Warning: contains spoilers for Captain America: Symbol of Truth #2!
As Captain AmericaSam Wilson isn’t as strong as Steve Rogers, but he has abilities that Rogers doesn’t – and his ally Falcon only compliments his abilities. Sam Wilson isn’t the second Captain America, but he’s Steve Rogers’ most famous successor, with a style and attitude all his own. In the new series Captain America: Symbol of Truth #2, Marvel reveals that Sam Wilson benefited from a Falcon more than Steve Rogers ever did.
Steve Rogers was frozen in ice just before the end of World War II; it was then resurrected decades later (exact date depends on history at any given time) and returned to service once more. He met Sam Wilson in the 70s and the two quickly became friends and comrades; Rogers’ book was even titled Captain America and the Falcon for a while. With his mastery of his wings, Falcon provided aerial support while Captain America fought below – but as mutually beneficial as that partnership was, he couldn’t overcome one major weakness: Wilson could fly, while Rogers couldn’t. couldn’t.
In Captain America: Symbol of Truth #2, written by Tochi Onyebuchi with art by RB Silva, Sam Wilson embarks on a new mission to track down a shipment of super-soldier serum. Joining him is the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres. While Sam Wilson has no superpowers, Torres’ DNA was mixed with that of Redwing (Falcon’s personal hawk), giving him wings, enhanced eyesight, and a limited healing factor. If the wings of Torres are part of his body, he can nevertheless accompany Sam Wilson in all the missions.
This once again exposes Steve Rogers’ main weakness: Sam Wilson has a real partner in Torres and the two have relatively equal abilities and ranges, but Steve Rogers was limited in his abilities. Sam Wilson, to put it plainly, could do anything Rogers could do et fly, while Rogers was strictly limited to ground engagements. All that was missing from Sam Wilson’s arsenal was the signature shield – which, from 2014 when he took over as Captain America, he now possesses.
In short, Torres can accompany Sam Wilson’s Captain America anywhere, while Steve Rogers was forced to hang back while Wilson chased down enemies from time to time. While Rogers and Wilson never came up against this, fans noticed that Captain America’s “sidekick” was much more capable. Now that Sam Wilson Captain America has his own series, he’s no longer a sidekick – and his new partner Falcon is more equal than underling.
–
