Falcon & Winter Soldier didn’t quite make the landing with its Sharon Carter / Power Broker twist – but here’s how the MCU can fix it.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier revealed that Sharon Carter is now a crime boss who calls herself the “Power Broker” – an unsatisfactory twist the MCU must carefully correct. One of the issues facing comic book adaptations is the fact that anyone familiar with the source material can often see a twist coming millions of miles away. As a result, many character arcs in Falcon and Winter Soldier were unfortunately fairly predictable; everyone knew Sam Wilson was destined to be Captain America, and no one was surprised when John Walker was dubbed the US Agent.

Marvel took a character in a different direction than the comics, however. Falcon and Winter Soldier revealed that Sharon Carter, who has traditionally been Captain America’s ally in the comics, has chosen to live a life of crime. Sharon fled authorities after breaking the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War, and unlike Steve Rogers’ other allies, she never received forgiveness. Instead, she settled on the fictional island of Madripoor, where she became a major figure in that country’s criminal underworld. It was an interesting direction for Marvel to take the character, even though she was frankly over-reported.

Related: Why Sharon Carter Became The Power Broker (& What She Wants Now)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier The post-credits scene left Sharon in an interesting place, having finally received her pardon due to Sam Wilson’s intervention. Given that this is a shared universe, it’s safe to assume that Sharon will return – and Marvel can use it to solve what is actually a pretty problematic story.

Why Falcon & Winter Soldier’s Sharon Carter Twist Didn’t Work

Unfortunately, the Sharon Carter / Power Broker twist just doesn’t work – and the main problem is that Falcon and Winter Soldier never spent any real time exploring Sharon’s motivations. At first, Sharon’s primary focus seems to be simply survival, and she has arguably become the power broker out of necessity; but the post-credits scene in the finale debunks that idea, as it seems almost gleeful about the opportunity to betray the US government and sell its biggest secrets on the black market. The idea seems to be that Sharon just got bitter and twisted, furious because she feels the US government – and, of course, the Avengers – letting her down. General viewers don’t seem convinced it’s working, and it’s pretty common to see speculation that Sharon is in fact a Skrull impostor who hasn’t quite nailed the character.

When you watch specific scenes, Sharon’s actions become downright illogical. If the Power Broker was still determined to synthesize Super Soldier Serum, why would she take Sam and Bucky to the scientist who managed to duplicate that serum, knowing they were working with Zemo? Even more confusing, why would she conspire with Batroc in hopes of having Sam Wilson killed, when she was in fact manipulating him to obtain his forgiveness? Sharon’s actions are contradictory, and the lack of time spent exploring her motivations and character means these contradictions are glaring.

The MCU needs to better explore Sharon Carter’s motivations

There is only one way to solve this problem. In order to make the Sharon Carter / Power Broker twist work, Marvel will need to devote more time to Sharon. It is not enough to simply say that she became the crime boss; viewers must be able to understand Why she became the Power Broker, how she works and why she made the conflicting decisions that we have seen. Right now, Sharon’s motives are an enigma shrouded in a mystery within an enigma, unfathomable and difficult to comprehend. That has to change, and it can only be done by spending time inside Sharon’s head, presenting her as a complete character.

Related: The 14 Marvel Movies Released After Falcon & Winter Soldier

There is a sense in which Falcon and Winter Soldier was trying to have his cake and eat it with Sharon. The show wanted to use her as a background character, to get people excited about her comeback, while also creating a sense of mystery around her and making people feel that she was not what she seemed. to be. Unfortunately, the need to keep her enigmatic meant the series didn’t spend time developing her as a real person, while the signage was overblown, meaning there wasn’t much of a mystery. The result was the worst of both worlds, a plot twist that just doesn’t work – as the popularity of theories proves, she was replaced by a Skrull.

How and when the MCU can fix its Sharon / Power Broker twist

Fortunately, because the MCU is a shared universe, a mistake made in one movie or TV show can be rectified in another. It’s tempting to assume Sharon Carter will return Captain america 4, but it’s probably not the best place; a movie script doesn’t really have enough time to delve into such a confusing story. Instead, Marvel would be wiser to use Sharon as the primary villain – or, perhaps, even a secondary enemy – in other Disney + shows. The most logical choice is Armor wars, because in thematic terms, this series will focus on War Machine trying to curb the sales of experimental technologies on the black market. The narrative line is pretty obvious.

Wherever Marvel uses Sharon, however, the most important thing is that they spend time with her. Oddly enough, Marvel really needs to take a word of advice from older Marvel Television shows, especially the ones that aired on Netflix; DaredevilKingpin was a force to be reckoned with just because the show was committed to developing him, and he had as much of a character arc as the Fearless Man himself. In contrast, so far, Marvel Studios’ Disney + villains haven’t really had arcs; Agatha Harkness was spectacular in WandaVision but ultimately simply a spectator who wanted to steal Wanda’s power for herself, while Falcon and Winter Soldier stranded with the Flag-Smashers and Sharon Carter.

As an ally of the Avengers, someone who obtained a presidential pardon due to the intervention of the new Captain America himself, Sharon’s betrayal has the potential to turn the world of superheroes upside down. But that kind of impact has to be earned, and there is no shortcut to it. If the Marvel writers put in the time and effort, they can make that stick and thus make Sharon Carter one of the best villains in the MCU. Falcon and Winter Soldier laid the groundwork, now is the time to develop it.

Next: Falcon & Winter Soldier Ending Explained & Future MCU Setup

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