Sam Wilson becoming the new Captain America was obviously the big one, but The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also set up a number of potential future stories for the Marvel Cinematic Universe that could have a major bearing on the franchise over the next few years.
Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine looks to be putting the Thunderbolts into motion with John Walker and Baron Zemo, Sharon Carter’s Power Broker has been pardoned and now finds herself embedded in the government to continue selling secrets, a throwaway line of dialogue by Sam may see Joaquin Torres inherit the mantle of the Falcon as per his comic book counterpart, while another member of the Young Avengers was also introduced.
Elijah Richardson’s Eli Bradley might not have been given much of an arc, but his mere presence alongside grandfather Isaiah was enough to put another piece on the board in regards to the MCU’s more youthful superhero team. And in a new interview, the actor admitted that if he could choose one character to share the screen with, it would be somebody who hasn’t yet made their presence felt.
“I would love to work with Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool. I watched Deadpool like, my friend actually put me onto Deadpool. Before that I didn’t really watch it. He put me on, and I was like, ‘This is good’. I then went to watch Deadpool 2 by myself and like, I don’t know. There’s something special about him where I just want to work with him.”
Those unfamiliar with the comic books might not be aware of Eli’s significance right off the bat after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but they will be eventually after Kevin Feige admitted years ago that the seeds were being planted for the Young Avengers. Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, Kathryn Newton’s Cassie Lang, Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez and Wanda’s twin boys Speed and Wiccan are all Phase Four debutants, so even if Richardson doesn’t find himself sharing scenes with the Merc with a Mouth, he’s almost guaranteed to be back in a much bigger and more important capacity.