WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Finale, “One World, One People,” now streaming on Disney+.
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) has had several allies assist him and James ‘Bucky’ Barnes (Sebastian Stan) as they try to stop Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) and her Flag Smashers. One of these allies faced an untimely demise in Episode 2, “The Star-Spangled Man.” Redwing, Sam’s trusty drone, was destroyed by Karli during a battle on trucks moving stolen shipments of medicine. Later on, Bucky asked Dora Milaje member Ayo (Florence Kasumba) to have the Wakandans design a new Captain America suit for Sam. The former Winter Soldier must have a soft spot for the little drone after all because the suit came equipped with not one, but two Redwings.
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Before taking a look at the new Redwings, it’s important to understand their origin. The first Redwing was designed for Sam by Stark Industries after he joined the Avengers. Designated as Stark Drone MK82 922 V 80Z V2 Prototype Unit V6, Sam utilized the drone many times throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for instance, using its scanning capabilities to look for Crossbones during the Avengers’ mission in Lagos. Sam also made use of the drone when he and Bucky faced off against the newly debuted Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, showcasing how Sam relied on Redwing for many different scenarios.
However, due to Sam being one of the billions of people that turned to dust following Thanos’ snap, the original Redwing remained abandoned in Wakanda after fighting against Thanos and his forces. Five years later at the start of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam was using Redwing once more, though whether this was a rebuilt Redwing or the original wasn’t stated. Although Sam made good use of the drone during his rescue of a military liaison in Episode 1, “New World Order,” Redwing ultimately met his end at the hands of Karli and her Flag Smashers.
The new Redwing drones provided by the Wakandans come packed with the same features as their predecessor, including full connectivity to Sam’s HUD goggles. While attempting to rescue kidnapped members of the GRC (Global Repatriation Council) from an escaping helicopter in “One World, One People,” Sam (now fully decked out in his new Captain America gear) uses one Redwing to scan the plane to see if any of the hostages have flight training. Redwing identifies GRC member Ayla as a former pilot. After contacting Ayla and readying her to grab the helicopter controls, Sam uses Redwing to distract the Flag Smasher pilot and barrels him out of the helicopter with the help of a recently reacquired vibranium shield.
Both Redwing drones make an appearance later in the episode and assist in another life-or-death situation. Karli’s attempt to drive a truck full of GRC members off the side of a construction site fails thanks to John Walker’s (Wyatt Russell) intervention. Unfortunately, when Karli tackles Walker away from the truck, the only person left to the save the day is Captain America. Sam uses his new vibranium-laced wings and the Redwing drones to push the truck back up, saving the people inside and being recognized by the public as Captain America for the first time.
Neither Redwing makes an appearance for the remainder of the episode. Sam’s battle against Karli mainly consists of him countering or defending against her attacks as he refuses to fight her, so it makes sense that he doesn’t use the drones during the fight. Nevertheless, it’s safe to say that with Sam officially taking up the mantle of Captain America, he’s going to find plenty of uses for his new Redwing drones in the battles to come.
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 entire first season is available to stream on Disney+.
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