Falcon Picks Up the Shield in Remender & Immonen's "All-New Captain America"

[thebradpinder]

I like the shift. Falcon is cool. And a Captain America that can fly is very cool. I also like that Steve is going to provide backup and tactical support from Avengers Mansion.

[PeteGunn]

First, Marvel has enough problems with writing Sam Wilson as the Falcon; they've never consistently written well enough to be spotlighted. so, I hope Remender does right by him, giving the albatross of Captain America.

I say, take Steve Rogers completely off the book. The Falcon should have enough support from SHIELD and the Avengers.
to make this work. Let Rogers go to Tibet to find his mojo, just take him off the grid because that shadow will be unbearable. I wish he were back to Commander Rogers, SuperSpy.

DC would never have done this with Batman; it would be like making Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as ... waitaminit, DC DID do that!!!

[Hypestyle]

Will Redwing still be in the mix or is there some bald eagle waiting in the wings? Pun intended.

[jackolover]

I like Falcon and I think that he'd probably make a decent Cap.

Physically, while he's not a super soldier of Cap's caliber, he does bring some unique skills to the table. From a story telling perspective, being Caps's occasional partner/sidekick makes him an obvious choice. However, that is itself a problem. While he might more accurately represent a changing face of America, I'm not sure that he has that same patriotic intensity possessed by Steve, Bucky, or even John Walker. I'm concerned that Sam might be able to be Captain America, but might not really be the larger than life symbol. That said, I feel that he'll make a decent Cap, but the road to becoming a GREAT one will be a bumpy ride.

Incidentally, from a design perspective, I feel that the costume is atrocious. It's way too busy. There's a little bit of Classic Cap, a bit of the Commander Rogers outfit, hints of Ultimate Cap, and a touch of the most recent Marvel NOW costume. From the neck up, his costume might as well be classic Falcon thanks to the missing helmet. Unlike the Bucky Cap design, this "Snap" Cap costume really doesn't have an identity all its own. Also, what genius decided to eliminate the iconic "A" from the design? Personally, I'm surprised that this whole thing got the okay from editorial. It's a confused & self-aware nightmare.

Sam has been the unofficial caretaker of Captain America ever since Bucky took over the role when Steve was shot. He was the shoulder that Sharon Carter cried on. Sam was the shadow that followed Bucky in every mission he went out on as Cap. Sam was the one who mourned the most when Steve Rogers was first killed, and went back to clean up Harlem instead of joining Iron Man or the New Avengers. Sam Wilson has been a constant Avenger in Avengers World, ever since the All New Marvel NOW started, on missions against the city of Mandripoor as it flew on the back of a dragon around China. Sam was there when Nuke was taken down and transported to the Grand Canyon SHIELD base and was nearly blown up by Nukes self destructing.

Is Sam Wilson as Iconic as Steve Rogers, or as commanding as Steve? I don't think that will be Sams role, but I don't know yet why Steve Rogers picked Sam to do the job, either. Sam does represent the changing state of America. That Sam comes from a suppressed background only intensifies his claim to the title of Captain America who comes out of the dregs of society, like Steve has. Working class, sickly weak, but strong in spirit enough to own his country and try to make it better, for him having put his life on the line. Sam can represent that part of America that struggles with being poor, and unable to afford the luxuries of life. (You could also put Luke Cage and James Rhodes into that category). Sam is the voice of that silent sector of America that has been harshly treated by the 2008 Financial Crisis all over the country. I myself took a drive through the West recently and came face to face with those people and listened to what they had to say, and it isn't pretty. Houses that can't be sold, so they can move, and instead are stuck for 5 years. No young, because schools have been hit by lunatics shooting everyone. Depression, poverty and no working conditions, working for tips that don't pay for ****. Having to take whatever conditions a job requires, even if you don't see your family for months on end. This is one part of America, and Sam Wilson represents this America.

It remains to be seen whether Marvel can reflect any of Sam Wilsons experience and background into the role he will be given, but I hope he doesn't forget where he comes from, and the helplessness that needs to be addressed. Sure, the bigger role is to be a representative of all the classes, lower, middle and elite class, but I sure hope now that Sam Wilson is in charge, that he is seen as the champion of not just a wealthy elite, but the champion of the lower classes as well, and by that I mean Sam throws it in there faces every time he saves the elites butt.

[jackolover]

The most recent arc as pretty mediocre. However, if you DO insist on returning to Cap, do yourself a favor and read the whole "Dimension Z" story. It's a far out and crazy trip that's atypical for a Cap series, but so much fun.

BTW, I know that the reveal was obvious and telegraphed, but was anybody actually hoping that nuCap might have been Steve's adopted son Ian? While it might have been as obvious, almost like Dick or Damian taking over for Bruce as Batman, it might have been a whole lot of fun. Imagine that Ian, a stranger to this dimension, steps up to fill his father's shoes and defends world, a country, and a set of ideals that he doesn't fully grasp. THAT would have been a Cap story worth reading.

It's not like Ian's dead. We know that he's still alive. I wish that somebody would just pull on that hanging thread.

A Captain America being Ian would need Ian to explore America to see what it is made up of. That's why Ian being Nomad is more appropriate at this stage. It fits perfectly with a man who doesn't know what country he is in, or what their values are. Take a look at Jet Blacks struggles with the values of this world compared to Dimension Z. A place like DZ is bound to warp any young persons perceptions of morality, and I was surprised that Jet was so quickly able to see the difference between both worlds. Not that Jet has completely recovered from this experience, because when interrelating with Steve Rogers, she had a lot of trouble with individual choices in a world where individuality is more important than constant taking of orders, and brutal violence. Ian comes from just the same place, and his concept of freedom is going to be a problem because he has been conditioned to hate and suspect Steve Rogers honor and aims about Ian. Ian was poisoned by Arnim Zola, and what has become of Dimension Z after Zola was killed by Sharon Carter, still has to be answered. All we know so far is that after Zolas death, the whole of DZ would have been thrown into chaos with Zolas armies scattering over the country, virtually emulating their behavior by Zolas standards, and, the other race trying to avoid their brutality. If Ian somehow defeated the Zola armies and took over leadership, then Ian would have a doubly harder time to assimilate into a free state, after administering a police state all this time.