In His Upcoming New Series, Sam Wilson Trades In Captain America’s Shield For A Pair Of Wings

When Sam Wilson became Captain America back in 2014, it was only a matter of time before he realised that no matter how patriotic a person may be, nobody looks good dressed up in all red, white and blue. After a few years of flinging Steve Rogers’ old shield around, Sam’s getting back to his roots.

Marvel

Today, Marvel announced a new, post-Secret Empire Falcon solo series written by Rodney Barnes and illustrated by Joshua Cassara following Sam as he tries to re-establish who he is in the larger Marvel universe after being Captain America.

Sam became Captain America back when an ageing Steve Rogers asked him to become the symbol of American heroism that he’d been in his prime. Sam, ever loyal to Steve, took him up on the offer, and for a while, things seemed like they were going fine. But then Steve regained his youth, became the supreme leader of Hydra, and took over the country, forcing Sam and other heroes to go underground.

In an interview with Comicbook, Falcon writer Barnes described how, at the beginning of the new series, Sam finds himself reevaluating his life and relationships.

“He feels guilty about his relationship with Steve Rogers and wonders if he didn’t pick up clues as to what team Steve was really playing for, what else has he missed?” Barnes said. “So he’s backing away from the limelight for a spell and taking a more grass roots approach to making the world a better place.”

Falcon, Barnes said, will pair Sam with the new Patriot as they take on Blackheart, son of the demon Mephisto and the type of magical enemy that Sam isn’t all that accustomed to going up against. From afar, it sounds like Marvel’s moving Sam away from the Cap moniker in preparation for giving it back to Steve in full, post-Secret Empire. And honestly? That’s a good thing. Falcon’s one of the core members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and giving his comic book counterpart a chance to get out from beneath Steve’s (now-tainted) shadow can only be a solid choice for the character. Falcon hits stores this spring.