Bucky remains one of the most compelling characters in the MCU. The little scene with Okoye being the first to test if his mind was clear of the Hydra control mechanism showed just how scared he was – he’d been nothing more than a mindless tool for something like 65 years at that point. The character we met briefly in the first Captain America was seemingly jovial and fun; we’ve only gotten glimpses of that in his later appearances because war and the subsequent experimentation/mind manipulation really changed him. There’s a part of him that doesn’t know how to be himself because the original Bucky changed as soon as his unit was captured in World War 2.
I’m really down on the whole Karli Morgenthau thing – both as a character, and as who they chose to portray her. The character itself hasn’t been given any true backstory, and therefore any reasoning for her deeds. That leaves her hollow. Sure, she uses a lot of hip revolutionary speak, but it seems more like she got all her ideas from a college professor and Twitter. Coupled with the character acting like a lost teenager is the fact they cast a woman who looks to be about 13 years old. I don’t fear this person especially when they don’t have a clear motive. She wants to bring things back to the way they were during the snap? I guess there were more resources to go around, but would someone really turn to murder and become a terrorist over it? How’d she get the super serum anyway? Before getting it, she’d just be a normal 13 year old. This is all just…really weird.
And the Flag Smashers themselves suck. They can have all the personality they want when their masks are off but as soon as you have 30 people wearing generic clothing all put on the exact same mask it looks muddled.
I’m glad I saw Black Panther before this episode because it allowed me to appreciate the Dora Milaje even more. These women could be the most hardcore people in the MCU; as far as I can tell, they don’t have any super powers. They’ve just worked, fought, and honed their skills to be an insanely adept fighting unit. Plus, they use spears. Spears rule – just ask The Mandalorian.
Walker is CERTAINLY not right for the serum, and they foreshadowed that a few times during the episode itself….before the insane ending. Nice curveball with them killing his friend like that to push him over the edge, but the possible avenues from here make my head spin.
Speaking of fake-Cap, Zemo should have brain damage after taking the shield to his skull like that. Maybe his secret super power is that he has a completely adamantium forehead.
Alex's Atria 