WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 2, “The Star-Spangled Man,” streaming now on Disney+.
As expected, the emotional core of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier revolves around John Walker (Wyatt Russell) taking over the mantle of Captain America from Steve Rogers, and how Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) can’t stand there’s a new heroic face of the country. But to make the passing of the baton sting even more, this new Cap has his own Bucky.
This is none other than Clé Bennett’s Lemar Hoskins, who’s Walker’s right-hand man and loyal best friend from the army. In the comics, both Hoskins and Walker debuted in 1986’s Captain America #323 when they underwent superhuman enhancement by the Power Broker. Walker would become the Super-Patriot, but Lemar and two other military associates would be known as the Bold Urban Commando, aka the “Buckies.”
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The Buckies would stage attacks, allowing Walker to save the day so he could show America what true patriotism felt like. This culminated in Walker getting the official mantle as Captain America 10 issues later, and Hoskins would be appointed as his state-sponsored Bucky. However, he’d denounce the name “Bucky” due to racist connotations and take on the moniker of Battlestar. Eventually, Hoskins would let go of Walker’s extremist doctrines and go on to fight against superhero registration in Civil War and with Hawkeye’s Underground against Hydra in Secret Empire.
Now, in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hoskins, like Walker, initially comes off as an altruistic figure when the new Cap has to take the football field for an interview on Good Morning America. Their bond evokes Steve and Bucky’s relationship, and their action dynamic is later revealed when a chopper drops the duo off to help Sam and Buck fight off the Flag-Smashers in Munich. Lemar’s suspended from the helicopter in tactical gear, proving to be a tremendous asset in the field as the group battles thugs.
Sadly, the mission goes awry, mostly because no one anticipated the Flag-Smashers being super-soldiers. But the cheeky Lemar still manages to up the mood by getting a shot in about how they hacked Redwing in order to track Sam and Bucky to Europe. Sam does fire back, though, when he makes fun of Hoskins’ “Battlestar” nickname, which clearly lays the groundwork for the rivalry to come.
What stands out about this episode is the G-men don’t want anyone — even Earth’s Mightiest Heroes — in their way. That’s because after Sam and Buck refuse their olive branch, they make it clear they’re serving the flag and whoever threatens that mission will be taken off the table. It’s a stern warning, but it fits Walker and his buddy’s cavalier attitude from the comics. Seeing as they’ll go the extra mile to get the job completed, this may even foreshadow them seeking treatment in order to become supersoldiers themselves.
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. A new episode debuts each Friday on Disney+.
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