Both Captain America and The Falcon characters are Marvel’s iconic superheroes that represent different aspects of heroism. Captain America represents the more traditional American patriotism, while The Falcon represents racial diversity and equality.
Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created and introduced the Captain America (also known as Steve Rogers) character in 1941. This character is a symbol of American idealism and resilience. He is the ultimate American hero and serves “as a moral compass within the Marvel universe” (Rob, 2016) with traditional values. The design of the character reflects the social and nationalistic ideal of the United States of America during World War II in the 1940s.
The Falcon (also known as Sam Wilson) character, created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan, was introduced in Captain America #117 (1969). The Falcon breaks new ground as one of Marvel’s first mainstream Black superheroes. Sam Wilson’s origins as a social worker who becomes a superhero through his alliance with Captain America emphasize resilience and empathy rather than violence or anger, qualities that were in contrast with common stereotypes of Black characters in media at the time.
The creation and the use of The Falcon as a mainstream comic superhero represents a shift in adding diversity in the superhero comic industry. When The Falcon assumes the role of Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Solider show, some members of the audience are not pleased with the decision. Not everyone can accept a Black man being promoted into the symbol of America and what it could mean for the country and the people who were in power. This speaks to the level of racial discrimination against Black person in general and the opposition for having a Black person in significant or powerful positions.
Captain America and The Falcon embody different ideals; Captain America is a patriotic symbol of traditional American values, “Steve Rogers states that Captain America was initially created to protect the American Dream against the Nazi’s on behalf of the American government, but now he understands that he has to fight to protect the American Dream” (Ahmed, 2013, 170). The Falcon could be interpreted as someone who had to deal with daily struggles and being marginalized. His eventual rise to assume the role of Captain America symbolizes that race is not a boundary or a glass ceiling for human characters in the American society.
Both the Captain America and The Falcon characters align with the traditional superhero characteristics. However, this is where their similarity ends. Steve Rogers had to earn his way into the super-soldier program, at which point he was given the super-soldier serum, which grants him enhanced strength, endurance, and agility, making him nearly invincible and, symbolically, an American ideal. It is also at this point that he is named Captain America and given his red, white and blue uniform along with his iconic shield. The Falcon, on the other hand, relies on his wingsuit and combat training, both came from his time in the army paratrooper core. He does not have anything besides the iconic Captain America shield that is given to him and at the end of the day is just a regular, normal guy.
Because of this when Steve Rogers passes. Sam does not feel worthy of the Captain America shield and gives it to a museum for their Captain America exhibit. However, after some time, the government obtains it and decides to name their own Captain America John Walker, who “reinforcing the notion that Captain America must have “blonde hair and blue eyes.” (Dhantal, Sebastian, and George, 2023, 131). Later on, Sam would go on to take the title of Captain America from John Walker because, as Dhantal, Sebastian, and George put it, Walker stained the symbol with his actions. Finally earning the title of Captain America out of the duty he felt towards Steve Rogers. Demonstrating that heroism can stem from earned skills and intelligence rather than supernatural powers.
Comparatively, the disparity between how Black men and White men are treated, both in terms of everyday life and as heroes. As Mackey says, While Isaiah Bradley saved the lives of soldiers during the Korean War and returned home to a jail cell, treated as a “public enemy number one,” Steve Rogers became a household celebrity and a national hero for his actions during World War II. (Mackey, 2022, 9).
Captain America’s image as a white male matches his role as the hero of the mid-20th-century America. His journey in the comic is one of unyielding justice, embodying American ideals without facing racial or systemic barriers. In contrast, The Falcon had to break away from social and stereotypical barriers in order to accent the role of Captain America. Wilson’s heroism involves overcoming not only villains but societal prejudice, making his role a broader symbol of resilience and equality. Even from people of the same race, “When a young Black boy recognizes Sam walking past him, he calls him the “Black Falcon.” When Sam says, “It’s just Falcon,” the child replies, “No, no. My daddy told me it’s Black Falcon.” Sam laughs and asks, “Is it because I’m Black and I’m the Falcon?” The boy agrees, to which Sam asks sarcastically, “So are you, like, Black kid?” (Episode 2) This scene, though simple, is powerful because it is clear that the notion of racism, in some cases, is not learnt through personal experiences but transferred through generations.” (Dhantal, Sebastian, and George, 2023, 132) Sam is referred to as Black Falcon, even in this one situation, shows the societal prejudices that have been taught throughout time as there is no well-known moment in Marvel comics or media where Steve Rogers is called White Captain America.
Both Captain America and The Falcon are symbols of heroism. They both contribute something unique to the Mavel comic universe. Their evolving media roles as societal values evolve inspire audiences to value justice, inclusivity, and perseverance in ways that transcend fictional universes.
Bibliography
Rob, 2016, https://www.alternativemindz.com/2016/07/20/marvel-unveils-new-details-on-tribute-statue-celebrating-75-years-of-captain-america/
Dhantal, Smita. 2023. “Race and Borders in Marvel Studios’ *The Falcon and the Winter Soldier*.” *International Journal of English and Comparative Literary Studies* 4, no. 2: 1–18. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Smita-Dhantal/publication/370403235_Race_and_Borders_in_Marvel_Studios’_The_Falcon_and_the_Winter_Soldier/links/644e16f1809a5350213b9d8b/Race-and-Borders-in-Marvel-Studios-The-Falcon-and-the-Winter-Soldier.pdf
Ahmed, Michael. 2013. “Captain America, Watergate, and the Falcon: Rediscovering the American Dream.” *Intensities: The Journal of Cult Media* 5: 151–176. https://intensitiescultmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/captain-america-watergate-and-the-falcon-rediscovering-the-american-dream-michael-ahmed.pdf
Mackey, Asia Y. 2022. “Sociological Analysis of Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 5. https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1087&context=access
Riley Hay
Nathan, I thought you picked a really great character for this assignment. There is so much contrast to be looked into because of the fact that it is Captain America as two very different characters in the Marvel Universe. I like on how compared Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson by their different upbringings and societal roles- Rogers as the generic, patriotic, blond hair-blue eyed, American white guy and Wilson as the Black, diversified, more relatable character who ends up filling the shoes of Captain America perfectly. I appreciate the acknowledgment of how Sam Wilson contrasts with the stereotypical portrayed versions of black characters being violent and angry in earlier media.
Your main points of the characters’ symbolic roles, the historical context behind them, and social differences between them and how they became the superheroes they are fit the assignment really well. However, I feel like it could have gone a bit more in depth about how the image of Captain America itself changes and the impact the new look will have to characters in the Marvel Universe, as well as viewers of it.
As far as your sources, they seem to be used good and in appropriate areas in the assignment. They are reliable and scholarly which gives your statements and facts much more depth and meaning. You also used great images to depict the visual difference between characters. Not only is the person different, but since they are in a similar pose you can see big changes in the Captain America look such as Rogers with an older, more WWII-era look, while Wilson sports a modernized version of the look for more tech and brighter colours.