turns out that Sharon has a very good eye for stolen art. If you hit pause when Sam googles a painting, you’ll see what appears to be Monet’s “Women with a Parasol—Madame Monet and Her Son”. This particular piece is one of the famous painters’ most acclaimed and personal works. In the real world, this piece sits in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Its current location in the MCU can be interpreted as a subtle metaphor for Sharon Carter’s life. Although she and the painting supposedly belong in America, they’ve both been forced to remain in a foreign land outside of the reach of the law.
#6: Karli May Be More Brutal than her comic book counterpart
The leader of the Flag-Smashers is definitely a three-dimensional villain. Within the span of the third episode, we see Karli grieve for a loved one and talk about her dreams for the future. Although we sympathize with her, we also notice another dark parallel to her comic counterpart. The comic version of Flag-Smasher caused an explosion in a UN building during his debut. Although it’s unclear if he hurt anyone, Karli fully acknowledges that she may have taken lives when she set off her shocking explosion. At this early point in her villainous career, it appears her evil acts are outpacing her comic book counterparts’. We might be sympathizing with someone who’s already gone too far down a dark path.
#5: Smiling Tiger has a history in Madripoor
When Sam goes undercover in Madripoor, he pretends to be Conrad Mack, a man who goes by the subtle nickname “Smiling Tiger.” The name is shared with a comic villain who often sports dangerous claws and mostly spoke in a series of growls. While Sam unintentionally imitates Smiling Tiger by speaking l the In the comics, the Smiling Tiger was part of a villainous group called the Folding circle. After one of the plans go south, the villains end up trying to grab power in madripoor.
#4: The Touching Significance of “Trouble Man”
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The idea that Bucky might not love Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man” is largely played for laughs. But it might mean much more to Sam than he let on. He mentions the time he recommended the album to Steve in “Captain America Winter Soldier”. But it notably appears once more in the film. After battling his brainwashed best friend, Steve ends up in the hospital. When he wakes up Sam is sitting next to him as “Trouble Man” plays in the background. Every time Sam hears that song, he may think of the moment Steve woke up after nearly losing his life. Marvin Gaye’s words underscored an extremely touching reunion back then. That’s likely the biggest reason Sam is so attached to the album now.
#3: Zemo and Karli Might Team Up
We never thought we'd see the day where Zemo teamed up with superheroes. But there's actually a precedent for this in the comics. Tony Stark once relied on Zemo’s team, known as the Thunderbolts, to capture supervillains. However, there was a twist to this good deed. The Thunderbolts would give supervillains the option to either join their team or end up in jail. In the show, Zemo seems pretty intent on stopping Karli. But is there a chance that he might actually recruit her for his own purposes? It’s unclear if his hatred for super soldiers or bad blood with the Avengers will motivate him more. But we know one thing for certain: Sam and Bucky better keep a very close eye on Zemo.
#2: Wilfred Nagel Was Even Worse in the Comics
In his very brief time in the MCU, Wilfred Nagel proved himself to be one of the most morally bankrupt characters we’ve met. He saw human beings as little more than science experiments and himself as a god because he used Isaiah Bradley’s blood to make a new super-soldier serum. While Nagel used samples in the show, he personally oversaw experiments on black soldiers in the comics. The results of the doctor’s tests were often gruesome and sometimes even caused people to lose their life. Although Nagel wasn’t there to conduct the initial tests in the MCU, he’s still twisted for being complicit in a super-soldier program that’s caused so much suffering.
#1: Ayo Returns
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At the end of the episode, a trail of Kimoyo beads leads Bucky to Ayo. She was notably the member of the Dora Miljae who was willing to fight Black Widow back in “Civil War.” Ayo also stood beside T’Challa during the events of “Black Panther”. This loyal warrior first appeared after Zemo took the life of King T’Chaka. Since she was there to see his son T’challa grieve, she definitely wants to see Zemo fail. Even if Wakanda hasn’t officially ordered Ayo to act against the villain, she once left the Dora Milaje to do what she believes is right in the comics. Anyone who stands in her way of getting justice will be moved.
