BREAKING: Sam Wilson, Formerly "The Falcon," is Marvel's New Captain America

[Heartsib]

This will probably last until just before Avengers 2 comes out, then back to business as usual. I like that Marvel's apparently trying to entice a wider audience toward superhero comics, but the fact that this is obviously temporary rather undermines the idea that they're diversifying their line-up. "These guys will do fine as fill-ins until the real heroes get back" isn't the most progressive message to send.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

Given the huge response to Anthony Mackie as Falcon in The Winter Soldier and the fact that Mackie seems to really love this stuff, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to start planting the seeds to make the switch after Evans finishes. After Avengers: Age of Ultron he only has two more films. We know Sam Wilson is in the new Avengers. We can have Rogers die early in Avengers 3 and have Wilson put on the Stars and Stripes before the climax. And we give audiences two movies to get used to the character.

My favorite part about this whole initiative to bring some diversity to comics is that there are so many people criticizing it for being "too much" or "over-extending" or even sometimes complaining that now we're losing white male representation in comics and Marvel is just like, "Oh? You don't like Miles Morales, have Kamala Khan. No, not that either? Here, Thor is now a woman. Wait, that doesn't work for you? Sam Wilson gets the shield."

Edit: Oh yeah, it's worth pointing out that the Falcon was the first African-American super hero in mainstream comics (Black Panther, not an American, came before).

And of course this could very likely be temporary. There's a chance Marvel will stick to it, if they really want to change up and all. And I don't just mean with representation, but also with the whole thing with bringing characters back all the time.

Yeah, except it's pretty obvious that Sebastian Stan (Bucky/Winter Soldier) is going to become Captain America in the films just as he did in the comics. He just signed a 9 film contract with Marvel. Anthony Mackie didn't get a 9 film contract.

 

[Mike Hoffman]

Yeah, except it's pretty obvious that Sebastian Stan (Bucky/Winter Soldier) is going to become Captain America in the films just as he did in the comics. He just signed a 9 film contract with Marvel. Anthony Mackie didn't get a 9 film contract.

Oh absolutely. In fact I was convinced that Seb would take the that role eventually. It's still fully what I expect, but Mackie did sign on for more movies and Marvel has adjusted the 616 to align better with the MCU, so I kind of just see Wilson taking over for Cap in the MCU as a possibility now. It's still totally probably gonna be Bucky, but now Marvel has more to work with.

 

[Jacked Assassin]

I like Captain America as a White Male because he represents an era that is pretty much gone.

Except when he's not. For example, when John Walker is Cap, or that guy from SHIELD, or....

I mean, those guys were white, but they don't represent the same thing. Nor has Steve Rogers always done so. Peoples' approach to Captain America borders on Fanon Diconstinuity

I like Thor as a White Male because he (barely) represents the actual mythology.

As you say, "barely." The disparity between the current character and the future character's respect to the fictional character of Thor is a drop in the bucket. Especially since the capacity for another person to wield Thor's powers and even "be" Thor is established in the character's own book.

And when I talk Captain America, Thor, & Iron-Man I'm referring to solely Steve Rogers, Thor Odinson, & Tony Stark. Everything else that might make these 3 look bad as white males might as well be removed in a retcon.

Like I posted before there are plenty of other white male characters I wouldn't have a problem with being changed to something else as those characters are supposed to fit in into a modern setting. But Steve Rogers / Captain America is better off as the original WW2 character. Thor Odinson if it were up to me would get closer to representing Norse Mythology than further away from it.

And I prefer Tony Stark / Iron-Man & others like Bruce Wayne / Batman, Norman Osborn / Green Goblin, Lex Luthor, Wilson Fisk / King Pin as white males because if the situation ever comes up its a lot easier to be offended by them without it being about their skin tone or gender.

A black Tony Stark who gets drunk would've been labeled an offensive stereotype. Especially if a white James Rhodes had to knock some sense into a black Tony Stark. Its a lot easier to hate Owlman if he is an alternate universe Bruce Wayne. The insanity that is Norman Osborn as any other ethnicity or gender is just asking for trouble. I'd be uncomfortable with wanting Superman to beat a female Lex Luthor.

And as much as I liked the late Michael Clark Duncan, a black Wilson Fisk / King Pin coming off as a black stereotype of gangsters was just a bad idea. And I still would've preferred if either one had to be black it should've been Dare Devil.

Or an example of how if this wasn't all about skin tone (but somehow still could imply gender) how many people would be okay if Optimus Prime then declare Rodimus Prime as the new Optimus Prime. Surely that would cause a massive backlash & maybe even get G1 fans to call the new Optimus Prime OPINO (Optimus Prime In Name Only).

 

[DeimosMasque]

I'm also curious as to what "normal" is for Captain America right now. Steve Rogers is head of SHIELD, I believe. He hasn't been Captain America since the end of Civil War.

Actually, Steve became Captain America again after Winter Soldier/Cap 'died' during Fear Itself. The Head of SHIELD became Daisy Johnson and then later Maria Hill.

Most recent Cap comics have Steve being drained of the Super-Soldier serum and being reverted to an old man who needs a cane to walk.

As for the actual news. As a huge Cap fan with a whole wall dedicated to posters, action figures and the like: I'm a fan of this. Falcon has paid his dues and has been the one to Eulogy Cap when he died in 2007 and back in the 90s when they did a small alternate reality story where he died. Ignoring his "gritty reboot" during the Avengers Disassembled storyline where he suddenly was a gang leader and all 'hardcore and sheet yo!' he's been a great and optimistic character who deserves a run at being an A-Lister.

 

[OrokuSaki]

First I would like to thank the Marvel Universe for this. I asked that the pc brush be moved to something that I don't care about so that fanboys could rage about something to my spiteful glee and they delivered.

But a bit more on topic, this is good. Not because The Falcon is black but because Captain America has been completely irrelevant in comics since he came back. The Civil War proved at the end that Captain America stood for an ideal that had long passed and when Bucky took up the shield I thought he was a much better character. He knew when to hold back and he knew when people had to go, even though he didn't relish the idea of killing them, he accepted it without a second thought when he had to. But then Bucky was made unable to be seen in public, so Steve jumped right back in and did...... nothing.

In fact, since he's come back, I think he's been making one stupid decision after another and each issue of Uncanny Avengers reminds me that Steve just needs to go away. And Falcon really needs more publicity. Seriously, I didn't know who he was until I read the Brubaker run of Captain America and I think I've seen him in maybe 20 issues since.

So in short, yay, not happening to me. And yay Falcon, I guess, actually I don't care that much, yay for not Steve Rogers.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

His costume looks nice, but could they lose those goofy goggles? Zey do nuthing! And it makes me think of Geordi LaForge as a superhero/

 

[Jacked Assassin]

His costume looks nice, but could they lose those goofy goggles? Zey do nuthing! And it makes me think of Geordi La Forge as a superhero/

Geordi La Forge as Cyclops would be awesome....

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Interesting, but the stupid goggles have to go. Also how the hell was Steve stripped of the Super Solder Serum?

 

[Promethax]

As someone who thinks that the recent Thor changes are pretty stupid, I'm 100 percent ok with this. At least he's a established character and not someone they pulled out of their ass solely for the sake of diversity.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm carrying the same thought from the Thor-is-now-a-woman thread: "How convenient".

You probably weren't going there, but it does conveniently make the people complaining look rather ridiculous, considering they're complaining about characters who have had changed identities before having changed identities again.

Yes, convenient indeed.

It's not a complaint, it's an observation. I don't care what happens with Marvel or their characters. I'm just amused by the political correctness.

 

[deadish]

Experimenting or pandering ...

 

[Something Amyss]

It's not a complaint, it's an observation.

I wasn't addressing you specifically, but all the glorious outrage on the internet over it. However:

I'm just amused by the political correctness.

If you're tilting at the PC windmill, I think you've crossed the line out of "observation."

 

[PsychicTaco115]

I would have much rather preferred to actually READ the story where it happens but whatever

I'm in-favor of changing things up but two things need to happen...

1) Make the change at least somewhat meaningful. Don't have everything be all hunky-dory after a few months

2) If you do make the change, give the character a "hero's death." Make it the best damn exit possible so that it ends on a happy/optimistic note

Full steam ahead on the Change Train!

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Experimenting or pandering ...

I'll take Pandering for $400.

 

[rbstewart7263]

This team gets the full 21st century token diversity award! Why worry about making sure the writing is good when you can just give everyone a new race and gender. What would comics do without Joe Quesada who seems to suffer from some sort of white mans guilt and feels the need to fuck with existing characters rather than create new ones and just make the central pieces in a story to get them out there.

Edit: Though, in all fairness, if you are going to fuck with characters like that idiot is, the right way to do it is simply pass the mantle or title on to someone new. Not like Thor... where so far they are calling a woman Thor, rather than call her what her name is. Which is essentially like just swapping the sex at this point, which is the worlds worst way to do that.

"Whosoever is found worthy to wield mjolnir shall be known as thor" So anyone after thor who picks up will hence be called thor. Different person but gets the title of thundergod. easy.

 

[Something Amyss]

2) If you do make the change, give the character a "hero's death." Make it the best damn exit possible so that it ends on a happy/optimistic note

Cap's literally passing the torch (well, shield). He's not going to die anyway, just got depowered. I believe he's still the director of SHIELD, so he's still going to be around, and that's cool.

"Whosoever is found worthy to wield mjolnir shall be known as thor" So anyone after thor who picks up will hence be called thor. Different person but gets the title of thundergod. easy.

That's not what the inscription says, but I'm not sure that's relevant here. We've had other mortals wield the power of Thor and at least one who took the name Thor. Actually, it sounds like a superficially similar case here.

 

[PsychicTaco115]

2) If you do make the change, give the character a "hero's death." Make it the best damn exit possible so that it ends on a happy/optimistic note

Cap's literally passing the torch (well, shield). He's not going to die anyway, just got depowered. I believe he's still the director of SHIELD, so he's still going to be around, and that's cool.

That's all cool with me, I was referring more about Thor and his change

I dunno, it just feels odd that he's NOW deemed "unworthy" of his hammer and has to have it passed on

If it's more explained in the comics than all is well but eh, just feels odd

 

[Baresark]

This team gets the full 21st century token diversity award! Why worry about making sure the writing is good when you can just give everyone a new race and gender. What would comics do without Joe Quesada who seems to suffer from some sort of white mans guilt and feels the need to fuck with existing characters rather than create new ones and just make the central pieces in a story to get them out there.

Edit: Though, in all fairness, if you are going to fuck with characters like that idiot is, the right way to do it is simply pass the mantle or title on to someone new. Not like Thor... where so far they are calling a woman Thor, rather than call her what her name is. Which is essentially like just swapping the sex at this point, which is the worlds worst way to do that.

"Whosoever is found worthy to wield mjolnir shall be known as thor" So anyone after thor who picks up will hence be called thor. Different person but gets the title of thundergod. easy.

You have the inscription wrong. It's, "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

The power of Thor, not "be called Thor". I remind you that others who have wielded it did not all of the suddenly become known as Thor. Beta Ray Bill, Captain America, Storm, Eric Masterson, Odin, Bor, etc.... they were all called their respective names, but got the powers inherent in wielding the hammer.

Also, I would imagine that she will be short lived. This has all the makings of a gimmick to increase sales. I'm not saying she will disappear, Carol Danvers has a long and illustrious career as multiple heroes. I also am looking forward to seeing how Thor himself becomes no longer worthy of the Hammer.