Wyatt Russell, the MCU’s new Captain America, improvised the creepy wink at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s first episode. The MCU’s second original series to debut on Disney+, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier became its most-watched premiere as fans got a glimpse into the lives of Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson in a post-Blip, post-Steve Rogers world. Viewers saw Bucky as he navigated his lingering guilt and trauma from his years as the brainwashed Winter Soldier while Sam visited his sister in Louisiana to help try to revive the family business.
While “New World Order” was somewhat low-key (sans the opening action sequence), trouble is clearly brewing. The Flag Smashers were introduced via Joaquin Torres and his investigation into the mysterious group’s activities. The biggest twist of all came at the end of the episode when the US government introduced John Walker as the new Captain America. While fans have known this moment was coming since before the show’s premiere, one brief wink made it all the more impactful.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s first episode ends with Wyatt Russell’s John Walker looking directly into the camera and, before it cuts to the credits, Walker winks with a sly smile on his face. Director Kari Skogland tells Empire that Russell improvised that moment, praising him for the choice. Skogland says that Russell’s wink is just one of the many moments the show’s various actors have improvised once they settled into performing as their characters.
“That was completely a moment that Wyatt brought to the party and that was fantastic. All the actors brought lots of moments like that to the story, because once they got inside their character, they were able to play. Out of that comes brilliance.”
Sam was clearly blindsided by the US government’s decision to pass on Captain America’s shield to John Walker. When he gives it away at the beginning of the episode, there seems to be an implied agreement between him and the government that it will be shelved in order to honor Steve Rogers’ service. It’s clear, though, that the government had different plans all along.
One of the running themes that has emerged in Falcon and the Winter Soldier has been the need for new heroes in a post-Endgame world. Naturally, the US government isn’t looking to the series’ protagonists to step in, but it seems like they will have to do just that eventually. Baron Zemo is set to reappear and the Flag Smashers are causing trouble internationally. John Walker’s wink also seems to be a sly nod to his eventual turn into an antagonist who will go up against The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s titular pair. The eerie moment was a perfect way to end the first episode and Walker’s personality will surely emerge in the coming weeks.
Source: Empire
Originally from https://screenrant.com/falcon-winter-soldier-captain-america-wink-improvised/