Over the past few months, we’ve gone over the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and other mutant allies set to appear in “Avengers: Doomsday.” Now, it’s time to move through the rest of the confirmed cast. To kick things off, we’re focusing on a hero I believe is both overhated and underrated: Sam Wilson—the MCU’s current Captain America. Ever since Steve Rogers passed him the shield in “Avengers: Endgame,” fans have been divided, with many arguing that Bucky Barnes should have inherited the mantle instead. That skepticism only grew when Sam initially gave up the shield. However, after wrestling with Steve’s absence—and what it truly means to carry the title of Captain America—Sam ultimately embraces the role, proving himself worthy of the legacy he was entrusted to uphold.
Origins
While the mantle’s inheritance would play out differently in comics, it’s important first to understand what set him on the path to heroism. In this case, Sam’s journey humbly began in Harlem, where his dad delivered powerful messages as a minister. However, when he tried to break up a gang-related altercation, he was killed in the violence. Sam’s mother died shortly after, during a mugging gone wrong. Despite the horrible tragedies, Sam remarkably did not break. Instead, his parents’ powerful messages, ideals, and examples resonated deep within his heart and drove him to raise his siblings and eventually become a social worker. Because of this occupation, Sam traveled across the globe to help anyone in need. And it was during these travels that he met and befriended a falcon that he called Redwing, whom he considered a true companion more than a pet.
However, from this point on, things get a bit complicated—and frankly, weird—for Sam. His selfless journey took him to an island known as The Island of the Exiles, where his mission would be interrupted by the Red Skull’s latest plot. On the island, Skull gathered up civilians and caused chaos, and manipulated the innocent victims, all to break Captain America. If that wasn’t enough, Skull even used a Cosmic Cube to swap minds with him for a while. But then events took a turn when Skull noticed Sam and his potential, so he met him while under the guise of Steve and convinced him to be a hero. Hoping to further manipulate the hero to serve his own purposes, Skull also used the Cube to give him limited superpowers: a telepathic connection to birds, further strengthening his bond with Redwing. He would also use the Cube to give Sam false memories of being a crook and ending up on the Island for some big job. Unfortunately for Skull, things would not pan out as he planned. Not only would Sam resist Skull’s tricks and become a true hero, but a combination of Skull’s failure to fully control the Cube—as well as Steve’s own willpower—allowed Steve to escape Skull’s influence. After defeating the villain, Sam officially adopted his identity as the Falcon, serving alongside Captain America and the Avengers for many years.
But like most good things, Steve’s role as Captain America would end for a time. After fighting a villain called the Iron Nail, the super-soldier serum was completely drained from Steve’s body, rapidly aging him into an old man. While he couldn’t physically serve as Captain America anymore, he became the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D., but there was still a glaring problem: the world still needed a Captain America. With Bucky becoming a cosmic protector known as The Man On The Wall, and Sam already embodying many similarities with Steve, the former Cap passed his mantle to Sam. From there, Sam would operate as the new Captain America but still keep his Falcon wings, making him a unique iteration of the hero, but also facing backlash from many people. Despite this, Sam would not be deterred from his new responsibility—until the infamous “Secret Empire” storyline. It was revealed that Steve Rogers’ past was rewritten by Red Skull, once again manipulating the Cosmic Cube, and making him a HYDRA sleeper agent who almost took over the country. Disillusioned with this revelation, Sam would join the fight against him, but no longer as Captain America. After the good Steve was brought back, Sam would hand the mantle back to him and resume his Falcon identity. While he would occasionally become Captain America in a few recent stories, Sam has proven time and time again that he’s the true embodiment of America, with or without the iconic title.
Powers and Abilities
Unlike Steve, Sam doesn’t possess any serum-enhanced abilities. In fact, his only real superpower is his aforementioned ability to communicate with and control birds. While this may seem like a random or even useless power, Sam utilizes it with remarkable effectiveness. For example, like most people would assume when hearing about a character with animal control, he can command birds like Redwing to fight with him in battle. But more importantly, he can use them for surveillance and reconnaissance, sometimes even literally seeing through their eyes as if they were living cameras. This gives him real-time battlefield awareness, as he can use the birds to cover multiple vantage points at once, track enemy movement, and simultaneously observe countless environmental factors. Therefore, with the data from all these factors, he can predict the best possible outcome in any given scenario. What makes this ability more impressive is that it doesn’t rely on technology; unlike drones or electronic systems, which can malfunction or experience delays, Sam’s connection is instantaneous and organic. Additionally, because birds are so common and often overlooked, enemies rarely recognize they are being watched—giving Sam a subtle but powerful strategic advantage.
While this power gives Sam a useful edge, his true strength lies in his more natural abilities. As mentioned previously, Sam doesn’t have the super-soldier serum, yet his performance in battle often makes it easy to forget that. For instance, training with Steve Rogers honed his hand-to-hand fighting skills to the point where he can hold his own against far stronger opponents. However, without the enhanced endurance and strength that Steve possesses, Sam can’t simply charge into a skirmish and tank hit after hit before striking back. Therefore, Sam is forced to think a lot quicker and fight more carefully to avoid devastating blows from opponents. With this in mind, it not only drove Sam to become a more efficient fighter but also a very tactical one. This is boosted when you factor in his wing harness: while it allows him to fly, it also comes with its challenges. Aerial combat is already hard enough when you’re piloting a fighter jet, so imagine how difficult and dangerous it must be to be an exposed man in a wing suit, dodging attacks in real time. Nevertheless, Sam surpasses all of these dangers. With an extremely proficient three-dimensional awareness, he fully utilizes speed to dodge or fight mid-air, or even combine some of those acrobatics while fighting on the ground. In addition to coordinating with his birds, Sam is also capable of conducting reconnaissance on his own, moving quickly and quietly enough to gather intelligence without being detected.
Finally, after examining his physical and tactical capabilities, it’s important to highlight what may be Sam’s greatest strength: his inspiring leadership. While no one can truly replicate what Steve Rogers represented as Captain America, Sam proves himself a worthy successor in his own way. His background as a social worker gives him a unique understanding of people, allowing him to connect with others on a personal level and communicate in ways that genuinely resonate. His time as an Avenger further developed his experience in high-stakes situations, teaching him not only how to operate within a team but how to lead one effectively. Learning from figures like Steve and Iron Man, Sam understands both the responsibility and the complexity of guiding others in battle. When combined with his tactical mindset and situational awareness, this allows him to coordinate allies, adapt to rapidly changing environments, and lead even the most powerful heroes against overwhelming threats.
However, for all of his strengths, Sam is not without his limitations. Despite his extensive training and combat skills, he’s still only human. He can be worn down, succumb to environmental hazards, and is susceptible to injury and death. And as mentioned several times, the lack of the serum means that he isn’t well-protected against stronger enemies, much less being able to endure longer brawls. And, of course, he can’t lift heavy objects or punch someone way outside his weight class. If that wasn’t enough of a handicap, and while this doesn’t completely make Sam helpless, disabling or stealing his wings essentially depowers him. Without them, he obviously can’t fly, but he also loses many of the listed tactical advantages he normally has in combat. Finally, the worst battle he has to face is in his own mind. With Steve setting such an unattainable high bar—among other factors—many people doubt Sam’s ability to carry Steve’s legacy, which in turn inspires doubt in himself. Sam is undoubtedly a strong soldier for carrying on despite the overwhelming mental weight, but not even he can push on forever. Regardless, the most inspiring and defining trait of Sam—not only as Captain America but also as a person—is that he refuses to buckle under the strenuous load and keeps pushing forward, just like his role model.
Greatest Feats
However, despite such admirable qualities, Sam’s career as the new Captain America had a very rocky start. Shortly after taking up the mantle, Sam begins investigating the activities of a seemingly reformed villainous group previously known as the Serpent Society—now rebranded as a security corporation called Serpent Solutions. But just like their namesake, they may have shed their original identity, but their nature remains the same. Discovering their company was a front to continue their criminal activities, Sam set out to infiltrate and defeat them—but there’s one hitch to what should’ve been (relatively) light work. In the previous issue of this particular comic, a mad scientist obsessed with genetic manipulation (Karl Malus) captured and experimented on Sam, basically transforming him into a “werewolf.” This incident threatened his whole operation, as the genetic change would not only enhance his physiology but also give him heightened aggression, animalistic urges, and overall inner chaos. The risk of losing all sense of control and judgement is apparent, but Sam refuses to surrender to the beast. Instead, he seeks the help of allies (such as the former Serpent member, Diamondback), successfully maintains control over himself, and finally defeats the Society in their own board meeting. While the snakes had a deeper plan in play even after this defeat, it cannot be understated how Sam not only uncovered and defeated a complicated corporate conspiracy but also had to fight himself in more ways than one before he could achieve victory.
Such a difficult and hard-fought success is already worthy of the Captain America mantle, but the next feat raises the stakes of what that worthiness truly looks like. A few issues after his defeat of the Serpent Society, Sam Wilson faces a new threat in Flag-Smasher. Much like his MCU counterpart, Flag-Smasher seeks to dismantle borders and nationalism, attempting to unify the world under a single banner. To achieve this, he and his organization, Ultimatum, orchestrate a hostage crisis involving a U.S. senator and numerous civilians. As with any situation of this scale, the margin for error is razor-thin: Sam cannot engage recklessly without endangering lives, yet hesitation could allow the situation to spiral further. Approaching the crisis with caution, Sam takes to the air to assess the battlefield, carefully tracking both hostiles and civilians while coordinating with Steve Rogers. When the moment is right, the two move in—Sam prioritizing the safety of the hostages, drawing attention away from them, and creating an opening to end the conflict. However, just as the situation appears to be under control, Steve’s hidden allegiance to Hydra subtly disrupts the plan. By manipulating Sam’s positioning at a critical moment, Steve prevents him from landing a decisive strike, allowing Flag-Smasher the opportunity to shoot the senator and escape. The outcome is both tragic and deeply ironic: despite approaching the situation with precision, restraint, and clear judgment, Sam is denied a complete victory by forces beyond his awareness. Even so, his actions throughout the crisis reflect the very ideals Captain America is meant to uphold—proving that outcomes don’t always define success, but the choices made along the way do.
However, there is still one more feat that blows the previous two completely out of the water. Not only does this moment truly define what being Captain America means, but it also portrays Sam Wilson as his own character. The moment in question occurs in a comic run called “Avengers: Standoff,” which is shortly before Steve Rogers’s past was rewritten as a HYDRA sleeper agent (more on that in a minute). In this particular story, S.H.I.E.L.D. takes possession of a sentient, child-like Cosmic Cube named Kobik. While somewhat controlling her, S.H.I.E.L.D. had her essentially brainwash many captured supervillains, making them forget their villainous pasts and live peacefully as normal civilians in a monitored community known as Pleasant Hill. While this idea sounded good on paper, even to many heroes, Sam strongly opposed it. Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. was essentially eradicating evil, Sam argued that they were actually eradicating free will. Instead of allowing villains the chance of rehabilitation, S.H.I.E.L.D. is forcing it on them via cosmic forces. Basically, S.H.I.E.L.D. is controlling who people should be and calling it peace. But Sam Wilson is Captain America now, and the mantle is a symbol of true American ideals: freedom, agency, and justice. What S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing flies directly in the face of that and everything that superheroes stand for, but unlike his allies, Sam refuses to compromise on such an immoral line. But the most ironic part of this whole event is that Pleasant Hill turned out to be a complete failure. Things started unraveling because Komik, despite being a sentient cosmic artifact capable of warping reality itself, is still a child. Therefore, she’s unstable and vulnerable, meaning that her control over Pleasant Hill’s residents begins slipping. To make things worse, Red Skull—one of the incarcerated and brainwashed villains—takes advantage of the child’s naivety and manipulates her. Conflict between the heroes and even with S.H.I.E.L.D. further destabilizes the community, eventually causing the system to fall apart, and villains return to their old selves. As if things couldn’t get any worse, Komik went along with Red Skull, who used her powers to remake Steve Rogers into a HYDRA agent, which would have detrimental consequences in later events. In the end, this moment not only proved Sam was right about this issue, but that the moral boundaries were clear. This wasn’t just about stopping evil or preventing greater evil from rising; it was about how far the good guys were willing to go to prevent it. But just like his mentor and idol, Sam planted himself like a tree and deeply rooted himself in his beliefs, refusing to give in to compromise even if it’s pitched as the greater good.
Conclusion
Sam Wilson may not have been anyone’s first choice as the new Captain America, but he’s more than earned his right to the name. His MCU counterpart is no exception, despite what many fans think about his spinoff show and solo movie. While I personally do agree with many of the critiques, I still enjoyed watching Sam’s story unfold after “Endgame.” This is why I’m excited to see how Anthony Mackie leads our heroes—as well as how he interacts with the other teams—against Dr. Doom at the end of the year.
