just like their real world counterparts they don't have any motives or characteristics, they just make assumptions without information and wage war based on their ignorance.
@@jypsridic are you implying that anarchism, an ideology with hundreds of years of established theory, philosophy and thought has “no motives or characteristics” and “wages war based on ignorance?” If so I think you should perhaps do a minimal amount of research in the subject. You don’t have to agree with anarchism, I personally don’t, but I also know that it is far from an ignorant ideology.
@@dylanneal1389 it doesn't even have to be anarchism necessarily; plenty of academic thought has been dedicated to a whole spectrum of different border systems, including no borders. of course, these are also extremely easy subjects to strawman as ignorant fantasies by entrenched institutions and the people who buy into them. kind of funny how there are parallels between sam's speech and what is happening here
Apparently there was a narrative about a virus, that’s what the vaccines were for and how that old lady died, but after the pandemic they got rid of the virus stuff
The budget they'd need haha! Could have been 16 eps easy. I'd prefer the same amount of expensive action scenes as we got but spread over more episodes too
Totally agree. Marvel wants all the shows to be the same length and that does not work at all bc every story is different. This should have been 8-10 eps.
If not a slow build for the formation of the Flag-Smashers, I wouldn't mind a "Copperhead" episode for Karli on how she became radicalized, preferably after Walker smashed her compatriot's head in. They could also do a B-story on Walker's background on what happened in Afghanistan that parallels with Karli's story and how trauma can affect two different people similarly but end up with very different endpoints.
They had to walk a real fine line with Walker and Lamar since they were talking about things they did while in the US military in an active war zone. I would have liked to know what they did too but Marvel’s partnership with the real US military probably stopped them from doing anything besides pointedly saying that John and Lamar personally did bad things overseas (geez history repeating itself)
@@gateauxq4604 They could play up the moral greyness that is inherent in many military based shows. You don't need to show literal war crimes, just the moral conflict that Walker had and how he had to balance that with his duties as a soldier. Play up the trauma themes so we can sympathize with Walker so that we the audience can feel conflicted as to whether to root for him or villainize him.
I remember literally yelling at my TV during the flagsmasher scenes: "WHAT ARE YOU?" "DO YOU CARE ABOUT PEOPLE OR DON'T YOU? STOP SWITCHING BETWEEN THE TWO AND THINKING THAT MAKES YOU LOOK NUANCED!" Your version definitely sounds more coherent and has an arc to it
I still didn't see it as a redemption. At least not in any official sense. Maybe, in his mind, a personal second chance. But nothing that was taken from him as a result of his actions was given back to him after he helped stop the flagsmashers. So I don't think it was enough to call it redemption.
@@AGEE_95 Same, though I want to also put out that I liked that it didn't completely villainize someone suffering from PTSD and still has issues and that he still is a person who wants to do right. Just like Thunderbolt Ross Walker is an Antagonist and not a villain. (at least in the MCU)
I disagree, with the idea that walker was ever 'redeemed'-he always represented what the government would want from a super soldier - killing terrorists and saving politicians are both traits of this original character. He has simply moved on from his cloud of rage after the loss of his best friend, and he fought bucky and Sam out of fear - a fear that he had lost the only thing he had left, the title of a hero, which he earned in the military with lemar and which was clearly too much weight for him to live up to in the end. Him being us agent isn't a redemption, but him fitting into where he belongs, not the hero he was told he was, but the soldier he always has been.
it was kinda weird, especially in how it ties into the themes of race and racism in this show, how walker, who was obviously meant to be a stand-in for a cop, was given redemption. he, a government agent, murdered an innocent and all he got was a demotion. when i saw that happen, i was hoping that they could use it as an allegory for police brutality (a topic that is especially important as of the past year) and tie it in to the shows overall theme of race. but no, he just stood against the “bad guys” and now the director said that we’re supposed to like him.
@@chloe-qs7ue he's not a cop he's a soldier, who I think do deserve more sympathy than cops do. He literally has undiagnosed Ptsd. It would have been wrong to make him an outright villain. I'd say it is an appropriate view on how misplaced military aggression is handled. He also didn't get redeemed, he only got away with it and got pretty much dishonorably discharged from the military because of his military service. Nor is his story over yet.
I think it would have been interesting if Karli had rejected Sharon's "join me" offer and Sharon killed her before Sam showed up, passing it off as self defense. And/or Karli lives, having dirt on Sharon as the power broker, and having to deal with the can of worms she opened, maybe taking on the Nomad title?
Maybe it’s just me but I really like how Zemo was in this series. It feels like he’s moving along his character arc while still remaining consistent to who he used to be. He’s a new man in a lot of ways
@Megan Campbell He's definitely not just another rich dude with power. Being rich is just something added to his character in this show, the rest remains the same - he's calculating, smart, well-trained spec ops guy with a laser focus towards an agenda.
@Megan Campbell I get what you mean but consider this: he had enough resources in Civil War (not AoU) to hop from the States to Europe to Siberia to wherever else we were not shown and stay in seemingly expensive hotels. He definitely had enough intelligence about HYDRA, the CIA and the Sokovia Accords and to know which psychologist the would call for Bucky so he could impersonate him. Not to mention resources to buy an EMP, a bomb to blow up the UN in Vienna, prosthetics to look like Bucky and so on. I think it's more jarring in the show because we are told exactly how rich he is instead of what they subtly showed in Civil War.
@@Eleril I love it because it shows what kind of political power he stands to lose if the Flag Smashers got what they want. He thrives in the oppression and control of the lower class and believes that Super Humans can subvert the status quo because look at Cap and Spiderman, take their titles and suit and they still can pursue their goes. Dishonorably discharge someone and they have nothing
If they were going to be about The Blip, they deserved an entire flashback episode that would explain their pov. It was too hypothetical a motivation without seeing The Blip from their perspective.
YESSS. They kept saying things were better during the blip but like, really? How? They did what marvel loves to do - exposition. A lot of telling and not showing. I think it was a huge mistake the whole time heist thing in endgame and the movie not ending with them stopping the snap from ever happening, and this show really solidified that.
Problem is capitalism is at work, so if we want the real story from the Flag Smashers it would offend the executives and investors because of how real life shows despots seizing power during a crisis and the Blip would be an excuse to take away the rights of people
I really wanted Bucky to get a new identity, to embrace the White Wolf identity. I feel it could have been explored really easily with just a few small tweaks to current scenes and added a scene at the end, so that maybe the next thing can be Captain America and the White Wolf, instead of another Captain America and the Winter Soldier.
i'm not sure about white wolf, since that's essentially just a one-liner in terms of depth, but i agree that something to move away from being the winter soldier and symbolize how he's overcome that trauma would've been great
there's also power in reclaiming the Winter Soldier identity on his own terms. Nobody can hit him with the "you'll always be the Winter Soldier". But tbh I'm cool either way
Personally I want the character of Hunter to appear in Black panther, the adoptive brother of T’challa to be used as a showcase of how xenophobic Wakanda is and all the dark stuff that goes behind the scenes to keeping it safe, mixed in with some thriller elements with Hunter being Wakanda’s Boogey man/urban myth, The White Wolf.
Totally agree. They could have at least made it “Captain America and Bucky Barnes”. His therapy line at the beginning was literally “I am no longer the Winter Soldier, I am James Buchanan Barnes” 😂 I get the idea of him redefining the Winter Soldier title, but it would have been very cathartic to leave it behind
I really like the idea of Karli being less violent, and the Flag smashers becoming radicalized. It would have made them much more interesting, and shown how Walker's brute force approach might make sense on paper, but only leads to more conflict and chaos.
I would argue it's the opposite. The biggest problem with Karli is that we don't get any concrete idea of what her ideology is beyond "thing were better during the blip". What does she actually want? How would she handle the issue of half the population reappearing after five years and needing a place to go? That's never clarified, so it's kind of hard to say she has a point.
i'm always astounded by how quickly and how well you come up with these adjustments to improve stories. kevin feige should be scrambling for your phone number
To be fair, it can be a lot easier to come up with improvements to something that already exists than come up with them when the product isn’t even fully formed.
One thing that's always annoyed me about bucky is dat he is like them villains you get in a game that are so strong but as soon as you defeat them and get to use them they are so much weaker - he was a complete menace in TWS and should be finessing the flagsmashers 3 at a time especially with a VIBRANIUM arm
I mean, in TWS he abused of the surprise element and ambush tactics, besides having a small squad of goons to back him up. When we see him fighting up close with another super soldier for the first time he ends up being defeated. It makes sense that now, without those advantages, he would have a harder time. Also, considering his character arc, I think he's doing his best to avoid lethal force (like guns and knives), a preoccupation he didn't have before.
I don't buy the "he doesn't want to hurt anyone" explanation. Steve never wanted to hurt anyone, it never seemed to impact his fighting ability. The same could be said for most of the protagonists. I don't buy it that some untrained kid with a super soldier serum can go toe-to-toe with a similarly powered trained soldier with decades of experience.
I liked the Flag Smashers having a connection to the blip. Rather than just being a generic group of anarchist militants fighting for a world that MIGHT work and MIGHT be better, they're anarchist militants fighting for a world that DID work and WAS better. That's way, way more sympathetic to the average viewer, who when they think "anarchist" pictures the wasteland punks from Road Warrior. It also demonstrates the state of transition this world is in and gives a sense of consequence and worldbuilding to the recent movies.
I don't know if Walker is really redeemed by the end of the story, or if anyone in-universe thinks he is. We never see Sam or Bucky or anyone acknowledge him as redeemed; they just tolerate fighting alongside him in a stressful situation. He gets the US Agent suit from the Contessa, and we don't have any evidence that she's affiliated with the actual US government and no one from the government actually acknowledges him during the episode. BUT,,, BUT I think WALKER thinks he's been redeemed - he had his big "hero moment" (that doesn't really do anything), he "helped" stop the Flag Smashers, and didn't do anything "too bad". He has done just enough to make himself think that he's okay now, that he's made up for his action so that he doesn't have to really look at who he actually is as a person. Which will be an interesting launching point for whatever happens next with his character.
A lot of people stick on the idea that the Flagsmashers "think it was better during the blip." They lament the injustice that the people returning has brought, they talk about that a lot, but I'm pretty sure that they never literally say "it was better when everyone was dead." Their problem is in the fact that people are being harmed in the here-and-now, their problem is with powerful people like the GRC causing harm through their bad decisions. They don't attack people who returned to life or blame them for anything, they attack GRC officials, and they blame people in power. They never state that they have a problem with people returning to life. They definitely don't seek to return to the time when everyone was gone. They're not supportive of genocide, nor do they ever say "Thanos was right" or anything at all like that. The idea that they "think things were better during the blip" is attributed to them by Joaquin Torres , a member of the US military who is tracking them as wanted criminals. That's not representative of their actual ideology, it's a misunderstanding of it painted onto them by a political opponent who wants to lock them up.
Compelling vid. My one nitpick (not unlike your podcast which is great) is that the Blip is the biggest event humanity has ever experienced, period. Sam’s speech to the senators at the end of episode 6 about having a common struggle wouldn’t work there if the Flag Smashers aren’t tied to the blip. It’s the only event in human history that every single person on the planet has experienced, and any speech about refugees, or drug cartels, or whatever else, (while being incredibly importance to address in the real world and likely more directly relatable to our world) wouldn’t resonate with the people he’s speaking to like the blip does.
Bucky has definitely gotten nerfed ever since he reappears in Infinity War. One of his first moments in the Winter Soldier is catching the shield in mid-air without flinching, however John can throw the shield hard enough at Bucky to send him flying through the air, even tho he has a stronger arm.
i understood "better during the blip" as just meaning that during the blip the world didnt really have borders and that after it the borders came back, not that it was literally better during the blip
Walker to me was like Poindexter, a soldier beyond anything, but missing the morals of those heroes they resembled. Having Agent be portrayed as a real hero at the end of the season didn't feel as satisfying as opposed to him continuing his fall from grace and sticking to his own methods of getting the job done.
@@lexis4490 US Agent has always been an anti-hero, he kills to complete a mission in the name of Captain America. He's not a wild card, you literally know who he is if the writer would've done a better job at writing his character progression.
@@aqiel_leiqa Is the writer suppose to explain in one sentence who exactly the US Agent is, two seconds after he is given that name by the Val character? Had he fully become that character by the end of the season, where we see in him in action and being an anti-hero, that would've been too quick. He can't go through that whole progression in 6 episodes. That's why he was just merely introduced as that new version of his character. We haven't seen him in action yet, and it wouldn't make sense to just say plainly say who the US Agent is supposed to be. That's the kind of thing we will see unfold as his story continues. But it doesn't give off the sense that he's still a hero, just that he took on a new moniker, and we don't know what it means for him just yet.
Even though he fell from grace, that didn’t necessarily make him the bad guy. All he did was take revenge and lose his Captain America tank, he could still be a hero in many aspects
Except he wasn't being portrayed as a "real hero", what he got wasn't a full on magical redemption, John Walker was never someone in the story that was just pure evil, this was a man established as having worked in hostage rescue and has 3 Medals of Honor, him saving the truck full of hostages isn't a redemption, it's reaffirming traits that the show had already previously established that Walker wants to do the right thing, he just doesn't always have the right methods to do it.
One of my biggest nit picks is that becoming a super soldier feels really cheap. If all it takes is one shot and it doesn't physically make your muscles get swol at all, then we should clearly see that this isn't as powerful as the Steve Rodgers serum. Someone looking like a twig and being put on the same level as Steve in strength doesn't sit right.
This series was way too short. Six episodes are not enough for the development of the Flag Smashers + Bucky's recovery from cPTSD + the origin of Sam's Captain America identity etc etc...
Not to mention the whole other super soldier plot with Isaiah which felt like it could definitely have been fleshed out (and perhaps even hint at Eli's future role), maybe with some flashbacks (as they aged Isaiah's actor up for the role they could easily done this), the whole Sharon Power Broker thing, some more character development for Torres other than Sam just handing him the wings and being like, "You keep them", the whole Zemo mask thing (which felt like it was literally one scene they added so they could use it in the trailers). Too many ideas, not enough episodes.
If bucky doesnt have anymore issues with his past in the next movie show that will be unrealistic and i will agree with you but i doubt they would be this naive and sams last discourse let clear he is still creating his identity but the flag smashers plotline suffered a lot with little development tho
I'm glad you feel that way, but I honestly don't understand how you could think that season is perfect. It's just a retread of season 1 but with worse writing and worse cinematography.
Personally I really like John Walker going through a very slow redemption, cause I like to see people become better. But the way you have John be more Brutal with Sam being compassionate would be cool
He should have gone through a slow redemption. Not tryna to chop off falcons head one episode and then being buds with Bucky and making Lincoln jokes in the next one. There was only the truck scene that showed him change but his entire character changed in one scene.
@@bobsandwich3431 to be fair John never really went all completely evil, he went too far out of anger and killed a literal terrorist (which isn’t a bad thing, the way he did it in public was tho) and then defended himself, John messed up once and clearly regretted it. Him saving the truck instead of giving into rage like he did once is him learning from one mistake, he didn’t deserve to lose his rank although Sam did deserve to be the new cap instead of John.
Been having the same feeling about tying the blip to all of this. It actually came to mind when Sam tried to get the bank loan and again when he’s talking to the GRC. It probably needs to be addressed in a different show, but the Avengers reinserted nearly 4 billion people into the world in an instant, without consulting any governments about how reintegrating those people would be done. Does the world have the resources for those people? Food, shelter? How will it be distributed. Money? There’s a lot of minutiae, but the long & short of it is that they did the exact thing the Sokovia Accords were made for. Avengers do some world-altering event & just go home afterwards, leaving everyone else to deal with the aftermath, which is exactly how you get a group like the Flag Smashers formed. Awesome video like always.
One thing this change does from my perspective is that Sam couldn't say "don't call them terrorists" at the end of the finale because we have no example of why we shouldn't. If Karli doesn't start as a terrorist but ultimately someone who you can empathize with and understand then it invalidates the entire core message that we shouldn't use titles for people to get around issues because if we do then the issues will continue to cause terrorism/crime.
Another change I'd add: Have Sam declare "FALCON PUNCH!" when punching someone at least once (seriously, the reference is RIGHT there and no one ever has the idea to use it in spite of several movies and a whole series!)
Really great changes! I do think the blip could work well, however. It presents an interesting dilemma, like Tom Hanks coming home in Cast Away only to find his wife with another husband. The problem is that we are not shown the consequences of people coming back, and they are only really brought up too late in the series.
Also there is no nuance in the series they could had include some cut scenes of endgame with people happy to be back and to have people back sometimes it looks like people are shaming the ones that came back
Anyone think it’s nutty that Don Cheadle had the “and” credit for the series, and yet cameos in a single episode? I can’t help but feel that he was part of the mysterious cut plot, and salivate at the idea of cut Rhodey footage actually being out there, an entire War Machine sub plot that will never see the light of day.
War machine more than likely would’ve been working with John and Lemar and possibly sides with Sam and Bucky. I also wouldn’t have been surprised if his role in this show would’ve opened up lore and world building for the War Machine series as well.
As Rhodey works for the US Government anyway you'd think they'd have just asked him to replace Iron Man Another change I'd have made would be that Sam doesn't WILLINGLY surrender the shield. I'd have the government confiscate it. Say that they found some loophole that says the shield and Captain America name and brand etc belong to them so they come knocking on Sam's door with a warrant and take it off of him
I appreciate how you didn't just try to make the flagsmasher ideology evil, but instead chose to have Karli killed and the movement co-opted by Batroc and Sharon with their own interests and that is what drove the more violent side of it. It gets frustrating to watch the show sometimes when the people with the right ideas feel vilified for the sake of the show needing villains and I am glad you chose to take it in a different direction.
Potential alternate change regarding the 'redemption arc' for Walker: still let him decide to try and save the van rather than chase Carly, but have it be because he has noticed there are public with cameras/phones watching not because he suddenly wants to do the right thing. Maybe even throw in a line when Val talks to him and she suggests he might need to repair his public image in some way in order for him to be fully recruited.
Personally I thought that although Walker's redemption was abrupt, it kind of makes sense considering the fact that before the finale he got a job offer from Valentina. Walker was belittled by both Sam and Bucky, his best friend was killed, and he was disgraced by the government. Recieving a second chance to become a superhero likely uplifted his spirits prior to the events of the finale.
I definitely think that dude being a Captain America fan could've been set up in an earlier episode. It was really shallow characterization and it didn't really feel all that tragic cause we didn't know the guy. The most shocking part about that moment is just the idea of Captain America bashing someone to death in broad daylight like he's in a Snyder movie. I don't even remember if that guy had any lines in the series before that conversation with Carli.
Really? I honestly didn’t feel sorry for the guy. I mean walker went a little overboard but that dude actively contributed to the deaths of a lot of people. So him just being a “captain America” fan doesn’t make his death anymore important. Really it’s HOW he dies that is.
@@aMoodyHipster i think he had that line where he checks the computer and tells karli that people were onto them but that’s it if i remember. or maybe it was a different guy. that’s the problem. the only memorable flagsmashers really for me were karli and long hair dude
@@redgiant7747 What deaths did he actively contribute to? The show only tells us that the Flag Smashers are responsible for 3 deaths - and that was entirely Karli (the GRC supply depot bombing).
One super weird point for me in the finale is when Sam carries Karli's body down to the ambulance crew outside. Meanwhile, he leaves Sharon who has just been shot and is bleeding out to make her own way down. I get that Sam isn't happy that Sharon killed Karli before he could get through to her, but he doesn't know at this point that she's the Power Broker and engineered these events. He doesn't have our viewer insight into her motives yet he potentially leaves her to die while he carries the already dead Karli to the ambulances? I mean, Sharon saved Sam's life in exactly the same way back in Madripoor and he didn't seem to have any problem with her killing a bunch of people that time, but suddenly he's going to leave her to bleed and make her own way down? They clearly wrote the scene with the end goal of Sam delivering the dead Karli and launching into his speech and didn't think through what a real human would do in that situation (i.e. help his living friend) and it really took me out of the scene.
Now that would have made this perfect!! Leaning into Karli as a leader. A person who saw the closet thing to world peace in years and used the chance she got to make it like that again. She's like Steve, a person with no power gaining a chance and using it to its fullest to help others. Not to mention the showing of how movements for positive change get corrupted, twisted and destroyed by those in power to justify their actions.
One thing I strongly disagree with is Walker shouldn’t have been more brutal. I don’t think he should get a redemption, but Lamar and others constantly tell us that he’s a hero and I want us to see that he could have been
You do see that. When he saves those people at the end instead of going after morgenthau. He's the kind of character that's brutal and hot headed, but makes the right choice in the end.
Nando, I freaking love your changes, dude. For real. Lol Making Karli more sympathetic would have been a smarter move for sure. And I am VERY excited to see your video on John Walker. :) He has got to be one of the most compelling and well written antagonists we've gotten in the MCU. While it was nice to see that he wasn't COMPLETELY antagonistic near the end, a much more brutal Walker would definitely be more interesting. Maybe that's what we'll see more from him in the future.
I think the original plan was for Thadeus Ross to be The Powerbroker. Probably Torres was spying for him... But then the production decided to go with Sharon.
Thankyou for fixing one of the main reasons the show itself is hated. After all the TERRORISM that Karli and the Flag Smashers caused, Sam actually has the gall to say that they shouldn't be called terrorists in the final episode. Sam, the new Captain America, is unable to recognise terrorism apparently. They way you've written it, that makes sense, Batroc simply hijacked the movement for his own ends.
Why are the Flag Smashes not muscular when they take the Super Soldier serum? Isn't the whole point of the Super Soldier Serum to turn them into... "Super Soldiers"?
My headcanon is that cause the world was at its worst during the blip, the world actually joined together, no borders, no countries. However when everyone came back it went back to normal, now I recognise that they never really bring this up, but i think if they were to tweak some things, they could very well make that story line
I really liked the building of the movement idea. I agree with your last video that the flag smashers seemed to just be escalading in urgency without any reason in the narrative until the literal last ep.
its a pure councidence that you made this video after I was up all noght thinking about some of the misses that the Flag Smasher storyline has. Great job on these changes btw!
Uhhh John Walker. We’re missing MAJOR character elements his supposed “worst day ever” as a combat soldier. Throughout the show we see these odds close-ups of John that don’t really go anywhere or make coherent sense to his character’s feelings. I think if we saw a PTSD event with John it would make more sense that A.) he cares for Lamar and B.) suffers from his trauma. Doing so would have made the show, a show based on the mantle of Cap’s legacy, so much better and would’ve added depth to the MCU.
Seriously we see the camera get super close and he looks like he's having ptsd but we don't see him say it and we don't even know why. We're supposed to assume army stuff I guess. Should have had worst day ever like u said
@@bobsandwich3431 I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed those. I was thinking maybe I was over analyzing those specific shots. Lol although it seems the shot selection is purposely done. We are just missing those context clues. It’s a shame. I never liked or cared for Walker the character. But by the end of the series I wanted more out of him.
I gotta disagree here about Batroc being the guy. It should have been *Zemo* manipulating them into further extremism to accomplish his own goals: making them a target to be destroyed, putting them in the line of fire to be destroyed, and perhaps trying to get Walker killed in the crossfire too. Maybe even the Dora Milaje. Perhaps as well write in a meaningful reason for him to despise the GRC. Zemo is a mastermind who should have been using all his enemies to try and wipe each other out with him coming out on top.
I kind of agree with your second point but I think them already being formed is nice because it gives precedent for the theory that they are former members of sky / daisies organization from agents of shield. and for the first point I think it's nice that we got a something realistic blip-related that talked about the state of the MCU during the blip, I think we should have gotten a movie in between Infinity war and endgame that takes place during the blip and shows that stuff does actually get better because of it which gives precedent that Thanos was right, but I think this works too
Best explanation for why the flag smashers have such a dumb name: it actually sounds cool, but the phrase originated in a different language and the English translation is dumb
i think the blip worked well, but only in sam's speech at the end, where he compares it to the amount of power the governments are wielding over peoples' lives trying to correct the blip. the introduction to karli's point of view should've been that the blip is an opportunity to move past the corrupt parts of the old world order i also think killing off karli to just replace her with an evil guy is a bit lazy. it doesn't jive with the theme of sam's speech, that they should try to understand why people go to such extreme lengths, if you just replace them with an unsympathetic character to escalate the situation instead i think killing karli's SO and losing the angel on her shoulder would work much better, both because it foreshadows what she will do next through parallels with walker, for whom lamar was also the angel on his shoulder, and because it demonstrates on a personal level that violent means will always have collateral that leads to more violence the whole sharon power broker thing shouldn't have been a thing. it did nothing for the story and would've needed much more time to flesh out properly. zemo was great, but they could have gotten what they needed out of him narratively from a simple jail visit.
I though sharon was there to remind people of peggys( a woman) role in america hsitory as they did with isaiah( a Black person) another example of the people karli points out they erased in history but one of them turn evil because they were neglejected but it was not developted well and i thing they noticed because there is no peggy memorial at captain america museum and i really though sam would make one like they did to isaiah i think they should do as loki and cut the story it in half and have a second season maybe give bucky the shield at the end of season one as a twist until the second season finale when sam actually become captain america
I'd really like to hear what you have to say about Walker. After the finale, I'm still a little confused on how the show wants us to see him since his 'redemption' was walked back with the U.S. Agent reveal.
I think the whole point was that it wasn't a redemption. If he's still gonna be the US Agent, he isn't the least bit redeemed. Had he been everyone in the show would've given him back what they took away. He just was never totally evil, which is why he saved those people.
That's the whole point. His "redemption" wasn't really a redemption, it just showed us that he's not a total bad guy, even lamar said he makes the right decisions in the heat of moment. He's supposed to be ambigous.
i agree that the flagsmasher that walker kills should have been one with a relationship with karli. i feel like they added in that stuff with the flagsmasher that ended up dying adoring captain america just to make it more impactful, but they didn't need that to make it impactful, they could've just done the one karli was closest to
I don't think usagent has been redeemed, since he's working for the clearly evil lady, he's just been given depth. It was weird that the boys didn't say anything when he showed up though.
This is once again great. I really wish someone could remake all the MCU films and shows with your changes, they’re great! Marvel Studios really needs to hire you.
I was so confused as to what Carly goal was and I believe that was a pandemic thing because it was such a bizarre choice that they tired to remedy in episode 4 but didn’t really work with Sam telling buck that he understands Carly’s stance. They really just needed a flashback of the world during the blip outside of what we saw in endgame because that was such an interesting concept of the world having to move on Thanos, it made sense to tie it together but they fell through on why they were tie the two together
If Walker had gotten off, regardless of the video evidence, that would have been a realistic, harsh event that everyone would have to deal with in their own way
I thought that walker being redeemed just happened to happen because his character was being consistent. With his willing to save the innocent being consistent to what we learn about him in episode 2
@@Champsr0ck2247 That's the thing, his character is meant to be awkward. John Walker is a grey character. He does things that normal Captain America wouldn't. They even say that at the end when he becomes the US Agent. It's supposed to be awkward in a sense.
@@ComicDan That's not what I meant as it being awkward. His character is awkward, yes. But his redemption was awkward since it felt too fast especially when he narratively dug himself a hole last episode.
@@Champsr0ck2247 I think the problem is you keep trying to describe it as a redemption. But it's not a redemption because in the eyes of many Walker didn't do anything wrong.
@@Champsr0ck2247 Yeah dude this show also triess to make us sympathize with the terrorists and even tells us not to call them terrorists. Just because they write it doesn't mean we agree with it.
I definitely didn't like Walker getting redeemed. Felt like we were missing a scene that would have led to make it make sense. I think all the issues coulda been fixed if we had 8 episodes so there could be more connecting scenes to get us where we need
I feel like every change Nando proposes always feels too real and close to home. I like the mcu world being different from our own. I watch these movies to escape to a far cooler world rather than be reminded of the depressing one we already live in.
I disagree with not needing the snap as a motive. Using it gets rid of the "why now" question. What is the inciting incident that drives Karli to act? And while I like showing the rise of the Flag Smashers from nothing, it does prompt the question of how this young girl got the super soldier serum from Sharon in the first place. We also have that question here too, but starting in the middle of the story, it's easier to accept it. I absolutely love the idea of having Karli be the one Walker kills, and everything you set up after that. I agree he shouldn't have gotten the little redemption he did. Having the group break down as a result of her death & exploitation by Batrok makes so much more sense. And it would makes her character much more an anti-villain, in a morally grey area. Seriously, DC, drop Snyder and hire Nando.
Such a nice video Nando. It really sounds great your version of the story. I hope that if this show gets a season 2, they could fill the plot holes left in S1.
To be honest, i think the flag smashers needed more development, but i still prefer the version of the show to your idea this time. It was very surprising to me that after Karli had destroyed the building and killed people, Sam still thought: She CAN be reasoned with. It's usually a moment for the audience to say: they are cruel and beyond redemption, and then Sam goes like: No, there is still a chance for them. It elevates Sam's character for me. Also, the death of Karli at that moment is what really makes the speech impacftul for me, and i think that speech was PERFECT. Agree with Walker tho, i don't think he is redeemed, but i didn't like him saving the van.
something that kind of worries me about the portrayal of the flag smashers is that the show kind of uses them as an “i agree with your motives, not your tactics”, anti violence moment. especially in how the show explores issues of racism, it can very easily be spun into an anti blm riot message. i’ve heard so many people talk about how the show proves that “you don’t need violence to get your message across”, completely ignoring the fact that sam was already in a position of power and influence, whereas karli was not. i really likes your rewrite of the flag smashers and the fact that it didn’t conflate their motives with their violence. i also liked how you didn’t try to make john likeable.
Absolutely agree. Not only is Sam already in a position of power and influence, he literally bookends the show with acts of violence and he's applauded for it because he's the protagonist. The subtle subtext here seems to be that violent acts conducted by those in authority are fine, while those without authority need to seek non-violent methods of change, which is basically just a pro status-quo line, even while the show clearly skirts around the idea that the status-quo is bad.
Not feeling that first point. The fact that The Blip happened gives the Flag Smashers credibility (and makes Thanos an even doper villain in hindsight). It was a difficult time for the world, but many people’s lives improved. And now society wants to put the needy back on the bottom of the totem pole. As is, the Flag Smashers are fighting for what the GRC is trying to take from them. They’re fighting got what they had gained during the 5 years. If their grievances aren’t connected to the Blip, the Flag Smashers are fighting for what seems like a fantasy (One World, One People)
They should have made both of them Captain America. I mean, Bucky had built a friendship with Wakanda, they gave him a metal arm, why not a new shield? I just don’t understand why they kept Buck as Winter Soldier when he has literally spent the last several movies trying to make up for the fact that he was the Winter Soldier. He no longer wants to be known as the Winter Soldier, so I feel like it would have been the perfect opportunity to make him Captain America. Like, there can be two captain Americas. There’s two Spidermen, several Captain Marvels, two Wolverines, there’s been a ton of Black Panthers, there’s already been three Captain America’s in the movies(even more in the comics), and in Dc there’s Three Flashes, a whole corps of Green Lanterns, several Robins, several Batgirls, two Supermen, two Superboys, am I missing anyone? Probably
I'm not a fan of "Sharon" in the show. I know it's been years since Civil War, but her behavior seems too out of character. Are we supposed to believe that Steve Rogers didn't spend those five years trying to get everyone that helped him pardoned? That Steve didn't try to find Sharon and get her to come back. No. We know how loyal Steve is, and that he wouldn't give up on Sharon.
@@MrAsaqe Why tho? It was only a year or two from Civil War to the Blip, how and why did she go from giving a speech about standing up for what’s right in the face of adversity to being a ruthless criminal in such a short time? She clearly wanted that pardon, why not reach out to Cap and friends sooner rather than roughing it in Generic Ethnic Slum Town, Ambiguously Asian flavors (aka Madripoor)?
@@thelittleredhairedgirlfrom6527 A year in jail or on the run can change a person pretty badly, it breaks their belief in the system to watch as the accords get passed anyway. She also was living under the shadow of the Carter name, an aunt who was Steve's one true love and her uncle who was one of the worst monsters. It would make sense for Sharon to fall and become the Power Broker (but then again, the scumbag senator would suffice, but gotta genderflip every Marvel Villain you can't raceflip)
Why is it called "Falcon and the Winter Soldier"? Shouldn't be called "Falcon and Bucky"? Isn't the whole point about Bucky's character is that he's NOT the Winter Soldier anymore?? And that Bucky's trying to put that behind him.
Black Widow was an assassin name, but Natasha kept it. Bucky can simply make his name "The Winter Soldier" (an assassin) to a superhero. Hope his superhero name isn't "The White Wolf."
I disagree with the first point. It makes perfect sense to me why they related it to the blip. I mean think about what it would be like in the real world if what happened in IW and Endgame happened irl. The entire world would change forever and there would be a million issues that would be created by it. I dont think the MCU should just ignore it, they should keep using it as a storytelling device because it would make sense
I like this, but I think something is still missing. You've better built up Karli and the Flag Smashers, but we also need to see a build up of their antagonist, the GRC, and their goals/motives.
think you've got the character of walker wrong. he was cheering like a kid after he was given the title of "us agent". he needs to be a soldier and the serum made him more of a soldier. he needs to be told who are the "they" vs who are the "us". the hostages were part of the "us", so saving them was the correct thing. he's essentially lawful neutral. he just needs orders from something larger than him.
4:21 Borders loosened, people and goods were able to freely move across the world, more opportunity to jobs, and the world came together to face a collective trauma.
As you mentioned, the Flag Smashers presented the perfect opportunity to actually show us the time before the blip. They mention it so much, but really could've used even just a 5 minute flashback scene somewhere actually showing it so we could better connect with their motivations. I hope something eventually shows us pieces of that 5 year time period, but it is what it is. I'd say the show was otherwise very great.
Please please PLEASE make the video about why John should be a full fledged villain. I had the same thoughts. I’d love the characters if they weren’t trying to MAKE ME love him.
Change 3: so basically flag smashers goes from fight club to project mayhem. It goes out of control and the movement has grown surprisingly huge. Love it.
Flag Smashers needed so much more context to their motives and characteristics.
just like their real world counterparts they don't have any motives or characteristics, they just make assumptions without information and wage war based on their ignorance.
@@jypsridic are you implying that anarchism, an ideology with hundreds of years of established theory, philosophy and thought has “no motives or characteristics” and “wages war based on ignorance?” If so I think you should perhaps do a minimal amount of research in the subject. You don’t have to agree with anarchism, I personally don’t, but I also know that it is far from an ignorant ideology.
@@dylanneal1389 it doesn't even have to be anarchism necessarily; plenty of academic thought has been dedicated to a whole spectrum of different border systems, including no borders. of course, these are also extremely easy subjects to strawman as ignorant fantasies by entrenched institutions and the people who buy into them. kind of funny how there are parallels between sam's speech and what is happening here
Their motives made enough sense. My problem is...WHAT WAS THEIR PLAN?!?!
Apparently there was a narrative about a virus, that’s what the vaccines were for and how that old lady died, but after the pandemic they got rid of the virus stuff
I think this show just suffered from being too short. Had it been longer, a lot of these points could’ve been done really well.
Absolutely.
The budget they'd need haha! Could have been 16 eps easy. I'd prefer the same amount of expensive action scenes as we got but spread over more episodes too
The show should've had the same number of episodes as WandaVision: 9.
Totally agree. Marvel wants all the shows to be the same length and that does not work at all bc every story is different. This should have been 8-10 eps.
th-cam.com/video/_mUOt86AGSE/w-d-xo.html What if The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was a Movie
If not a slow build for the formation of the Flag-Smashers, I wouldn't mind a "Copperhead" episode for Karli on how she became radicalized, preferably after Walker smashed her compatriot's head in. They could also do a B-story on Walker's background on what happened in Afghanistan that parallels with Karli's story and how trauma can affect two different people similarly but end up with very different endpoints.
I agree. I think they needed a dedicated episode.
WOW awesome points !!!
They had to walk a real fine line with Walker and Lamar since they were talking about things they did while in the US military in an active war zone. I would have liked to know what they did too but Marvel’s partnership with the real US military probably stopped them from doing anything besides pointedly saying that John and Lamar personally did bad things overseas (geez history repeating itself)
@@gateauxq4604 They could play up the moral greyness that is inherent in many military based shows. You don't need to show literal war crimes, just the moral conflict that Walker had and how he had to balance that with his duties as a soldier. Play up the trauma themes so we can sympathize with Walker so that we the audience can feel conflicted as to whether to root for him or villainize him.
A flashback for Walker wouldve been awesome. What made the government chose him. Wouldve been super interesting.
I remember literally yelling at my TV during the flagsmasher scenes: "WHAT ARE YOU?"
"DO YOU CARE ABOUT PEOPLE OR DON'T YOU? STOP SWITCHING BETWEEN THE TWO AND THINKING THAT MAKES YOU LOOK NUANCED!"
Your version definitely sounds more coherent and has an arc to it
That Justin Hammer cos-play was seriously tight and underrated.
Just like the character
Deze comment: zeer underrated
Underrated character. Hopefully he'll return in Armor Wars.
@@heyheyronn The Ex-Wife: Mark II.
The cosplay is completely elegant and bafflingly beautiful
I definetely felt the Walker arc was missing one beat between his demotion and his redemption and I am glad to see I am not the only one who noticed
I still didn't see it as a redemption. At least not in any official sense. Maybe, in his mind, a personal second chance. But nothing that was taken from him as a result of his actions was given back to him after he helped stop the flagsmashers. So I don't think it was enough to call it redemption.
@@AGEE_95 Same, though I want to also put out that I liked that it didn't completely villainize someone suffering from PTSD and still has issues and that he still is a person who wants to do right. Just like Thunderbolt Ross Walker is an Antagonist and not a villain. (at least in the MCU)
I disagree, with the idea that walker was ever 'redeemed'-he always represented what the government would want from a super soldier - killing terrorists and saving politicians are both traits of this original character. He has simply moved on from his cloud of rage after the loss of his best friend, and he fought bucky and Sam out of fear - a fear that he had lost the only thing he had left, the title of a hero, which he earned in the military with lemar and which was clearly too much weight for him to live up to in the end. Him being us agent isn't a redemption, but him fitting into where he belongs, not the hero he was told he was, but the soldier he always has been.
it was kinda weird, especially in how it ties into the themes of race and racism in this show, how walker, who was obviously meant to be a stand-in for a cop, was given redemption. he, a government agent, murdered an innocent and all he got was a demotion. when i saw that happen, i was hoping that they could use it as an allegory for police brutality (a topic that is especially important as of the past year) and tie it in to the shows overall theme of race. but no, he just stood against the “bad guys” and now the director said that we’re supposed to like him.
@@chloe-qs7ue he's not a cop he's a soldier, who I think do deserve more sympathy than cops do. He literally has undiagnosed Ptsd. It would have been wrong to make him an outright villain. I'd say it is an appropriate view on how misplaced military aggression is handled. He also didn't get redeemed, he only got away with it and got pretty much dishonorably discharged from the military because of his military service. Nor is his story over yet.
I think it would have been interesting if Karli had rejected Sharon's "join me" offer and Sharon killed her before Sam showed up, passing it off as self defense. And/or Karli lives, having dirt on Sharon as the power broker, and having to deal with the can of worms she opened, maybe taking on the Nomad title?
Maybe it’s just me but I really like how Zemo was in this series. It feels like he’s moving along his character arc while still remaining consistent to who he used to be. He’s a new man in a lot of ways
You’re definitely not alone. Zemo is awesome
@Megan Campbell He's definitely not just another rich dude with power. Being rich is just something added to his character in this show, the rest remains the same - he's calculating, smart, well-trained spec ops guy with a laser focus towards an agenda.
@Megan Campbell I get what you mean but consider this: he had enough resources in Civil War (not AoU) to hop from the States to Europe to Siberia to wherever else we were not shown and stay in seemingly expensive hotels. He definitely had enough intelligence about HYDRA, the CIA and the Sokovia Accords and to know which psychologist the would call for Bucky so he could impersonate him. Not to mention resources to buy an EMP, a bomb to blow up the UN in Vienna, prosthetics to look like Bucky and so on.
I think it's more jarring in the show because we are told exactly how rich he is instead of what they subtly showed in Civil War.
@@Eleril I love it because it shows what kind of political power he stands to lose if the Flag Smashers got what they want. He thrives in the oppression and control of the lower class and believes that Super Humans can subvert the status quo because look at Cap and Spiderman, take their titles and suit and they still can pursue their goes. Dishonorably discharge someone and they have nothing
If they were going to be about The Blip, they deserved an entire flashback episode that would explain their pov. It was too hypothetical a motivation without seeing The Blip from their perspective.
YESSS. They kept saying things were better during the blip but like, really? How? They did what marvel loves to do - exposition. A lot of telling and not showing. I think it was a huge mistake the whole time heist thing in endgame and the movie not ending with them stopping the snap from ever happening, and this show really solidified that.
Problem is capitalism is at work, so if we want the real story from the Flag Smashers it would offend the executives and investors because of how real life shows despots seizing power during a crisis and the Blip would be an excuse to take away the rights of people
I really wanted Bucky to get a new identity, to embrace the White Wolf identity. I feel it could have been explored really easily with just a few small tweaks to current scenes and added a scene at the end, so that maybe the next thing can be Captain America and the White Wolf, instead of another Captain America and the Winter Soldier.
i'm not sure about white wolf, since that's essentially just a one-liner in terms of depth, but i agree that something to move away from being the winter soldier and symbolize how he's overcome that trauma would've been great
there's also power in reclaiming the Winter Soldier identity on his own terms. Nobody can hit him with the "you'll always be the Winter Soldier". But tbh I'm cool either way
Personally I want the character of Hunter to appear in Black panther, the adoptive brother of T’challa to be used as a showcase of how xenophobic Wakanda is and all the dark stuff that goes behind the scenes to keeping it safe, mixed in with some thriller elements with Hunter being Wakanda’s Boogey man/urban myth, The White Wolf.
Totally agree. They could have at least made it “Captain America and Bucky Barnes”. His therapy line at the beginning was literally “I am no longer the Winter Soldier, I am James Buchanan Barnes” 😂 I get the idea of him redefining the Winter Soldier title, but it would have been very cathartic to leave it behind
It is tough because there are comics of him being amazing hero as the Winter Soldier.
I like Point Three because it is very on brand for Captain AMERICA to remove a non-American leader by force only to have it make everything worse.
+
-See the US government assassinating MLK
@@aidanpowell9143 Or any of the CIA assassinations of democratically elected leaders in South America and Africa.
@@aidanpowell9143 was this a recent development?
how is that on brand for captain america
I really like the idea of Karli being less violent, and the Flag smashers becoming radicalized.
It would have made them much more interesting, and shown how Walker's brute force approach might make sense on paper, but only leads to more conflict and chaos.
Karli needed some kind of dialogue that wasn't just explaining her ideology or reminiscing about a dead lady we never met
i think she does get some tho, like when we learn she wanted to be a teacher after the whole flag smashers thing was through
I would argue it's the opposite. The biggest problem with Karli is that we don't get any concrete idea of what her ideology is beyond "thing were better during the blip". What does she actually want? How would she handle the issue of half the population reappearing after five years and needing a place to go? That's never clarified, so it's kind of hard to say she has a point.
i'm always astounded by how quickly and how well you come up with these adjustments to improve stories. kevin feige should be scrambling for your phone number
To be fair, it can be a lot easier to come up with improvements to something that already exists than come up with them when the product isn’t even fully formed.
One thing that's always annoyed me about bucky is dat he is like them villains you get in a game that are so strong but as soon as you defeat them and get to use them they are so much weaker - he was a complete menace in TWS and should be finessing the flagsmashers 3 at a time especially with a VIBRANIUM arm
I mean, in TWS he abused of the surprise element and ambush tactics, besides having a small squad of goons to back him up. When we see him fighting up close with another super soldier for the first time he ends up being defeated. It makes sense that now, without those advantages, he would have a harder time. Also, considering his character arc, I think he's doing his best to avoid lethal force (like guns and knives), a preoccupation he didn't have before.
He doesn’t want to hurt people. If he was fighting robots he would be smashing people but he doesn’t want to act like Winter Soldier anymore.
I don't buy the "he doesn't want to hurt anyone" explanation. Steve never wanted to hurt anyone, it never seemed to impact his fighting ability. The same could be said for most of the protagonists. I don't buy it that some untrained kid with a super soldier serum can go toe-to-toe with a similarly powered trained soldier with decades of experience.
Yes, Bucky was under powered in this series. He should have been stronger, faster, better.
Well he doesnt want to be so lethal anymore but i also had a bit of this impression maybe with time he can learn to use more of his old power
I liked the Flag Smashers having a connection to the blip. Rather than just being a generic group of anarchist militants fighting for a world that MIGHT work and MIGHT be better, they're anarchist militants fighting for a world that DID work and WAS better. That's way, way more sympathetic to the average viewer, who when they think "anarchist" pictures the wasteland punks from Road Warrior. It also demonstrates the state of transition this world is in and gives a sense of consequence and worldbuilding to the recent movies.
I don't know if Walker is really redeemed by the end of the story, or if anyone in-universe thinks he is. We never see Sam or Bucky or anyone acknowledge him as redeemed; they just tolerate fighting alongside him in a stressful situation. He gets the US Agent suit from the Contessa, and we don't have any evidence that she's affiliated with the actual US government and no one from the government actually acknowledges him during the episode. BUT,,,
BUT I think WALKER thinks he's been redeemed - he had his big "hero moment" (that doesn't really do anything), he "helped" stop the Flag Smashers, and didn't do anything "too bad". He has done just enough to make himself think that he's okay now, that he's made up for his action so that he doesn't have to really look at who he actually is as a person. Which will be an interesting launching point for whatever happens next with his character.
A lot of people stick on the idea that the Flagsmashers "think it was better during the blip." They lament the injustice that the people returning has brought, they talk about that a lot, but I'm pretty sure that they never literally say "it was better when everyone was dead."
Their problem is in the fact that people are being harmed in the here-and-now, their problem is with powerful people like the GRC causing harm through their bad decisions. They don't attack people who returned to life or blame them for anything, they attack GRC officials, and they blame people in power. They never state that they have a problem with people returning to life.
They definitely don't seek to return to the time when everyone was gone. They're not supportive of genocide, nor do they ever say "Thanos was right" or anything at all like that. The idea that they "think things were better during the blip" is attributed to them by Joaquin Torres , a member of the US military who is tracking them as wanted criminals. That's not representative of their actual ideology, it's a misunderstanding of it painted onto them by a political opponent who wants to lock them up.
Compelling vid. My one nitpick (not unlike your podcast which is great) is that the Blip is the biggest event humanity has ever experienced, period. Sam’s speech to the senators at the end of episode 6 about having a common struggle wouldn’t work there if the Flag Smashers aren’t tied to the blip. It’s the only event in human history that every single person on the planet has experienced, and any speech about refugees, or drug cartels, or whatever else, (while being incredibly importance to address in the real world and likely more directly relatable to our world) wouldn’t resonate with the people he’s speaking to like the blip does.
Bucky has definitely gotten nerfed ever since he reappears in Infinity War. One of his first moments in the Winter Soldier is catching the shield in mid-air without flinching, however John can throw the shield hard enough at Bucky to send him flying through the air, even tho he has a stronger arm.
i understood "better during the blip" as just meaning that during the blip the world didnt really have borders and that after it the borders came back, not that it was literally better during the blip
I don't think so. Don't sound real.
The reality is a little different.
@@SrVictorDawn what
@@ttm77777 dont have borders is difficult to believe there really were no borders at all
Walker to me was like Poindexter, a soldier beyond anything, but missing the morals of those heroes they resembled. Having Agent be portrayed as a real hero at the end of the season didn't feel as satisfying as opposed to him continuing his fall from grace and sticking to his own methods of getting the job done.
I only disagree because this makes him a wild card. You don’t know if this guy helps or will be problematic.
@@lexis4490 US Agent has always been an anti-hero, he kills to complete a mission in the name of Captain America. He's not a wild card, you literally know who he is if the writer would've done a better job at writing his character progression.
@@aqiel_leiqa Is the writer suppose to explain in one sentence who exactly the US Agent is, two seconds after he is given that name by the Val character? Had he fully become that character by the end of the season, where we see in him in action and being an anti-hero, that would've been too quick. He can't go through that whole progression in 6 episodes. That's why he was just merely introduced as that new version of his character. We haven't seen him in action yet, and it wouldn't make sense to just say plainly say who the US Agent is supposed to be. That's the kind of thing we will see unfold as his story continues. But it doesn't give off the sense that he's still a hero, just that he took on a new moniker, and we don't know what it means for him just yet.
Even though he fell from grace, that didn’t necessarily make him the bad guy. All he did was take revenge and lose his Captain America tank, he could still be a hero in many aspects
Except he wasn't being portrayed as a "real hero", what he got wasn't a full on magical redemption, John Walker was never someone in the story that was just pure evil, this was a man established as having worked in hostage rescue and has 3 Medals of Honor, him saving the truck full of hostages isn't a redemption, it's reaffirming traits that the show had already previously established that Walker wants to do the right thing, he just doesn't always have the right methods to do it.
One of my biggest nit picks is that becoming a super soldier feels really cheap. If all it takes is one shot and it doesn't physically make your muscles get swol at all, then we should clearly see that this isn't as powerful as the Steve Rodgers serum. Someone looking like a twig and being put on the same level as Steve in strength doesn't sit right.
That third change is Literally the best rewrite for anything on TH-cam. Brilliant.
This series was way too short. Six episodes are not enough for the development of the Flag Smashers + Bucky's recovery from cPTSD + the origin of Sam's Captain America identity etc etc...
Not to mention the whole other super soldier plot with Isaiah which felt like it could definitely have been fleshed out (and perhaps even hint at Eli's future role), maybe with some flashbacks (as they aged Isaiah's actor up for the role they could easily done this), the whole Sharon Power Broker thing, some more character development for Torres other than Sam just handing him the wings and being like, "You keep them", the whole Zemo mask thing (which felt like it was literally one scene they added so they could use it in the trailers). Too many ideas, not enough episodes.
If bucky doesnt have anymore issues with his past in the next movie show that will be unrealistic and i will agree with you but i doubt they would be this naive and sams last discourse let clear he is still creating his identity but the flag smashers plotline suffered a lot with little development tho
@@TheDelinear would love Isaiahs flashbacks and more context to zemos mask
Season 3 of Daredevil is a flawless and perfect masterpiece
you spelled Season 1, wrong
Except he doesn't use uniformg e uniform
th-cam.com/video/enSTFwd9TxA/w-d-xo.html
I'm glad you feel that way, but I honestly don't understand how you could think that season is perfect. It's just a retread of season 1 but with worse writing and worse cinematography.
Complete. Comprehensive. It CAPTURES the blind-lawyer experience.
You're my new best friend for saying Speed Racer was perfect
I feel like I should watch speed racer for some reason
@@davidgalloway9472 Because it's perfect.
I love Speed Racer as a movie, it has a great Videogame movie tie in too
One of two things I agreed with in this whole video.
Personally I really like John Walker going through a very slow redemption, cause I like to see people become better. But the way you have John be more Brutal with Sam being compassionate would be cool
He should have gone through a slow redemption. Not tryna to chop off falcons head one episode and then being buds with Bucky and making Lincoln jokes in the next one. There was only the truck scene that showed him change but his entire character changed in one scene.
I still think people shouldn’t be surprised if he snaps.
@@bobsandwich3431 Falcon attacked him in that scene, it was self defense.
@@bobsandwich3431 ya I really think this show could of benefitted from another episode to focus on Johns redemption and maybe Karli too
@@bobsandwich3431 to be fair John never really went all completely evil, he went too far out of anger and killed a literal terrorist (which isn’t a bad thing, the way he did it in public was tho) and then defended himself, John messed up once and clearly regretted it. Him saving the truck instead of giving into rage like he did once is him learning from one mistake, he didn’t deserve to lose his rank although Sam did deserve to be the new cap instead of John.
Been having the same feeling about tying the blip to all of this. It actually came to mind when Sam tried to get the bank loan and again when he’s talking to the GRC.
It probably needs to be addressed in a different show, but the Avengers reinserted nearly 4 billion people into the world in an instant, without consulting any governments about how reintegrating those people would be done. Does the world have the resources for those people? Food, shelter? How will it be distributed. Money?
There’s a lot of minutiae, but the long & short of it is that they did the exact thing the Sokovia Accords were made for. Avengers do some world-altering event & just go home afterwards, leaving everyone else to deal with the aftermath, which is exactly how you get a group like the Flag Smashers formed.
Awesome video like always.
One thing this change does from my perspective is that Sam couldn't say "don't call them terrorists" at the end of the finale because we have no example of why we shouldn't. If Karli doesn't start as a terrorist but ultimately someone who you can empathize with and understand then it invalidates the entire core message that we shouldn't use titles for people to get around issues because if we do then the issues will continue to cause terrorism/crime.
Another change I'd add: Have Sam declare "FALCON PUNCH!" when punching someone at least once (seriously, the reference is RIGHT there and no one ever has the idea to use it in spite of several movies and a whole series!)
They DID reference Captain Falcon, after Sam drops off Karli's dead body
Really great changes! I do think the blip could work well, however. It presents an interesting dilemma, like Tom Hanks coming home in Cast Away only to find his wife with another husband. The problem is that we are not shown the consequences of people coming back, and they are only really brought up too late in the series.
Also there is no nuance in the series they could had include some cut scenes of endgame with people happy to be back and to have people back sometimes it looks like people are shaming the ones that came back
0:40 I was just listening to the video, and thought Nando was saying “Cats (the movie) was perfect”
Yeah that's the joke
I thought so too
Ah jeez, how do i delete my comment....
On my screen there's a comment right above yours saying that Cats (2019) is perfect while using the same timestamp as you 😂
Anyone think it’s nutty that Don Cheadle had the “and” credit for the series, and yet cameos in a single episode? I can’t help but feel that he was part of the mysterious cut plot, and salivate at the idea of cut Rhodey footage actually being out there, an entire War Machine sub plot that will never see the light of day.
War machine more than likely would’ve been working with John and Lemar and possibly sides with Sam and Bucky. I also wouldn’t have been surprised if his role in this show would’ve opened up lore and world building for the War Machine series as well.
As Rhodey works for the US Government anyway you'd think they'd have just asked him to replace Iron Man
Another change I'd have made would be that Sam doesn't WILLINGLY surrender the shield. I'd have the government confiscate it. Say that they found some loophole that says the shield and Captain America name and brand etc belong to them so they come knocking on Sam's door with a warrant and take it off of him
0:40 I agree, Cats (2019) *is* perfect
*purrfect
I appreciate how you didn't just try to make the flagsmasher ideology evil, but instead chose to have Karli killed and the movement co-opted by Batroc and Sharon with their own interests and that is what drove the more violent side of it. It gets frustrating to watch the show sometimes when the people with the right ideas feel vilified for the sake of the show needing villains and I am glad you chose to take it in a different direction.
Potential alternate change regarding the 'redemption arc' for Walker: still let him decide to try and save the van rather than chase Carly, but have it be because he has noticed there are public with cameras/phones watching not because he suddenly wants to do the right thing. Maybe even throw in a line when Val talks to him and she suggests he might need to repair his public image in some way in order for him to be fully recruited.
That makes so much sense, the cameras would also tie it to the scene where he killed the one flagsmasher and a bunch of people were recording him
Personally I thought that although Walker's redemption was abrupt, it kind of makes sense considering the fact that before the finale he got a job offer from Valentina. Walker was belittled by both Sam and Bucky, his best friend was killed, and he was disgraced by the government. Recieving a second chance to become a superhero likely uplifted his spirits prior to the events of the finale.
Walker saving the van made sense for him, but it was the buddy buddy stuff that felt kinda wonky
The death was impactful especially since he used to be a captain america fan
Okay, then long-haired guy can be a Cap fan in Nando's version.
I definitely think that dude being a Captain America fan could've been set up in an earlier episode. It was really shallow characterization and it didn't really feel all that tragic cause we didn't know the guy. The most shocking part about that moment is just the idea of Captain America bashing someone to death in broad daylight like he's in a Snyder movie. I don't even remember if that guy had any lines in the series before that conversation with Carli.
Really? I honestly didn’t feel sorry for the guy. I mean walker went a little overboard but that dude actively contributed to the deaths of a lot of people. So him just being a “captain America” fan doesn’t make his death anymore important. Really it’s HOW he dies that is.
@@aMoodyHipster i think he had that line where he checks the computer and tells karli that people were onto them but that’s it if i remember. or maybe it was a different guy. that’s the problem. the only memorable flagsmashers really for me were karli and long hair dude
@@redgiant7747 What deaths did he actively contribute to? The show only tells us that the Flag Smashers are responsible for 3 deaths - and that was entirely Karli (the GRC supply depot bombing).
One super weird point for me in the finale is when Sam carries Karli's body down to the ambulance crew outside. Meanwhile, he leaves Sharon who has just been shot and is bleeding out to make her own way down. I get that Sam isn't happy that Sharon killed Karli before he could get through to her, but he doesn't know at this point that she's the Power Broker and engineered these events. He doesn't have our viewer insight into her motives yet he potentially leaves her to die while he carries the already dead Karli to the ambulances? I mean, Sharon saved Sam's life in exactly the same way back in Madripoor and he didn't seem to have any problem with her killing a bunch of people that time, but suddenly he's going to leave her to bleed and make her own way down? They clearly wrote the scene with the end goal of Sam delivering the dead Karli and launching into his speech and didn't think through what a real human would do in that situation (i.e. help his living friend) and it really took me out of the scene.
Me too!
Now that would have made this perfect!! Leaning into Karli as a leader. A person who saw the closet thing to world peace in years and used the chance she got to make it like that again. She's like Steve, a person with no power gaining a chance and using it to its fullest to help others. Not to mention the showing of how movements for positive change get corrupted, twisted and destroyed by those in power to justify their actions.
8:03 an excellent idea because it mirrors exactly what happened to Walker.
One thing I strongly disagree with is Walker shouldn’t have been more brutal. I don’t think he should get a redemption, but Lamar and others constantly tell us that he’s a hero and I want us to see that he could have been
You do see that. When he saves those people at the end instead of going after morgenthau. He's the kind of character that's brutal and hot headed, but makes the right choice in the end.
Nando, I freaking love your changes, dude. For real. Lol Making Karli more sympathetic would have been a smarter move for sure. And I am VERY excited to see your video on John Walker. :) He has got to be one of the most compelling and well written antagonists we've gotten in the MCU. While it was nice to see that he wasn't COMPLETELY antagonistic near the end, a much more brutal Walker would definitely be more interesting. Maybe that's what we'll see more from him in the future.
Val is assembling her "Avengers" like Fury is way back in Phase 1.
The Thunderbolts will be led by a woman, mark my words
Torres always felt way more dodgy to me than Sharron did.
I think the original plan was for Thadeus Ross to be The Powerbroker. Probably Torres was spying for him... But then the production decided to go with Sharon.
Thankyou for fixing one of the main reasons the show itself is hated. After all the TERRORISM that Karli and the Flag Smashers caused, Sam actually has the gall to say that they shouldn't be called terrorists in the final episode. Sam, the new Captain America, is unable to recognise terrorism apparently.
They way you've written it, that makes sense, Batroc simply hijacked the movement for his own ends.
Why are the Flag Smashes not muscular when they take the Super Soldier serum? Isn't the whole point of the Super Soldier Serum to turn them into... "Super Soldiers"?
My headcanon is that cause the world was at its worst during the blip, the world actually joined together, no borders, no countries. However when everyone came back it went back to normal, now I recognise that they never really bring this up, but i think if they were to tweak some things, they could very well make that story line
I really liked the building of the movement idea. I agree with your last video that the flag smashers seemed to just be escalading in urgency without any reason in the narrative until the literal last ep.
its a pure councidence that you made this video after I was up all noght thinking about some of the misses that the Flag Smasher storyline has. Great job on these changes btw!
Falcon + Winter Soldier really didn’t work for me, but this really would have been a huge improvement.
yes, yes, your plot here is much more coherent and much better! the show's plot is all over the place
Uhhh John Walker. We’re missing MAJOR character elements his supposed “worst day ever” as a combat soldier. Throughout the show we see these odds close-ups of John that don’t really go anywhere or make coherent sense to his character’s feelings. I think if we saw a PTSD event with John it would make more sense that A.) he cares for Lamar and B.) suffers from his trauma.
Doing so would have made the show, a show based on the mantle of Cap’s legacy, so much better and would’ve added depth to the MCU.
Seriously we see the camera get super close and he looks like he's having ptsd but we don't see him say it and we don't even know why. We're supposed to assume army stuff I guess. Should have had worst day ever like u said
@@bobsandwich3431
I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed those. I was thinking maybe I was over analyzing those specific shots. Lol although it seems the shot selection is purposely done. We are just missing those context clues. It’s a shame. I never liked or cared for Walker the character. But by the end of the series I wanted more out of him.
I gotta disagree here about Batroc being the guy. It should have been *Zemo* manipulating them into further extremism to accomplish his own goals: making them a target to be destroyed, putting them in the line of fire to be destroyed, and perhaps trying to get Walker killed in the crossfire too. Maybe even the Dora Milaje. Perhaps as well write in a meaningful reason for him to despise the GRC. Zemo is a mastermind who should have been using all his enemies to try and wipe each other out with him coming out on top.
Basically this show should have been more than six episodes.
Starting the video knowing the mingled joy and sadness it will bring. All the while unable to stop myself.
Yes please do a video on Walker.
I kind of agree with your second point but I think them already being formed is nice because it gives precedent for the theory that they are former members of sky / daisies organization from agents of shield. and for the first point I think it's nice that we got a something realistic blip-related that talked about the state of the MCU during the blip, I think we should have gotten a movie in between Infinity war and endgame that takes place during the blip and shows that stuff does actually get better because of it which gives precedent that Thanos was right, but I think this works too
Best explanation for why the flag smashers have such a dumb name: it actually sounds cool, but the phrase originated in a different language and the English translation is dumb
i think the blip worked well, but only in sam's speech at the end, where he compares it to the amount of power the governments are wielding over peoples' lives trying to correct the blip. the introduction to karli's point of view should've been that the blip is an opportunity to move past the corrupt parts of the old world order
i also think killing off karli to just replace her with an evil guy is a bit lazy. it doesn't jive with the theme of sam's speech, that they should try to understand why people go to such extreme lengths, if you just replace them with an unsympathetic character to escalate the situation instead
i think killing karli's SO and losing the angel on her shoulder would work much better, both because it foreshadows what she will do next through parallels with walker, for whom lamar was also the angel on his shoulder, and because it demonstrates on a personal level that violent means will always have collateral that leads to more violence
the whole sharon power broker thing shouldn't have been a thing. it did nothing for the story and would've needed much more time to flesh out properly. zemo was great, but they could have gotten what they needed out of him narratively from a simple jail visit.
I though sharon was there to remind people of peggys( a woman) role in america hsitory as they did with isaiah( a Black person) another example of the people karli points out they erased in history but one of them turn evil because they were neglejected but it was not developted well and i thing they noticed because there is no peggy memorial at captain america museum and i really though sam would make one like they did to isaiah i think they should do as loki and cut the story it in half and have a second season maybe give bucky the shield at the end of season one as a twist until the second season finale when sam actually become captain america
I'd really like to hear what you have to say about Walker. After the finale, I'm still a little confused on how the show wants us to see him since his 'redemption' was walked back with the U.S. Agent reveal.
I think the whole point was that it wasn't a redemption. If he's still gonna be the US Agent, he isn't the least bit redeemed. Had he been everyone in the show would've given him back what they took away. He just was never totally evil, which is why he saved those people.
That's the whole point. His "redemption" wasn't really a redemption, it just showed us that he's not a total bad guy, even lamar said he makes the right decisions in the heat of moment. He's supposed to be ambigous.
i agree that the flagsmasher that walker kills should have been one with a relationship with karli. i feel like they added in that stuff with the flagsmasher that ended up dying adoring captain america just to make it more impactful, but they didn't need that to make it impactful, they could've just done the one karli was closest to
I don't think usagent has been redeemed, since he's working for the clearly evil lady, he's just been given depth. It was weird that the boys didn't say anything when he showed up though.
This video is spot on.
Flag Smashers needed a proper back story.
This is once again great. I really wish someone could remake all the MCU films and shows with your changes, they’re great! Marvel Studios really needs to hire you.
I was so confused as to what Carly goal was and I believe that was a pandemic thing because it was such a bizarre choice that they tired to remedy in episode 4 but didn’t really work with Sam telling buck that he understands Carly’s stance. They really just needed a flashback of the world during the blip outside of what we saw in endgame because that was such an interesting concept of the world having to move on Thanos, it made sense to tie it together but they fell through on why they were tie the two together
If Walker had gotten off, regardless of the video evidence, that would have been a realistic, harsh event that everyone would have to deal with in their own way
I thought that walker being redeemed just happened to happen because his character was being consistent. With his willing to save the innocent being consistent to what we learn about him in episode 2
It's consistent, but awkward at the same time.
@@Champsr0ck2247 That's the thing, his character is meant to be awkward. John Walker is a grey character. He does things that normal Captain America wouldn't. They even say that at the end when he becomes the US Agent. It's supposed to be awkward in a sense.
@@ComicDan That's not what I meant as it being awkward. His character is awkward, yes. But his redemption was awkward since it felt too fast especially when he narratively dug himself a hole last episode.
@@Champsr0ck2247 I think the problem is you keep trying to describe it as a redemption. But it's not a redemption because in the eyes of many Walker didn't do anything wrong.
@@Champsr0ck2247 Yeah dude this show also triess to make us sympathize with the terrorists and even tells us not to call them terrorists.
Just because they write it doesn't mean we agree with it.
we need u in the marvel writers room😂😁
I definitely didn't like Walker getting redeemed. Felt like we were missing a scene that would have led to make it make sense. I think all the issues coulda been fixed if we had 8 episodes so there could be more connecting scenes to get us where we need
I feel like every change Nando proposes always feels too real and close to home. I like the mcu world being different from our own. I watch these movies to escape to a far cooler world rather than be reminded of the depressing one we already live in.
FATWS is supposed to be a grounded and realistic show though
Lol’ed at “Power Broker WooOOOooo”
I disagree with not needing the snap as a motive. Using it gets rid of the "why now" question. What is the inciting incident that drives Karli to act?
And while I like showing the rise of the Flag Smashers from nothing, it does prompt the question of how this young girl got the super soldier serum from Sharon in the first place. We also have that question here too, but starting in the middle of the story, it's easier to accept it.
I absolutely love the idea of having Karli be the one Walker kills, and everything you set up after that. I agree he shouldn't have gotten the little redemption he did. Having the group break down as a result of her death & exploitation by Batrok makes so much more sense. And it would makes her character much more an anti-villain, in a morally grey area.
Seriously, DC, drop Snyder and hire Nando.
What are you talking about dc and snyder for? This isn't the justice league
“The flagsmashers fell flat for me”
So...flatsmashers?
Nice. XD
Such a nice video Nando. It really sounds great your version of the story. I hope that if this show gets a season 2, they could fill the plot holes left in S1.
To be honest, i think the flag smashers needed more development, but i still prefer the version of the show to your idea this time. It was very surprising to me that after Karli had destroyed the building and killed people, Sam still thought: She CAN be reasoned with. It's usually a moment for the audience to say: they are cruel and beyond redemption, and then Sam goes like: No, there is still a chance for them. It elevates Sam's character for me. Also, the death of Karli at that moment is what really makes the speech impacftul for me, and i think that speech was PERFECT. Agree with Walker tho, i don't think he is redeemed, but i didn't like him saving the van.
something that kind of worries me about the portrayal of the flag smashers is that the show kind of uses them as an “i agree with your motives, not your tactics”, anti violence moment. especially in how the show explores issues of racism, it can very easily be spun into an anti blm riot message. i’ve heard so many people talk about how the show proves that “you don’t need violence to get your message across”, completely ignoring the fact that sam was already in a position of power and influence, whereas karli was not.
i really likes your rewrite of the flag smashers and the fact that it didn’t conflate their motives with their violence. i also liked how you didn’t try to make john likeable.
Absolutely agree. Not only is Sam already in a position of power and influence, he literally bookends the show with acts of violence and he's applauded for it because he's the protagonist. The subtle subtext here seems to be that violent acts conducted by those in authority are fine, while those without authority need to seek non-violent methods of change, which is basically just a pro status-quo line, even while the show clearly skirts around the idea that the status-quo is bad.
Not feeling that first point. The fact that The Blip happened gives the Flag Smashers credibility (and makes Thanos an even doper villain in hindsight). It was a difficult time for the world, but many people’s lives improved. And now society wants to put the needy back on the bottom of the totem pole.
As is, the Flag Smashers are fighting for what the GRC is trying to take from them. They’re fighting got what they had gained during the 5 years. If their grievances aren’t connected to the Blip, the Flag Smashers are fighting for what seems like a fantasy (One World, One People)
I wasn't looking when you said "Cats" and had a mini heart attack
They should have made both of them Captain America. I mean, Bucky had built a friendship with Wakanda, they gave him a metal arm, why not a new shield? I just don’t understand why they kept Buck as Winter Soldier when he has literally spent the last several movies trying to make up for the fact that he was the Winter Soldier. He no longer wants to be known as the Winter Soldier, so I feel like it would have been the perfect opportunity to make him Captain America. Like, there can be two captain Americas.
There’s two Spidermen, several Captain Marvels, two Wolverines, there’s been a ton of Black Panthers, there’s already been three Captain America’s in the movies(even more in the comics), and in Dc there’s Three Flashes, a whole corps of Green Lanterns, several Robins, several Batgirls, two Supermen, two Superboys, am I missing anyone? Probably
Once again, I want to see your version more than what I saw.
How have companies not come to you with their scripts yet?!
"Just make the flag shmashers actually terrorists"
Bro, Marvel needs to hire you asap.
I'm not a fan of "Sharon" in the show. I know it's been years since Civil War, but her behavior seems too out of character. Are we supposed to believe that Steve Rogers didn't spend those five years trying to get everyone that helped him pardoned? That Steve didn't try to find Sharon and get her to come back. No. We know how loyal Steve is, and that he wouldn't give up on Sharon.
Sharon was a fugitive and by the time he went back to society, she made her decision to follow a more ruthless approach that Shield taught her
@@MrAsaqe Why tho? It was only a year or two from Civil War to the Blip, how and why did she go from giving a speech about standing up for what’s right in the face of adversity to being a ruthless criminal in such a short time? She clearly wanted that pardon, why not reach out to Cap and friends sooner rather than roughing it in Generic Ethnic Slum Town, Ambiguously Asian flavors (aka Madripoor)?
@@thelittleredhairedgirlfrom6527 A year in jail or on the run can change a person pretty badly, it breaks their belief in the system to watch as the accords get passed anyway. She also was living under the shadow of the Carter name, an aunt who was Steve's one true love and her uncle who was one of the worst monsters. It would make sense for Sharon to fall and become the Power Broker (but then again, the scumbag senator would suffice, but gotta genderflip every Marvel Villain you can't raceflip)
@@MrAsaqe Sharon is deep undercover. Working for Steve or Nick Fury
Why is it called "Falcon and the Winter Soldier"? Shouldn't be called "Falcon and Bucky"? Isn't the whole point about Bucky's character is that he's NOT the Winter Soldier anymore?? And that Bucky's trying to put that behind him.
Black Widow was an assassin name, but Natasha kept it.
Bucky can simply make his name "The Winter Soldier" (an assassin) to a superhero. Hope his superhero name isn't "The White Wolf."
I 100% disagree. John Walker was a great antihero, and his complexity and semi-redemption is what stopped him from just being a bad stereotype.
I disagree with the first point. It makes perfect sense to me why they related it to the blip. I mean think about what it would be like in the real world if what happened in IW and Endgame happened irl. The entire world would change forever and there would be a million issues that would be created by it. I dont think the MCU should just ignore it, they should keep using it as a storytelling device because it would make sense
We really need MCU content that takes place during the blip I hope the Black widow movie takes place during that
It takes place after Civil War, don’t you remember?
@@JamesLawner
I generally do not remember films that haven't come out yet.
@@Carabas72 It was stated in press interviews that the movie takes place after Civil War.
@@JamesLawner
Yeah, I make a point of avoiding all trailers, interviews, and everything, really.
I like this, but I think something is still missing. You've better built up Karli and the Flag Smashers, but we also need to see a build up of their antagonist, the GRC, and their goals/motives.
Too bad John Walker ends up being completely irrelevant to the conclusion...
As well as Zemo, very contrived use of these characters. Bucky is irrelevant to a degree as well.
@@eurongreyjoy2 bucky helped to save the hostages and fight the flag smashers
@@roger9592 I think hes talking about the conclusion to the arc of the story not just the fight at the end
Show should have been called Falcon ft. winter soldier. Winter soldier got a half assed character arc
Falcon and that other guy
think you've got the character of walker wrong. he was cheering like a kid after he was given the title of "us agent". he needs to be a soldier and the serum made him more of a soldier. he needs to be told who are the "they" vs who are the "us". the hostages were part of the "us", so saving them was the correct thing.
he's essentially lawful neutral. he just needs orders from something larger than him.
4:21
Borders loosened, people and goods were able to freely move across the world, more opportunity to jobs, and the world came together to face a collective trauma.
If the snap stayed part of the plot, maybe showing them as part of Thanos’ “grateful universe” would give more credit to them
Karli needed to be older and a lot harder -- a den-mother in her 50s, not an ingenue in her early 20s.
Exactly...
Kind of like Marnie in True Blood, galvanizing the witches against the vampires
I would definitely watch your version of Falcon and Winter Soldier.
As you mentioned, the Flag Smashers presented the perfect opportunity to actually show us the time before the blip. They mention it so much, but really could've used even just a 5 minute flashback scene somewhere actually showing it so we could better connect with their motivations. I hope something eventually shows us pieces of that 5 year time period, but it is what it is. I'd say the show was otherwise very great.
[pulls up a chair] 🍿
Karli: "You of all people bought into that Bull-$#!%"
Me: "Oh, look at little Mama Donya Jr. Gonna cry?"
Lol
This is my head canon.
Please please PLEASE make the video about why John should be a full fledged villain. I had the same thoughts. I’d love the characters if they weren’t trying to MAKE ME love him.
Change 3: so basically flag smashers goes from fight club to project mayhem. It goes out of control and the movement has grown surprisingly huge. Love it.