The Falcon & The Winter Soldier: 10 Biggest Takeaways From Episode One
3. Rhodey Thought That Sam Should Have Taken The Mantle
One of the nicest surprises from the first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier was seeing Rhodey attending Captain America's ceremony in Washington. Rumours had swirled that Don Cheadle would be making an appearance, but to see him so early was great, particularly having a heart to heart talk with his friend, teammate, and brother.
The two may have had their differences in Civil War, and Sam was directly involved in Rhodey's accident, but they seemed to develop a bond in Infinity War, something that has carried over to Disney+.
Col. Rhodes made it clear to his friend, with several strong arguments, that he felt Sam should have taken on the Captain America mantle. The MCU world is in a strange place right now, and without Steve or Tony to protect it, they are in dire need of heroes, something that Rhodey clearly thought Sam was ready to step up to.
However, Sam's refusal proves that he made this decision for himself, in spite of what everyone else thought. Such was the respect he had for Steve and everything he did, he didn't deem himself worthy of continuing what he started. Hopefully the next five episodes tell the story of how he changes this thinking.