WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 1, “New World Order,” now streaming on Disney+.
As the title implies, the premiere of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier sets up a brand new setting for the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large. One such example is the introduction of the Flag Smashers, a group of terrorists seeking to return the world to how it was before the Blip, and considering the powerset they showed in their debut, their origin may have a dangerous connection back to Bucky Barnes.
Early on in Episode 1, Lieutenant Torres informs Sam Wilson about the Flag Smashers, a terrorist ring that has been making a buzz online. Their intention is to bring the world back to where it was during the five years where half the universe disappeared post-Snap. According to Torres, “they want a world that’s unified without borders.”
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Later in the episode, he infiltrates the group, attending a gathering in Switzerland. He’s suddenly handed a mask and realizes he’s in the middle of a robbery. The Flag Smashers conduct a complicated heist, and when Torres tries to stop their leader, he is surprisingly thrown off with ease, showing that at least one of the Flag Smashers has super-strength.
Considering the setting, one could assume that the Flag Smasher in question has some form of super soldier powers, which made Steve Rogers into Captain America, but Steve wasn’t the only one to get the serum. HYDRA experimented on Bucky when they captured him in World War II. They gave him a form of super soldier powers, brainwashing him into the malicious Winter Soldier.
In Captain America: Civil War, Bucky reveals he was actually one of many who were at the mercy of HYDRA. The organization took a group of their most highly-trained assassins and used the serum Bucky killed Howard and Maria Stark for to enhance their abilities.
Bucky was then asked to train the new Winter Soldiers, and they became even more powerful than him. HYDRA’s delight turned to shock when all of them, except Bucky, lost control and turned on their creators. They were eventually subdued and put into cryostasis, waiting to be awoken by the appropriate villain.
The possible reappearance of the Winter Soldiers served as motivation for Steve and Bucky to go to Siberia in Civil War. They feared Zemo aimed to resurrect them, but that was far from the truth. By the time they got to the HYDRA facility, all of the Winter Soldiers had allegedly been killed. It was never Zemo’s intention to revive them, just use them as tools in his grand plan to bring down the Avengers.
Despite this seemingly dead end that the MCU went with the Winter Soldiers, there’s a good chance that at least one of them survived Zemo’s assault, or one could’ve existed outside of the Siberia facility. That means one of these serum-infused assassins could have woken up and been recruited by the Flag Smashers to aid in their mission in creating a new world order.
If that’s the case, that means big trouble for the titular duo, as they face a group of people armed and motivated to remake the world in their image, and they have muscle that can rival and even overpower Bucky. Having the other Winter Soldiers as part of the Flag Smashers could serve as yet another piece of the main theme of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as your past can still haunt you.
Directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly and Daniel Brühl. The series premieres March 19 on Disney+.