‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Ep. 5 Preview, and, Whose the Mystery Character That’s Appearing?

Falcon and the Winter Soldier producer Nate Moore has said that episode 5 is the best of the series.

“I do think it's both from an acting standpoint, from a filmmaking standpoint… I think it is our strongest episode."

This leads me to believe that John Walker will be stopped, but will be back in the MCU, eventually. John won’t be killed, but he’ll be neutralized to an extent that throws him out of action for a while. Considering that the show was supposed to take place, theoretically thanks to “the blip,” 7-years after Black Widow, what if that film was meant to “setup” The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?

It’s unknown if John was blipped or not, but maybe Taskmaster has his or her’s eyes set on the new Captain America. Maybe even years before Walker picked up the shield. Also, I believe that the identity of Black Widow star Rachel Weisz‘s Melina Vostokoff, isn’t Iron Maiden like her comic book counterpart… But in fact is the villainous Taskmaster. Taskmaster in the comics, is in my humbled opinion, the most skilled fighter Marvel has ever created. He memorizes character’s fighting skills, and is prepared for their every move. Oh and he happened to train John Walker/US Agent in the comics.

The mystery of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier at this point is the question of how long John Walker will get to keep the shield before Sam and Bucky pry it away from him. Well, two mysteries as fans are eagerly waiting for the identity of the Power Broker to be revealed. Series creator Malcolm Spellman has been teasing something different for episode five here that may not be Power Broker related at all (besides, I am having a hard time pretending it isn’t Sharon Carter).

Here’s what Spellman had to say while talking to Comicbook.com about episode five: “It just gets real. And in five, you're going to cry. There are characters in our series who I would love to see partnered with like… It’s a very, very grounded character… Partnered with one of the big world-shakers like Thor or someone like that... The personality is so strong, it's the episode five character. I’d love to see that character with Thor.”

Slashfilm has elaborated on this, and is reporting the character is, “one that we haven’t seen in the MCU before and not one who is primed to appear in an upcoming film.” They’re also going to be played by a “well-known performer.” This rules out some theories about Black Widow’s Yelena Belova showing up, and it does seem like it’s probably separate from the whole Power Broker business in the first place.

One idea is that it could be Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, played by Tatiana Maslany in the upcoming She-Hulk series on Disney+. Rumor has it that Maslany may have been spotted with the Falcon filming a scene a while back, and Walters, a lawyer, could appear in a non-green form to do actual lawyer things. Sharon’s pardon, Zemo’s return to prison, etc. Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel are also getting their own shows, though it’s hard to think of a context for them to appear. It could also be someone from the comics who is not attached to any current project, but in this little MCU corner of Sam, Bucky, Zemo and US Agent, it’s hard to know who that might be.

Red Hulk

While General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross has appeared in the MCU since 2008, he hasn’t appeared as the Red Hulk, yet. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed leading up to the release of the pilot that the show will setup multiple MCU projects. The first four episodes have been planting the seeds for the long awaited Thunderbolts team-up all too perfectly. The Thunderbolts are a team created by Ross which saw Baron Zemo as team leader. Ross also suited up with the team as Red Hulk many times.

With the concept of the Super Soldier Serum being so imperative to the foundation of this show, why not have Ross get his hands on it? Fans have been clamoring since Ross’ return in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War to make the monstrous transformation, and doing so in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, seems like the safest bet.

Songbird

Since a few weeks into filming over a year ago, it’s been heavily rumored that Songbird, a member of the Thunderbolts, will make an appearance on the show. Songbird is a superhero who was originally a supervillain, who possesses supersonic sound abilities that can cause a variety of effects. Songbird and the Power Broker have close ties, as her origin lies with him in the comics.

Melissa Gold underwent the Power Broker augmentation procedure, which gave her superhuman abilities. Will Sharon Carter end up not only being the Power Broker, but Songbird as well? Time will tell, but I could see it happening. Songbird is a great character and one that I have been wanting to see for a VERY long time. With the introduction of the Thunderbolts being all be confirmed, having her appear in this show would be a smart move.

Hulkling

Another project that could be spun-off from this great show, is the Young Avengers. We’ve already met Eli Bradley, aka Patriot, played by Elijah Richardson. Hulking is probably the most popular member of the team. He’s the child of Captain Marvel, the male version named Khn'nr whose also a Kree, and Princess Anelle, a Skrull who is the daughter of Dorrek VII, the Skrull Emperor.

So yes, he’s half Skrull and half Kree, and would be considered an abomination if either alien race were to discover him. While this one seems like a stretch, maybe it could also lead into Secret Invasion which could have ties to Hulking. More-so than they do in the comics. Feige has also said that LGBTQ+ representation will be coming to the MCU, “soon.” Hulkling is gay and has even married Wiccan, William Maximoff. If Marvel Studios is serious about adding something to the MCU like this, that has been completely nonexistent since the universe’s birth over a decade ago, this is how you do it.

The Punisher

With the Power Broker being a crime boss, and one that has almost certainly drawn the attention to many known and unknown MCU heroes alike, whose to say Frank Castle isn’t aware? The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is dark, and very violent. Having the Punisher technically make his first MCU appearance here, would make so much sense. There is currently no film that has been announced that I could see Castle fitting into. That would go along with what SlashFilm said about how the character is, “not one who is primed to appear in an upcoming film.”

If the MCU were to introduce the Punisher, this show feels like it’s the best opportunity to do so. Bucky Barnes and Frank Castle have so much in common, and it would be really fascinating, and fun, to see these two characters cross paths at some point.

Morgan Stark (Iron Lad)

Katherine Langford filmed a scene as an older Morgan Stark for Avengers: Endgame, but it was cut during post-production. The scene has since been revealed thanks for Joe and Anthony Russo via YouTube. Test audiences deemed the scene to be, “too confusing.” The Russo Brothers even admitted to The Hollywood Reporter back in 2019 that they understood the confusion, and decided to cut the scene.

The scene took place right after Tony used his self-mad Infinity Gauntlet to save the world. It would’ve mirrored the, “was it worth it” scene from Infinity War where Thanos saw young Gamora after he used the Gauntlet.

It’s highly unlikely that Langford would be the current timeline’s Morgan, given the fact that she’s 5-years-old after her father’s death. But with Jonathan Majors playing Kang the Conquerer in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, a notable Young Avengers villain from the 25th century (in the comics at least), whose to say that Morgan can’t come back to the past to help take down the villain?

On the other hand, Iron Lad is a male in the comics, and actually Kang in disguise going by his real name: Nathaniel Richards. He’s a future descendant of Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four. It would be quite the twist if Kang were to pose as Morgan Stark from the future, only to help take down the Young Avengers. But I don’t think that will be the case. 2018’s Ant-Man & the Wasp saw Ghost, a ferocious villain in the comics, take a turn to the hero side of things by the end. They could make Iron Lad a superhero, and could make him into Morgan Stark. Is this a stretch? For sure. But it’s one that would, according to Spellman, “make fans cry.” Multiple projects will be setup on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Having a time portal open up where 24-year-old Morgan Stark comes out in some high-tech Iron Man suit, would surely set that up.

Langford is a rising actress. Marvel Studios needs to bring her back as either Morgan Stark or another character… Before DC takes her to play Batgirl, or anyone else.

Norman Osborn

While Osborn will probably be absent from this December’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, he could eventually be “primed” to appear in an upcoming MCU movie. Osborn has ties to the Thunderbolts in the comics as he took some of the members for his Dark Avengers team. Osborn could also be the Power Broker, but I’d find it hard to believe that a well-known titan in the technology world would want to get his hands dirty in such a blatantly obvious way.

This one might be the biggest stretch, but I could definitely see it coming to be. If Marvel Studios will be keeping Spider-Man from Sony’s grasp after No Way Home, Osborn better be a player in the wall crawler’s future. By having Osborn in this show would signify that he could come back at some point. Or, as we’ve seen with Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2, and Abomination in The Incredible Hulk, until She-Hulk at least, villains don’t always come back.

Naturally, this all reminds me of WandaVision where fans (myself included) were trying to guess when Reed Richards or Mephisto would show up, and none of that came to be. This does seem somewhat less likely to be a troll than Paul Bettany’s teased cameo in that show, but who knows. We’ll find out shortly, it seems.