THIS IS THE MOMENT
David Betancourt wonders if 2020 will finally be the year we get a Black Captain America.
A Black Captain America has a different ring to it today than it did in summer 2019, when we got our first hint that Anthony Mackie’s Falcon/sam Wilson would wield the shield post — Avengers: Endgame. The idea of such red, white, blue and black imagery falls in line with what we’ve seen recently from many major corporations that have pledged words and money to the Black Lives Matter movement. At a moment where Black people internationally are protesting in unison for their rights and demanding to be heard, it’s impossible to ignore the significance of such a superhero sight.
But if Mackie’s character becomes the captain in Disney+’s upcoming The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the decision was in the works long before it became the trendy thing to do.
We saw the passing of the torch in the final moments of Endgame, from Chris Evans’s captain to Mackie’s Falcon. Pre-pandemic, in February, we watched Mackie’s Falcon getting some shield-tossing practice in during a Super Bowl ad for Disney+’s upcoming offerings that take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also, a Black man tossing around Captain America’s shield in a Super Bowl commercial all while a Black quarterback (Patrick Mahomes) won the Super Bowl and the MVP award?
We know that veteran actor Carl Lumbly has signed on to star in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in a still yet-to-be-revealed role that many believe is that of Isaiah Bradley. Bradley is the hero of the acclaimed 2003 Marvel Comics miniseries Truth, which revealed that Black men were the first guinea pigs in the development of America’s super-soldier serum. The greatest revelation of all from the series was that Bradley, a Black man, was the first Captain America.
If Lumbly takes on that true First Avenger role, his presence could be inspiration for Mackie’s Falcon, who, if you believe plot rumours, could have reservations about becoming the next Cap. Because, if the Falcon becoming Captain America is what fans expect or want, don’t expect Disney/marvel to give that to them right away. Mackie’s Captain America would likely be the season-finale prize to viewers for sticking around for six episodes.
What we don’t know, if Mackie suits up as Cap and not just the Falcon, is if Disney and Marvel will explore the deeper roots of the comic book stories inspiring such a monumental Avengers roster change. In the Sam Wilson: Captain America comics, the government, and a large chunk of the U.S. didn’t want a Black Captain America. “Not my Captain America” was the battle cry of this movement. I never had an issue with a white writer (Nick Spencer) tackling the subject of a Black Captain America, because Spencer wanted to shine a fictional light on what he imagined the response from much of white America would be to such a moment. If ever there was a year for the Black Captain America to start streaming, it is 2020.