Both Zemo and Sharon have unstable motives here, but are they merely serving as Red Herrings for the shadowy Power Broker, or will the crime lord King of Madripoor be revealed as someone else entirely? Whatever the outcome, Sam and Bucky really can’t afford to trust anyone except each other. Zemo is always scheming, Sharon is a different person than they remember, John Walker is now a “Do you know who I am?” type of Cap, and Ayo (Florence Kasumba) by Dora Milaje de Wakanda is looking for revenge against Zemo (as T’Challa once was). And all of this is working to destroy Sam’s confidence in the whole concept of Captain America, to the point that he now wonders if he should have destroyed the shield when Steve bequeathed it.
Keep reading for some behind-the-scenes spits that were released on IGN this week, and be sure to leave your own thoughts on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in the comments – and don’t forget to vote in our poll at the bottom of the page!
Theory: Sharon Carter is the power broker
It is likely that the Power Broker is someone we already know. It would be strange, from the point of view of a TV narrative, for someone to remain off the screen for so long and then be revealed to be just someone totally new (unless it is a famous actor playing him).
The Power Broker is probably familiar. Someone we know. Probably in this series (although the MCU could definitely pull from the past). The Sharon Carter we met in Madripoor is a person who was rejected by her own government and sent to flee for years, forcing her to cut off contact with all her loved ones. With nowhere else to hide, she found safety in Madripoor’s Wild West, where she really prospered by holding and accumulating precious works of art.She has her own assistants and drivers, but does she have her own mercenaries? When she leaves Sam and Bucky, she mentions to her assistant that there are some major problems that she needs to deal with. It is quite possible that Sharon is the Pirate Queen of Madripoor. The more everyone says “he” repeatedly, when discussing the Power Broker, the more it seems that the twist is that it is Sharon. It is also not impracticable for Sharon to invest in the creation of some type of super soldier serum, although it is difficult to guess his motivation to do so.
Of course, the show may just be making us think she is the broker of power to keep us from someone else’s scent. After just three chapters, we don’t really know how subtle this show is capable of being. Sharon can be a smokescreen or just an obviously wired Power Broker.
Theory: It was Zemo-tha all the time
Number one with a bullet, now, when it comes to Power Broker’s main suspects, is – duh! – Zemo. Given the amount of labyrinthine plot and manipulation he did in the Civil War, it’s very easy to imagine him being the Power Broker behind bars, just Wilson Fisk’ing everything.
He escaped from prison so easily that you would think he could have done it at any time. Don’t see him required Bucky to think it was Bucky’s idea that he get away. He also knew that Sam and Bucky would come to him because he would, of course, be anti-Super Soldier. It is your “code”, as Bucky described it. In addition, it was he who murdered the scientist who made the serum after they learned there were none left in the laboratory. He then mentions how eager he is to meet Karli Morgenthau.
Since most of us assumed that Zemo would be the “Big Bad” in this series anyway, it is entirely plausible that he and the Broker were the same person. Now, why would he create Super Soldiers … we’re not sure. He should have wanted them all dead. Knowing how deep his plans are, the whole Super Soldier thing can just be a setting to get something else he wants.
Theory: Another person we know in Marvel movies is the powerful agent
Okay, let’s say Sharon is just Sharon and Zemo is just Zemo. Who else could the Power Broker be?
What about Justin Hammer of Iron Man 2, played by Sam Rockwell, who was arrested in that movie and swore revenge on Pepper (and was later seen in the Mandarin-related short “All Hail the King”? He’s a good candidate, though if we saw him back at the MCU at this point, it would probably be in the next Armor Wars series.
What about Everett Ross? Yes, Martin Freeman’s character from Civil War and Black Panther definitely feels like he needs to be part of this whole Zemo / Wakanda / Bucky equation. Like, it’s not the end of the world if he leaves, but he’s not here is remarkable. Although, honestly, he was elevated to hero status in Black Panther, so it can be a very strange change now to have him as a secret and murderous crime boss.
How about someone from the Incredible Hulk? We haven’t seen Samuel Stern from Tim Blake Nelson (who was on his way to becoming the leader when we last saw him) or Emil “Abomination” from Tim Roth Blonsky since 2008 (although Blonsky has been referenced a few times and is expected to do so) return to She-Hulk). One of the strengths of these Disney + MCU programs is that they can redeem below average offers. They can take characters who have not received fair treatment, or even the reward we expected, and give them a new life.
Theory: Latvéria and Victor von Doom exist
Hey, here’s another Power Broker bite to chew on. Could Victor von Doom be the broker?
We just mentioned his name because A: the Fantastic Four is coming to the MCU at some point, and B: what is really going to be about Sokovia? Zemo made a point of referring to how his homeland was basically swallowed up by the other countries around him. So what if a new country was created in its place, and that country is … Latvéria, homeland of the villain FF Doctor Doom? It’s a cool idea to cross your mind, although the series seems a little overwhelmed the way it is, so maybe there was really no room for that. Unless it’s just a disposable taunt at the end.
Question: Are Zemo’s coat, mask and gold weapon a family heirloom?
We know that Helmut Zemo is a trained soldier, although we have never seen him fight like in “Power Broker”, not only knocking down a guard on leaving prison, but also, while wearing a purple mask, killing a handful of Madripoorian Bounty Hunters. Was it us or did Zemo look a little excited when he put on the mask? As if he was more lethally aroused?
So, the jacket, the mask and the gold gun (which we saw in the trunk of a car and that comes with the Zemo doll) are your own personal items or are they family costumes? When they went to Zemo’s garage, he mentioned how his super-rich family collected cars for decades and then in one of the cars he found it all. Was he purposely looking for the jacket and the mask or was it a happy accident? In the comics, the mask is a tribute to his father Heinrich Zemo, who was also a bad guy. Maybe this mask was your father is at the MCU.
Question: Will the super soldier’s serum lead to mutants?
While it seems likely that mutants will eventually enter the MCU through the multiverse, we are still looking for possible ways that they are already part of Earth-199999. During WandaVision, we thought that Hex could change people’s DNA, as it did with Monica Rambeau after she crossed the barrier three times.
Now, with a Super Soldier Serum on the loose, post-Blip, you wonder what the consequences might be. Zemo is totally anti-superpower, but what if his storyline accidentally gives a ton of people crazy new skills? Or what if your plan, all the time, was to give everyone on Earth powers in an attempt to level the playing field? Either way, there always seems to be a way to include the mutants in the mix.
Also be sure to check out our explainers on Isaiah Bradley and “New Cap” John Walker. Also, here’s a closer look at how the comic book villain Flag-Smasher was transformed into a Robin Hood-style rebel group for the series.
Do you have persistent questions or theories? Share them below and vote for this week’s poll too!