The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Episode 6 Ending Explained
Contains spoilers for "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" Episode 6 — "One World, One People"
For a series centered on two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most prolific sidekicks, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" has done more than enough to stand on its own. Not only does it supply all the flashy, explosive action we've come to expect from superhero fare, but the show also finds time to cover very serious real-world issues through a thin fictional veil. Themes of racism, immigration, poverty, and more spent time in the spotlight, making the series as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.
Going into its final episode, titled "One World, One People," "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" had quite a bit to cover in a relatively brief amount of time. First and foremost, the Flag Smashers began their assault on the Global Repatriation Council's vote at the tail end of Episode 5, "Truth," prompting Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) to fully embrace the Captain America persona. Another problem that needed to be dealt with was former Cap John Walker (Wyatt Russell), last seen crafting his own shield. Plus, viewers expected some clarity on the true identity of the Power Broker, Sharon Carter's (Emily VanCamp) plan, the meaning behind Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine's (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) arrival, and more.
Thankfully, "One World, One People" addresses all of these topics and then some, allowing "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" to go out on a high note.
Sam Wilson is Captain America
"One World, One People" kicks off right where "Truth" wrapped up, with Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) and the Flag Smashers executing their plan to prevent the GRC from voting on the Patch Act. The group successfully infiltrates every level of security within the GRC's meeting facility, making it all too easy to round up the council members and hold them hostage. But Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Sharon Carter, and even John Walker arrive on the scene to put a stop to their scheme — and not to be left out, Sam Wilson arrives at the party in grand fashion.
Adorned with his brand new Wakandan armor and Steve Rogers' (Chris Evans) iconic shield, Sam bursts on the scene as the new Captain America. After defeating Batroc the Leaper (Georges St-Pierre), he uses his fresh set of wings to take to the skies and rescue a group of hostages aboard a Flag-Smashers-hijacked helicopter. Sam's heroic display elicits cheers and applause from the onlookers that have gathered in the area — providing a stark contrast to the shocked public reaction John Walker's last public appearance as Captain America garnered in "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" episode 4, when he killed a Flag Smasher with his shield in broad daylight.
By the time the big fight ends, people are already comfortably calling Sam "Cap," signaling that even with "no super serum, no blond hair, or blue eyes," the people of the MCU may actually be ready for this new Captain America to pick up the shield after all.
Longtime comics fans probably saw this reveal coming — the last page of 2014's "Captain America" (vol 7) # 25 saw Sam officially take over as the new Captain America when Steve Rogers stepped down. What fans probably didn't see coming was just how comic book accurate the MCU version would actually be. Aside from a few small changes, Sam's new Captain America uniform is incredibly faithful to the comic book version.
And the Power Broker is ...
At long last, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" has revealed the identity of the Power Broker. The mysterious entity has lurked in the shadows for just about the entirety of the season, with no concrete indication as to who's standing behind the name — though more than a few viewers suspected it was Sharon Carter all the while. Indeed, as "One World, One People" reveals, Sharon is apparently the unofficial leader of Madripoor. When Batroc confronts Sharon during the climax of the fight with the Flag Smashers, he threatens to reveal her true identity unless she pays up. So she kills him without hesitation.
Not long after, Karli Morgenthau manages to hold Sam — who's lost his shield — at gunpoint. In response, Sharon puts several bullets into her back, ending Morgenthau's super serum-fueled destruction ... not to mention permanently silencing yet another person who knows her true identity as the Power Broker.
Thanks to Sharon's role in stopping the Flag Smashers, the United States government grants her a full pardon during the finale's post-credits scene. Since no one — not even Sam or Bucky — knows of Sharon's villainous double-life, it's only appropriate that no one bats an eye when she gleefully accepts the conditions of her return to the U.S. and her duty as an agent of the government. But when Sharon leaves the courthouse, she speaks to someone on the phone, and what she says during the conversation implies that she took the deal only to buff up her business prospects ... which will now include top-secret U.S. weapons and technology prototypes.
Even still, some fans aren't convinced that Sharon Carter really is the Power Broker, and they're not wrong to be suspicious. There's a chance that the Sharon we see in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" isn't actually the same one from past MCU projects. Skrulls, the race of shape-shifting aliens that were central to the plot of 2019's "Captain Marvel," are becoming a bigger part of the MCU — after all, the very last episode of "WandaVision" revealed a secret Skrull, and we'll probably meet even more in the upcoming "Secret Invasion" Disney+ series.
So could this Sharon actually be a Skrull? If so, where's the real Sharon? Or is this just wishful thinking? Regardless of whether or not this is the "real" Sharon, who is she talking to, and what's her big plan? Will any of the MCU's heroes uncover her secrets?
The downfall of the Flag Smashers
By the episode's end, the Flag Smashers are seemingly no more, as they fail to complete their ultimate plan. The combined efforts of Sam, Bucky, John, and Sharon lead to the rescue of all of the Flag Smasher's hostages, and to the apprehension of the majority of their members. As for the group's leader, Karli Morgenthau, she dies after Sharon shoots her. We've already established that Sharon pulls the trigger both to help Sam and to keep her identity as the Power Broker a secret — but let's not forget she's also exacting revenge on Karli for stealing the Super Soldier Serum in the first place.
With their leader gone, things couldn't get any worse for the Flag Smashers, right? Wrong, since the remaining members of the group don't last much longer. Once they're all rounded up and prepped for a trip to the Raft, the prison where Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) is currently being held, their armored escort goes up in a fiery explosion — seemingly out of nowhere. Moments later, it comes to light that Zemo orchestrated the Flag Smashers' death from the comfort of his prison cell, taking another step forward on his mission of ridding the world of Super Soldiers.
However, as Karli says earlier in the episode, the movement has gotten big enough to survive even their deaths. And the fact that one of the guards escorting the captured Flag Smashers to prison reveals himself to be a secret sympathizer seems to prove her right. Even though all the super-powered members of the Flag Smashers are dead, the group could still return to the MCU in a future project. What form that might take should it actually happen, of course, is anybody's guess.
Sam's ultimatum
Even without the U.S. government's direct endorsement, Sam Wilson clearly becomes Captain America in the eyes of many over the course of "One World, One People." However, he's not afraid to criticize the nation he represents, even though he wears the red, white, and blue with pride. This is made explicitly clear when Sam verbally digs into the members of the GRC who still plan to move forward with the Patch Act, which would cause more displacement and division across the globe.
In response to their decision, Sam gives an impassioned speech as cameras broadcast the confrontation to everyone in the world, making it clear what he stands for. He disagrees with labels such as "terrorist" for the Flag Smashers, since spreading fear and violence wasn't the core of their mission. They came into being as a result of the failures of organized governments filled with individuals who can't relate to the struggles of the common person. As Sam states, moving forward with the Patch Act would make the countries that comprise the GRC — which includes the United States — no better than the people these government representatives label as "terrorists."
To conclude his statement, Sam gives the policymakers something to consider before they come to a final verdict: After being held hostage and having their lives endangered, they've now experienced the kind of fear and lack of control that everyday people affected by their policies feel, so they should use their power to help them instead of making the wrong choice and allowing more factions like the Flag Smashers to rise and push for change through violent means. All in all, this was one of the most emotionally resonant and powerful scenes "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" had to offer.
Say hello to U.S. Agent
In "Truth," John Walker completely loses his cool even more so than he already had. His fight against Bucky and Sam, as well as his loss of the Captain America mantle, leaves him a broken man. Haunted by the guilt over Lemar "Battlestar" Hoskins' (Clé Bennett) death and armed with a makeshift shield, Walker sets out to stop Karli Morgenthau by any means necessary. Though he doesn't end up killing Morgenthau, he does help stop her and the Flag Smashers from killing captured members of the GRC, further proving his usefulness to Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
Speaking of, the Contessa reemerges near the end of "One World, One People" to give Walker his new costume and a new name. Now that he's no longer the official Captain America, Walker is christened "U.S. Agent" and dons a predominantly black suit accented with red and white stripes. For those familiar with Walker's history in the pages of Marvel Comics, this change was a long time coming — Walker's first comic book appearance as U.S. Agent occurred in 1989's "Captain America" vol 1. #354. From John Walker's debut in the first episode of "Falcon and the Winter Soldier," it was only a matter of time before Walker adopted his dark, muted color palette, and announcing him as U.S. Agent for the very first time in the show's finale was a pretty perfect move.
MCU fans certainly haven't seen the last of John Walker, though. It'll be exciting to see how he and the new Captain America come into conflict — or maybe work together — sometime down the road.
Tying up loose threads for a happy ending
The ending of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" Episode 6 neatly ties up a number of dangling threads. Bucky finally figures out a way to productively find closure for his time as the Winter Soldier. This is shown when he confronts his elderly friend Yori Nakajima (Ken Takemoto) and comes clean about being the cause of his son RJ's (Akie Kotabe) murder. He then sends his book of names back to his therapist Dr. Raynor (Amy Aquino), thanking her for all she's done to help him.
Meanwhile, Sam pays a visit to Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) and his grandson Elijah (Elijah Richardson), speaking with them about his position as the first Black Captain America recognized by the public. This leads Sam to take the two to the Smithsonian Institution, where a wing of the Captain America exhibit has been added to honor Isaiah for his service and to ensure that the people know his story — one that was silenced for far too long.
To wrap up the episode, Sam returns home with Bucky to enjoy a well-deserved cookout alongside his sister Sarah (Adepero Oduye) and the rest of the community. Amid the chatter, laughter, and indulgence, the two Avengers stand side by side and acknowledge their journey as the screen cuts to black. The text "Captain America and the Winter Soldier" appears, signifying a new era for Sam Wilson in the MCU, in which he'll lead the charge not as Falcon but as Captain America.