In “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” recap, Sam and Bucky are forced to work with an old foe in order to track down the creator of the new secret serum and a familiar face returns…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
If there’s ever been the slightest criticism when it came to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s the development of truly great villains for every franchise.
Now make no mistake, Thanos ended up being one of the greatest big bads of all time and there have been other compelling villains in past films like Erik Killmonger, whose motivation and reason for breaking bad have been fleshed out incredible well.
That said, typically the majority of Marvel movies have been more concerned with character development based around the heroes rather than the villains. Nothing wrong with that obviously but it was one minor complaint surrounding a few films in the MCU.
Enter Baron Helmut Zemo.
Ahead of “Captain America: Civil War,” the main teasers for the film saw friend pitted against friend as Captain America and Iron Man were on opposite sides of ideology when it came to the future of heroism after the events in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” The warring factions were ultimately at odds dealing with government oversight when it came to heroic factions like The Avengers and while Tony Stark felt it was a necessary step in the right direction, Steve Rogers vehemently disagreed.
But when tragedy struck and the king of Wakanda was killed, setting off a worldwide chase to bring his killer to justice, the two sides of the Avengers were eventually torn apart.
In the end, Baron Helmut Zemo was revealed to be the mastermind behind the plot as he sought to destroy the Avengers after they demolished his home country of Sokovia during the battle with Ultron. While he wasn’t as physically imposing as other villains, Zemo proved to be the man capable of destroying the Avengers from within as he orchestrated a plot to force teammate against teammate before finally revealing his biggest secret that Bucky as the Winter Soldier had been ordered to kill Tony Stark’s parents.
And he did all this without an Infinity Gauntlet!
In the latest episode of “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” Zemo made his long awaited return and while we know he’s going to break bad again at some point, his tenuous team up with Sam and Bucky to go after the people responsible for creating a new version of the Super Soldier Serum was the action-comedy we didn’t know we needed.
Here’s hoping Daniel Bruhl — the man behind Baron Zemo — sticks around beyond this series because he’s been a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a worthy adversary for the Avengers.
With that said, let’s get to our recap of the latest episode of “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” titled “Power Broker”…
Keep Your Friends Close and Enemies Closer
Following a losing effort against the Flag Smashers that revealed the rebel group is powered by the Super Soldier serum, Bucky suggests a last ditch effort to find out more about its origins by reaching out to the one person who might know more — Baron Helmut Zemo.
Zemo has been in custody, sitting in a German prison cell ever since he orchestrated the events in “Captain America: Civil War” but Bucky knows this is the one man who has more reason to see the Super Soldier serum destroyed more than anybody else. Zemo despises the entire idea of a “superhero” much less one that’s fueled by chemical enhancements.
After arriving in Germany, Bucky tells Sam that he needs to do this alone and as soon as he comes face to face with the man who previously controlled his mind, Zemo tries the same trigger words that used to activate The Winter Soldier. Of course, Bucky has been deprogrammed but Zemo had to find out for himself.
It doesn’t take long for Zemo to reveal that he definitely knows more about this rogue serum that’s out in the world but he can’t do much from behind prison walls.
So in order to get the answers they seek, Bucky helps Zemo make an escape from prison, proving yet again that the Sokovian has a mind for elaborate schemes in order to serve his own means. Sam is admittedly shocked that Bucky would help Zemo escape but the former Winter Soldier convinces him that this is the best possible move and he needs to trust him just like he trusted Steve when he went against the U.S. government.
When Zemo arrives, Sam lays out the rules that he needs to follow their lead or he’ll be buried under that German prison.
The adventure gets off to a good start when Zemo reveals to his new partners that he’s quite wealthy — he is a Baron after all — as they board his private plane bound for an island in Southeast Asia called Madripoor because that’s where he knows a dealer who might have information about the super serum.
Now keen Marvel fans will definitely recognize the name Madripoor because it’s served as a primary location in the comic books for many years, most recognizable due to the ties it has to a certain mutant named Wolverine. In fact, Madripoor was such a hot spot for mutant activity that the location itself was tied to the X-Men franchise, which means Marvel couldn’t use the name until after closing the deal to purchase FOX assets in 2018.
On the flight over, Zemo continues to poke and prod at Bucky, even going as far as looking at his little notebook that contains all of the names of people he wronged as the Winter Soldier. Of course the conversation isn’t all serious as Sam jabs at Bucky because he doesn’t love Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man” nearly as much as Steve did — and even Zemo backs him up on that one.
Finally after landing in Madripoor, Zemo provides his new comrades with cover stories to help them survive in this pit of scum and villainy. That means Bucky has to revert to the Winter Soldier, obeying whatever commands that Zemo gives him while Sam will play a well-known figure in these parts nicknamed “The Smiling Tiger.”
At the bar, Sam is forced to choke down “The Smiling Tiger’s favorite drink while Zemo is soon warned that he’s not welcomed there. Zemo says he’s not there to interfere with the Power Broker, who he knows is the judge, jury and executioner around Madripoor.
As previously explained in last week’s recap, the Power Broker was actually a firm in the comic books rather than just one man. But the Power Broker was responsible for developing the new super serum that was eventually used to give John Walker aka U.S. Agent his powers — and as we know in this version of the story, John Walker is the new Captain America.
After someone tries to accost Zemo, he “orders” the Winter Soldier into action and Bucky slips back into his old role with relative ease as he smashes an entire bar filled with thugs, who make the ill fated attempt to attack him. Wiping out several people gets enough attention that Zemo’s contract finally sends for them to meet with her privately.
In the back, Selby introduces herself while simultaneously flirting with Sam’s Tiger but more importantly she reveals the information needed to know about this new secret serum.
She explains that the Power Broker employed a scientist named Dr. Wilfred Nagel to build a new super serum but then things went bad. She then warns them that they’ll never find Nagel without her help but before a deal can be brokered, Sam’s phone rings and he’s forced to answer on speakerphone and his true identity is soon discovered.
A fight ensues but then a sniper’s bullet cuts through the room and kills Selby — and within seconds her death triggers a bounty placed on the head of her killers, which means Sam, Bucky and Zemo need to get away quick before the entire island of Madripoor is after them. Thankfully they receive some back up to escape when Sharon Carter emerges from the shadows to lend a helping hand.
It seems the former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been living and thriving in Madripoor after she was forced to leave the United States following the events in “Captain America: Civil War” because she was branded as a traitor. Sharon also tells them that because she wasn’t an Avenger or very high on the priority list to receive a Presidential pardon, she’s still considered a fugitive from justice.
Luckily, Madripoor has no extradition treaty with the United States so Carter is free to live on the island and it turns out she’s set up a rather nice life for herself selling famous art pieces to high end collectors.
Back at her place, Sharon agrees to help locate Dr. Nagel and Sam offers to help her come home again while advocating for her to receive the same kind of pardon that allows Bucky to walk around now as a free man.
After attending her party that night, Sharon gets a lead on Dr. Nagel and that takes them to a shipyard where they find out the creator behind the new Super Soldier Serum has been working in a lab funded by the Power Broker.
Once inside, Bucky, Sam and Zemo begin to question Dr. Nagel, who isn’t too forthcoming with information until a gun is placed to his head and he becomes much chattier at that moment.
It seems Dr. Nagel worked for the U.S. government developing a new version of the Super Soldier Series thanks to a compound he was given from an American test subject that still had traces of the chemical in his blood. That means Dr. Nagel was given Isaiah Bradley’s blood — the Black Captain America, who was created without his permission and then imprisoned for 30 years after he fought for his country.
But then Dr. Nagel disappeared as part of the Blip and when he returned, the government was no longer interested in funding his research so the Power Broker was more than happy to step into help.
Nagel eventually isolated the formula to make his own Super Soldier Serum but his came with a few advancements — including all of the benefits of the original serum but without the body morphing changes that transformed Steve Rogers from a scrawny kid into Captain America. Nagel seems rather proud of his work but sadly all 20 viles of his super serum were stole by Karli Morgenthau — the leader behind the Flag Smashers.
A little background on Dr. Nagel — in the comics he worked on the original Super Soldier Serum and then he was tasked with recreating the chemical compound while working with the 300 Black soldiers, who served as test subjects with the only survivor being Isaiah Bradley.
Karli stealing the Super Soldier Serum also explains why she’s being hunted by the Power Broker and it seems her intentions aren’t quite as nefarious as it first appeared. When she shows up this week, Karli is mourning the loss of a woman that took care of her as a child and she had even reached out to Dr. Nagel trying to find a way to save her.
Karli’s fight to dismantle the Global Repatriation Council — the group that’s been helping to put people who returned from the Blip back into their old lives — is more personal than initially realized because her own family was displaced after billions of people just suddenly reappeared five years after going missing.
It turns out she’s also not fighting for money or power but rather a way to provide for people displaced by the Blip — and this week’s plot involves stealing food and supplies for people living in camps after they were tossed out when all of those people returned to Earth with a snap of Bruce Banner’s fingers. Of course, Karli also wants revenge so after she steals all of the supplies, she blows up the building, which also kills several people still trapped inside.
In her mind, Karli believes the only way to win this war is to fight fire with fire.
Back in Germany, Dr. Nagel confirms he doesn’t have any more Super Soldier Serum already made, which explains why the Power Broker is so determined to go after Karli Morgenthau. After hearing that the last of the serum has already been handed out, Zemo takes this opening to shoot and kill Dr. Nagel because he is the last person who wants more of that stuff created.
The team doesn’t have enough time to deal with Zemo’s treachery because the bounty hunters coming to kill Sam and Bucky for supposedly assassinating Selby are there to collect. An epic fight ensues but ultimately it’s Zemo to the rescue after he blows up a gas pipe that stops all of the bounty hunters — and he even puts on his famous purple mask while kicking ass against a few people who manage to survive.
Zemo then shows up with a car to help everyone get out of Madripoor alive but obviously Sharon stays behind while relying on Sam’s word that he will get her free and clear of the charges that have made her a woman without a country.
On the plane out of Madripoor, Sam can’t help but question the complicated legacy behind that shield that everyone is telling him he shouldn’t have given up. Considering what that shield represents — and the Super Soldier Serum that was used not only to create Captain America but then destroy the life of somebody like Isaiah Bradley — he can’t help but wonder if perhaps he shouldn’t have buried it rather than actually hand it over to the government.
Bucky disagrees but the debate ends when a phone call comes from Torres revealing that Karli’s mother figure Donya Madani died recently in Riga, Latvia. That will be the next stop as Zemo orders his pilot to change course as they continue to chase down the rest of this super serum.
Meanwhile, the new Captain America and his sidekick Battlestar have been tracking down locations used by Karli Morgenthau while constantly one step behind her as well as playing catch up to Sam and Bucky. Walker is getting more and more agitated at the lack of information he’s receiving and after learning of Zemo’s escape, he’s beginning to realize that playing by the rules isn’t going to get them anywhere.
Walker decides to follow Sam and Bucky’s lead at least long enough to finally make contact with the Flag Smashers.
Finally, Zemo, Sam and Bucky arrive in Latvia and head to the location where they will hopefully find out more information about where Karli is going next. Along the way, Bucky notices some electronic devices planted on the street and nearby windows and he picks up each one before arriving at the location that Zemo set up for them.
Bucky tells Zemo and Sam that he’s going to go for a walk but he’ll be back shortly. Bucky then follows the electronic devices to a side street where he’s reunited with the person leaving those markers behind for him.
It’s Ayo — the second in command of the Dora Milaje — and sworn protector of Wakanda. She’s come for Baron Zemo because the Wakandans have not forgotten that he was responsible for the bomb blast that killed their King T’Chaka. Now it will be interesting to see how Bucky shows his loyalty — to the mission at hand with the Super Soldier Serum or to Wakanda after they took him in and protected him.
“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” returns for a brand new episode next Friday on Disney+
