Walker as originally portrayed in the comics in the 80s and 90s had the exact same challenges that you mentioned. The comics tried to initially portray him as a bad guy but his portrayal became more nuanced as the material confronted the complications of an American true believer serving the deep state (didn’t use that term, but it fits). Eventually he let Steve Rogers retake the shield and Captain America identity and he went off to become the USAgent. Walker ironically becomes a sympathetic portrayal of heartland America by artists based in Manhattan.
I hate the notion that somehow John Walker was the evil in the series considering that he was actually trying to do better As Sam lectured us to. Sam and Bucky came off as arrogant its as if knowing Cap was pre requisite to live up to the mantle. Was Walker working for American interest even when it was shady sure. But what moral high ground does the other two have. Sure Cap choose you but do you live up to it and I don’t think he does
I agree it could’ve been done a lot better. The could’ve done a lot more with the Lamar Hoskins character that they sort of started to use. Turning Battlestar into Walker’s former NCOIC and making him Walker’s conscious was a good start that could’ve gone somewhere with real depth.
I'm less bothered with Steve passing the torch to Falcon because unlike MANY pandering-swaps, Falcon and Cap have a long history together in the comics, they're allies and friends since forever by now, it makes sense on a base level. Though it also brings the issue that taking up the mantle of Cap. America lessens his original mantle as Falcon.
I haven't read the comics, so going just by the movies I liked that he gave it to Sam for the simple reason that Bucky was too damaged. Sam on the other hand is a regular, un-enhanced human who kept up with all sorts of characters with multiple characters. And I think he had a great intro in Winter Soldier, putting himself on the line for his new friends, who wouldn't like that?
NO ONE should be the new Captain America. I despise the entire idea of "mantles". Steve should have just said something like, "It's up to you now" and been done. He's passing on a responsibility not an identity. Sam isn't Captain America - he's the Red Falcon - and that should be good enough.
@@chaosgyro Very interesting, you seem passionate about this. But if the mantle/title/role of "Captain America" is about responsibility not identity (your words), then why does it bother you for it to be passed on? There's all sorts of examples in the real world of responsibilities being passed on whether it be military or political or business leaders and the titles get passed on when somebody new takes responsibility for the job. Could you explain your view in more detail?
@@feralhistorianCouldn't agree more, and what a poignant ending that would have been, decades of buildup, Earth's mightiest champions and in the end it wasn't enough.
100% agree, but I will add that MCU Wilson was also a veteran of the modern US' wars. Even if the writing & direction didn't reflect it in the slightest, Wilson & Walker came from the same place &, while agree with your conclusion, I feel that it's unfair to arrive there while ignoring that context
I agree with the Feral Historian that the ideas behind Falcon and the Winter Soldier could - in the hands of actually competent writers without an obvious political axe they are obsessed with grinding at the expense of the plot, characters and every other aspect of the show - have been the basis for a very interesting and relevant insight into how societies become divided and how that can drive otherwise reasonable and principled people on all sides to do things and take stances that would normally be inimical to their character and values. Unfortunately, the writers instead chose to engage in crude virtue signalling; grossly oversimplifying what would actually be a hugely complex and intractable social and political problem to both self righteously, and hilariously ineptly, attempt to preach at the audience and pretend that this is all about tolerant, forward looking progressives versus the forces of the oppressive, inherently racist establishment, with the literal unrepentant, civilian slaughtering, smugly murderous t*rrorist group the Flagsmashers positioned as somehow being misunderstood victims in all this who had no other choice... than to randomly kill innocent people to try to force their will on all of society through fear and bloodshed. The shocked reaction from Disney/Marvel when the attempt to lionize these characters (who are after all, once again, literal t*rrorists) predictably went over like a lead balloon with the general viewing public just goes to show how unbelievably out of touch they already were back then.
The Sioux didn't pop up out of the ground like the spring grass. They came out of the Minnesota woods and forced out the Cheyenne, who had previously forced out the Kiowa. You want to see really appalling viciousness on the Great Plains, then I suggest you look into what the Comanche did to their neighbors (and I am not talking about the White ones) after they figured out how to ride a horse.
There's a very good quote from one of the Flashman books that talks about this. I mean, he usually aint the most best judge of morality, but he's sums it up pretty well: "when selfish frightened men---in other words, any men, red or white, civilized or savage---come face to face in the middle of a wilderness that both of them want, the Lord alone knows why, then war breaks out, and the weaker goes under. Politics don't matter---it's the men in fear and rage and uncertainty watching the woods and skyline."
So what? The Proto-Indo-Europeans replaced the Neolithic Farmers, who themselves replaced Hunter-gatherer populations, who themselves replaced the Cro Mangon, who themselves replaced H. Neanderthalensis, who themselves replaced H. antecessor and ultimately H. erectus. This is just in Europe. That's a part of the way human interactions go. What matters more in the case of the Black Hills is that a *treaty* was violated. All arguments aside, and even if you don't consider Westward expansion of the U.S.A. to have been a genocide, it is undeniable that the U.S. broke treaties time and time again, which makes the U.S. irredeemably at fault. Do you know what en effort to lull your opponent into a false sense of security by agreeing to terms, only to then break them and thus catch them unprepared is usually considered? A War Crime. Regardless of Pre-Columbian demographic shifts and conflicts, the U.S. still did heinous things.
I think that the early 21st century will be a lesson to future screenwriters. That you don't need to keep a franchise going well past where it should have ended. That you can tarnish a legacy by adding more and more when you really shouldn't be doing anything at all. Sometimes less is more.
The movies up until now have had the benefit of being an adaptation of characters that have been continuously developed for 30+ years in a different medium. Which means scripts up till now had the benefit of being able to release a concenrated blast of the best-performing stories out of THOUSANDS. Writing a good story involves understanding characters and their motivations. Adaptation at least gives a writer a place to start in addition to the inside of their own head. Original stories don't have that same benefit of starting out on a solid place to stand.
FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER... and if I remember correctly, the 2011 movie... sets up the idea that the Super-Soldier Serum magnifies how you are and so a moral and idealistic 4F with comparatively minimal baggage becomes the same person but with power. The streaming series sets up John Walker as an idealist with PTSD and blood on his hands, guilt, before he becomes Cap and so when he took a version of the serum the PTSD should have shaped the psychology of who he became. The show is poorly written so Walker's mental scars from following orders don't get touched upon later as related to his super powered show of force.
@@sladewilson9741to hell with the show. It's an interesting idea that was accidentally used... but forgotten by episode 5ish... THAT is how it sucks SPECIFICALLY
This is one of the most underrated channels I have come across. Besides the interesting takes, listening to the calm and clear ways the stories are explained feels AMSR like which is very nice.
There’s one thing I can say for certain. There’s no way Sam is gonna square up against Red Hulk, ain’t no way he’s even gonna go near him without burning alive.
@@mightybluespiderThat’s probably frustrating than what I’ve heard about this new movie having the Leader and Sabra here. Two characters for Hulk. The disrespect for Hulk is real, it makes me angry and you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.
@@mightybluespiderMan their character assassinations were sad. I liked Ragnarok but when they announced the 4th I realized what was about to happen the tonal shift was okay but making him the butt of the joke left a sour taste. Hulk as well when banner took over there was no rage anymore just banner who got outshone by his cousin cause they didn’t understand the struggle of merging the hulk and banner
@@LegacyComics100 It's less disprespect for Hulk and more to do with licensing issues. Marvel sold the rights to make a Hulk movie, although unlike Spider-Man, they retained the rights to use the characters themselves. Which is why all this Hulk stuff (see also _Thor: Ragnorok)_ is showing up in what is, at least ostensibly, other characters' movies.
Have you read the Galaxy's Edge books by Nick Cole and Jason Anspach? If not then allow me to recommend the Savage Wars series. The basic concept is that Earth is descending into chaos. All the rich and powerful people build massive generation ships and leave everyone else to fend for themselves. As the lighthuggers venture deep into the dark between the stars the people left behind pick up the pieces and rebuild. As time passes they eventually develop better technology for interstellar travel and start exploring and colonizing the galaxy. By the time the ancient lighthuggers reach their destinations most of the galaxy is already populated, by both humans and aliens. A thriving galactic community that has no idea what kind of horror is about to descend upon them. Because what emerges from the lighthuggers are no longer humans, but something different. Something savage. All the GE books are great military sci-fi, but the Savage Wars are especially good in my opinion.
Since Marvel is being brought up, there is one topic I'd like to hear your takes on: The Civil War event. Granted, I think the comics version is more interesting than the movie version, but still, the idea of forcing people with superpowers to register with the government is a very complex topic that I do enjoy discussions on.
I will never not find humor in the fact that the MCU up ‘til Endgame managed to create a more effective and impactful modern cinematic Superman than Superman himself, whose owners have been consistently dropping the ball in making a “relevant” Superman film for “modern” audiences for over a decade now.
Is that Strauss and Howe I hear in the 4th Turning reference? I'd be interested in hearing more on your thoughts on media that reflects their ideas of turnings and cohorts.
Thanos snap has pretty much like how the "Black Death" lead to higher wages and more rights, in order to atract the suddenly scarce labor force. Except that back then people did not come back.
On the subject of the Malthusian Fallacy, I was just re-reading Tunnel in the Sky, and in the first chapter Heinlein actually explains (as part of his world building) that the Earth is in a Malthusian trap, and references Malthus by name.
You should bear in mind that, in the MCU but overwhelmingly in the comics, Cap never served the american state. As he said in a 1986 Daredevil arc "I am loyal only to the dream."
That's very easy for him to say. Just as the Government can very easily say, "I am from the government and I am here to help." Captain America is certainly no gun-toting 2A enthusiast and 1A absolutist. And he is certainly no Ideological Whig. He is loyal to his version of the dream of America. And it is not by accident that this dream just happens to perfectly align with the Blue Party out of the New York Metropolis and the coast of California. The character is the perfect tool for astroturfing. Through him 'they' are able to define what an American ought to be.
I really dislike they gave Falcon the shield but for no reason to do with race; yes race was the reason the choice was made (they openly admitted this) but that's not the issue. The issue is that Falcon was already a cool hero with his own unique gimmick; wings and his drone. It was cool and it was his own thing. Meanwhile in the comics Bucky becomes Cap after Steve *AND* makes more sense because he's basically the Russian answer to Captain America. Their abilities are basically the exact same. So instead of just losing Captain America we also lost Falcon. Now we have this weird mixture of the two that's just Falcon but with a shield he shouldn't even be using (because it doesn't match his other gear / abilities.) Not only that Steve *JUST* met Falcon but he knew Bucky his whole life. This is why pandering and tokenization is bad; it causes awful writing like this. You could have had the same story just with Bucky being denied the shield out of anti-Russia politics.
Didn't Falcon become Captain America at some point back in the retro-comics? I am almost certain he did, back in the 20th century before the MCU. But I am not certain.
@@bryanv1681 In an issue 3 years before Infinity War came out; yeah. Yet this was after a number of other people had done so felt jarring even then. Up until then he was always his own thing.
I'm with you on this show; it had moments of strength, and moments of great disappointment. Cap was always the pinnacle of a superhero, not just because he was the American ideal, but owing to all his qualities. Superman, but a very *human* one. And a similar thing happened in the 90's to DC when they tried to kill off and re-invent Superman. Bad writing -- two-dimensional, poorly-executed stories with cardboard cut-out versions of aspects of the character -- ultimately led to his complete re-birth and basically forgetting they tried to make anything else out of him, including the non-white version known as Steel (aka Shaquille O'Steel). Just lame.
I must say I really enjoy your moderate break downs of the pop culture you cover. As a more conservative guy, I try to see objective views and perspectives. P.S. love the shirt!
the set up with 5 years and than coming back would be great for a lot of great stories, also like the big alien skull in the mideel of the pascfic. The problem is they would need make a proper crtic about US socity and the systeme we have
What made Red Skull ALSO made Captain America. The serum made both. It magnifies what you are. Red Skull is Steve's opposite. They're both paragons of their sides. Where the show went wrong was trying to make the entire thing about Sam being black. That killed any chance of it being great.
3:17 - what a load of shit. Also, the shield should have gone to Bucky as it did in the story the took it from in the comics. Narratively, it makes more sense, and creates a bigger challenge than a black Captain America years after we had a two-term black president and decades after a black CJCS and SECSTATE(s). The idea that a black Cap presents some kind of challenging narrative is hilarious, vs a former American hero turned Soviet agent, turned American hero again. That would have been interesting. Instead they went with Faux News Cap vs Black Cap. What a load of crap.
Considering the shortening collective memory of our grand modern civilization, I don't think people remember the Obama Presidency. Seeing the resurfaced rhetoric that Trump is a fascist, tells us that people barely even remember that he was President 4 years ago. And looking at the swooning over Harris tells us that people don't remember that she is the current Vice President.
More likely The Prisoner. Bester's line "Be Seeing You" is an explicit reference to the Prisoner, as evidenced that he makes almost the same hand gesture the first time he gives the line.
I’m just a stupid white person so what do I know… But the show disappointed me by making so much about race. I didn’t care that Captain America was black now. I liked the scene were the mantle was handed off. But I’m nostalgic for the feeling I had in the 90’s of years racism still exists but we’re moving forward to a colorblind society. So much of culture today is specifically about race and identity politics. I wanted black Captain America to be a color blind hero for all Americans. But he can’t get a bank loan because he’s black and he tells me I need to do better.
On Captain America, one must remember that it's not just a look back at the "greatest generation". It is a creation by people, and it is through the eyes of the creators that we look back. Originally, Captain America was created by two Jewish men from New York. And the 2011 movie was directed by an old Texan who went to private art school in California. And the screenplay was written by two men. One is from New York and the son of a Jewish dad and a Catholic mother. While the other is from the San Francisco Bay Area and went to the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic University. We start seeing a trend forming. New York. California. Judaism. Catholicism. So it does not come as any great surprise that the character by the title of "Captain America", is a New York Catholic. And we have to remember that back in the 1940s, both Jews and Catholics were heavily discriminated against. Many stores in New York gave an equal treatment in discrimination towards the Irish as they did towards Black Americans. And in places like Boston, there was a fierce struggle between the Anglo Protestant natives and the Irish Catholic immigrants. And the Jews had few friends in America. Few friends anywhere really. We must keep that in mind that Captain America is not a neutral creation. Nothing ever is. The "Kulturkampf" is a constant thing that forms and reforms and constantly changes and shifts. And with Captain America, it is a very specific look back. It is a very specific character that has been created for very specific reasons. The morality and views of Steven Rogers, are the views and morality that the creators wanted America to have. By definition, he is the champion of "their" America. Where the word "their" refers to whoever is currently in creative control of the character. There is no better tool for propaganda on social or cultural issues, as having a character by the title "Captain America". With this, you can form and advocate whatever you want, and paint it as the peak of personality and of morality. To over exaggerate, if someone went back in time and stepped on a butterfly and the whole culture had been ideologically flipped, John Walker could have been the original Captain America who would be frozen in ice and representing everything good about "that" America. A Chris Kyle mixed with John Wayne, who will stop at nothing to take down the bad guy and save Sacred America. While Steve Rogers would have been the "evil bad guy unhinged radical leftist" version of Captain America, who is soft and liberal and gives weak and wet handshakes, yuck. Who just wants to hug it out and make friends, boooo! And I can assure you that the Germans in The Man in the High Castle would have created their own version of Captain America. One who would hold and advocate what they would hold as the perfect American. I don't know what point I am trying to make. I am tired. August in the Southwest of Norway is hot and humid, and I am running on fumes until the planet tilts to the sanity that is autumn. I don't like Comic Books.
You don't retire superheroes, you recast them. It wasn't just race swapping a character adjacent, it was just super dumb for the long term health of the genre. All the current actors have aged out of their roles. We should not have had decrepit Logan (as good that film was) Wolverine (who is effectively immortal) should have been recast.
Is love to hear your take on "Infinity War" and the fact that Thanos wants the same thing as the intellectual elite/ environmental activists want( a reduction of human population)
One of those is a gradual reduction in population through lower birth rates, something already happening as young people opt out of having children through a lack of economic and future prospects. The other is a random culling of half a population with no discretion of who or how. They are not the same.
@@bryanv1681 Arguably, the reduction in birth rate is worse. When societies are crushed by mass death (for example, the Black Plague), old-style go-forth-and-multiply societies rebound very quickly to whatever population level their agriculture technology supports. Reduction in birthrate is accomplished by change in culture, which is less reversible.
@@purplefuzzymonster17 Oh, I completely agree. It's far more insidious. But I don't lay the blame for this on a lack of hope on young people. Not from some sort of nefarious plot by 'the elites' but simply down to the fact that the material conditions of younger generations are sh!t. Add to that the gradual shift in attitudes over time that as societies become more prosperous, family sizes tend to shrink. Japan is an excellent example of all this. The work-hard society, where putting in loads of overtime every week, has so thrown the work/life balance out of... balance, that the government is actually having to sponsor dating programs to try and get young people to hook up.
A lot of Walker and US Agent and his stance as a champion of US Policy has it's roots in the comics of the 80s. A desire to deal more with foreign policy like Rambo or Red Dawn, championed by Reagan. It's not really gone away, has it? In fact as seen from Trumps first term, it's probably gotten stronger.
It was racial pandering, which they had already done in the comics which it was roundly rejected because for the longest time the other guy (Bucky or something?) was Cap's successor. In the recent era of anti-white marxism. It also has been said (often by blacks) that the idea it seems like the creators think falcon sucks and so "upgrade" him by giving him a better character's legacy. A sort of stolen valor. It's Anti-white first and foremost but make no mistake it is also embarrassing. Then there's the physical aspect of Stever Rogers being an augmented human being, whereas flacon is just a man. Bucky on the other hand has a robot arm or something.
Neither Falcon or Bucky can be Captain America (Race has nothing to do with it) only Steve Rogers can be Captain America, Captain America must have the morals and values of an American World War II soldier that has distain for what America has become that, does have the answers return to the morals and values of the greatest generation.
Ehhh.... I think you underplay captain America's story in some sense. You talk about his concept as a moral weakling turned strong more as backstory and less of a very important side oh who he is. This later captain America goes against the international community as well as the US when it clashes against hie ideals. Captain America is a man wholes the ideal of what he thinks the country should be. Falcon is supposed to represent not only the direct one chosen to fill the books but also a man who looks at his ideals first, also you fail to mention his own previous military record as a member of the air force. Retired and helping other soldiers with ptsd sounds like a good reason to hold to an ideal not just a country that sent soldiers off to die. Walker is simply the tool achetype..... he seems to fit the concept of what captain America was but at the same time will follow orders, even corrupt ones. Add in the powers that be specifically hand picking him to represent their propaganda and goals he is the perfect foil and antagonist to falcon. Not every movie needs a good guy and a bad guy, but he is the villain to falcon's story.
Your content is so underrated. It's a sign of our times that quality pop thinkers put out excellent material on a small YT channel while regime-approved idiots get the premier writing gigs to ruin our favorite franchises.
![The Sympathetic Strawman - How Marvel Accidentally Created One of the Best MCU Characters [reupload]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SalgNl0Nnvs/mqdefault.jpg)
Walker as originally portrayed in the comics in the 80s and 90s had the exact same challenges that you mentioned. The comics tried to initially portray him as a bad guy but his portrayal became more nuanced as the material confronted the complications of an American true believer serving the deep state (didn’t use that term, but it fits). Eventually he let Steve Rogers retake the shield and Captain America identity and he went off to become the USAgent. Walker ironically becomes a sympathetic portrayal of heartland America by artists based in Manhattan.
Walker was great in the comics way back in the day.
He did go crazy after his friends left sand right winger outed him and his parents were killed by the watchdogs
“Says a white guy in the Black Hills”
Perfect. That combination of thoughtful media commentary and self-awareness is why I keep on coming back
Black Hills are fair game
I hate the notion that somehow John Walker was the evil in the series considering that he was actually trying to do better As Sam lectured us to. Sam and Bucky came off as arrogant its as if knowing Cap was pre requisite to live up to the mantle. Was Walker working for American interest even when it was shady sure. But what moral high ground does the other two have. Sure Cap choose you but do you live up to it and I don’t think he does
I agree it could’ve been done a lot better. The could’ve done a lot more with the Lamar Hoskins character that they sort of started to use. Turning Battlestar into Walker’s former NCOIC and making him Walker’s conscious was a good start that could’ve gone somewhere with real depth.
I'm less bothered with Steve passing the torch to Falcon because unlike MANY pandering-swaps, Falcon and Cap have a long history together in the comics, they're allies and friends since forever by now, it makes sense on a base level. Though it also brings the issue that taking up the mantle of Cap. America lessens his original mantle as Falcon.
I'm more bothered he picked the guy with zero powers but a jet pack than the Winter Soldier who at least has a robot arm.
@@BoneistJ Bucky had also been given Super Soldier serum, so he SHOULD have the same enhanced strength and reflexes as Steve.
I haven't read the comics, so going just by the movies I liked that he gave it to Sam for the simple reason that Bucky was too damaged. Sam on the other hand is a regular, un-enhanced human who kept up with all sorts of characters with multiple characters. And I think he had a great intro in Winter Soldier, putting himself on the line for his new friends, who wouldn't like that?
NO ONE should be the new Captain America. I despise the entire idea of "mantles". Steve should have just said something like, "It's up to you now" and been done. He's passing on a responsibility not an identity. Sam isn't Captain America - he's the Red Falcon - and that should be good enough.
@@chaosgyro Very interesting, you seem passionate about this. But if the mantle/title/role of "Captain America" is about responsibility not identity (your words), then why does it bother you for it to be passed on? There's all sorts of examples in the real world of responsibilities being passed on whether it be military or political or business leaders and the titles get passed on when somebody new takes responsibility for the job. Could you explain your view in more detail?
I think you're being very kind by thinking that Marvel's post-Endgame writers are smart enough to write metaphors lol.
Deep down, I still consider Infinity War to be the end of the saga. Sometimes you do everything right and still lose.
@@feralhistorianCouldn't agree more, and what a poignant ending that would have been, decades of buildup, Earth's mightiest champions and in the end it wasn't enough.
@@feralhistorianstar trek quote, love it😊
I think that they perceive themselves as smart enough for them to try.
@@feralhistorian It was the last time that I remember in Marvel where everything meant something and wasn't just some hand wave away from being fixed.
100% agree, but I will add that MCU Wilson was also a veteran of the modern US' wars. Even if the writing & direction didn't reflect it in the slightest, Wilson & Walker came from the same place &, while agree with your conclusion, I feel that it's unfair to arrive there while ignoring that context
I agree with the Feral Historian that the ideas behind Falcon and the Winter Soldier could - in the hands of actually competent writers without an obvious political axe they are obsessed with grinding at the expense of the plot, characters and every other aspect of the show - have been the basis for a very interesting and relevant insight into how societies become divided and how that can drive otherwise reasonable and principled people on all sides to do things and take stances that would normally be inimical to their character and values. Unfortunately, the writers instead chose to engage in crude virtue signalling; grossly oversimplifying what would actually be a hugely complex and intractable social and political problem to both self righteously, and hilariously ineptly, attempt to preach at the audience and pretend that this is all about tolerant, forward looking progressives versus the forces of the oppressive, inherently racist establishment, with the literal unrepentant, civilian slaughtering, smugly murderous t*rrorist group the Flagsmashers positioned as somehow being misunderstood victims in all this who had no other choice... than to randomly kill innocent people to try to force their will on all of society through fear and bloodshed. The shocked reaction from Disney/Marvel when the attempt to lionize these characters (who are after all, once again, literal t*rrorists) predictably went over like a lead balloon with the general viewing public just goes to show how unbelievably out of touch they already were back then.
Only having six or seven episodes to do it in didn't help, either.
The Sioux didn't pop up out of the ground like the spring grass. They came out of the Minnesota woods and forced out the Cheyenne, who had previously forced out the Kiowa. You want to see really appalling viciousness on the Great Plains, then I suggest you look into what the Comanche did to their neighbors (and I am not talking about the White ones) after they figured out how to ride a horse.
Humans are animals. Some human animals have better weapons but in the end it's all a bunch of crazed mammals doing what mammals do
There's a very good quote from one of the Flashman books that talks about this. I mean, he usually aint the most best judge of morality, but he's sums it up pretty well: "when selfish frightened men---in other words, any men, red or white, civilized or savage---come face to face in the middle of a wilderness that both of them want, the Lord alone knows why, then war breaks out, and the weaker goes under. Politics don't matter---it's the men in fear and rage and uncertainty watching the woods and skyline."
So what? The Proto-Indo-Europeans replaced the Neolithic Farmers, who themselves replaced Hunter-gatherer populations, who themselves replaced the Cro Mangon, who themselves replaced H. Neanderthalensis, who themselves replaced H. antecessor and ultimately H. erectus. This is just in Europe. That's a part of the way human interactions go. What matters more in the case of the Black Hills is that a *treaty* was violated. All arguments aside, and even if you don't consider Westward expansion of the U.S.A. to have been a genocide, it is undeniable that the U.S. broke treaties time and time again, which makes the U.S. irredeemably at fault. Do you know what en effort to lull your opponent into a false sense of security by agreeing to terms, only to then break them and thus catch them unprepared is usually considered? A War Crime. Regardless of Pre-Columbian demographic shifts and conflicts, the U.S. still did heinous things.
I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered.
You are #6
The wife and I just found your channel tonight 9/16/24 and we have been binge watching. Great stuff. Hope more find you.
I think that the early 21st century will be a lesson to future screenwriters.
That you don't need to keep a franchise going well past where it should have ended.
That you can tarnish a legacy by adding more and more when you really shouldn't be doing anything at all.
Sometimes less is more.
The movies up until now have had the benefit of being an adaptation of characters that have been continuously developed for 30+ years in a different medium.
Which means scripts up till now had the benefit of being able to release a concenrated blast of the best-performing stories out of THOUSANDS.
Writing a good story involves understanding characters and their motivations. Adaptation at least gives a writer a place to start in addition to the inside of their own head.
Original stories don't have that same benefit of starting out on a solid place to stand.
So many series doing this
FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER... and if I remember correctly, the 2011 movie... sets up the idea that the Super-Soldier Serum magnifies how you are and so a moral and idealistic 4F with comparatively minimal baggage becomes the same person but with power.
The streaming series sets up John Walker as an idealist with PTSD and blood on his hands, guilt, before he becomes Cap and so when he took a version of the serum the PTSD should have shaped the psychology of who he became. The show is poorly written so Walker's mental scars from following orders don't get touched upon later as related to his super powered show of force.
Well, that's because its a horrible show. This 10 minute discussion about what it could have been far exceeds anything that slop actually produced.
@@sladewilson9741to hell with the show. It's an interesting idea that was accidentally used... but forgotten by episode 5ish... THAT is how it sucks SPECIFICALLY
"Be seeing you", that's wonderful #6. Great post on the two CAs
This has quickly become one of my favorite YT channels. Every video excellent.
This is one of the most underrated channels I have come across. Besides the interesting takes, listening to the calm and clear ways the stories are explained feels AMSR like which is very nice.
Bravo, sir. Very thought provoking.
There’s one thing I can say for certain.
There’s no way Sam is gonna square up against Red Hulk, ain’t no way he’s even gonna go near him without burning alive.
Sure they will. They just will nerf the movie version... which they did to green Hulk and Thor already
@@mightybluespiderThat’s probably frustrating than what I’ve heard about this new movie having the Leader and Sabra here. Two characters for Hulk.
The disrespect for Hulk is real, it makes me angry and you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.
@@mightybluespiderMan their character assassinations were sad. I liked Ragnarok but when they announced the 4th I realized what was about to happen the tonal shift was okay but making him the butt of the joke left a sour taste. Hulk as well when banner took over there was no rage anymore just banner who got outshone by his cousin cause they didn’t understand the struggle of merging the hulk and banner
@@LegacyComics100 It's less disprespect for Hulk and more to do with licensing issues. Marvel sold the rights to make a Hulk movie, although unlike Spider-Man, they retained the rights to use the characters themselves. Which is why all this Hulk stuff (see also _Thor: Ragnorok)_ is showing up in what is, at least ostensibly, other characters' movies.
I love how there's no fat on your videos. You make every word count.
Have you read the Galaxy's Edge books by Nick Cole and Jason Anspach?
If not then allow me to recommend the Savage Wars series.
The basic concept is that Earth is descending into chaos. All the rich and powerful people build massive generation ships and leave everyone else to fend for themselves.
As the lighthuggers venture deep into the dark between the stars the people left behind pick up the pieces and rebuild. As time passes they eventually develop better technology for interstellar travel and start exploring and colonizing the galaxy.
By the time the ancient lighthuggers reach their destinations most of the galaxy is already populated, by both humans and aliens. A thriving galactic community that has no idea what kind of horror is about to descend upon them.
Because what emerges from the lighthuggers are no longer humans, but something different.
Something savage.
All the GE books are great military sci-fi, but the Savage Wars are especially good in my opinion.
I haven't read any them, but now Savage Wars is on my reading list.
9:40
Or as The Sisko would say, "It's easy to be a saint in paradise"
I’ve a problem with your channel. Not enough videos to binge. I’m quickly running out. 😝
Since Marvel is being brought up, there is one topic I'd like to hear your takes on: The Civil War event. Granted, I think the comics version is more interesting than the movie version, but still, the idea of forcing people with superpowers to register with the government is a very complex topic that I do enjoy discussions on.
If I do revisit the MCU, that's what it'll be on.
I will never not find humor in the fact that the MCU up ‘til Endgame managed to create a more effective and impactful modern cinematic Superman than Superman himself, whose owners have been consistently dropping the ball in making a “relevant” Superman film for “modern” audiences for over a decade now.
Captain America taught me the only way to defeat a superhero is marriage.
Another great one!
Great video.
Is that Strauss and Howe I hear in the 4th Turning reference? I'd be interested in hearing more on your thoughts on media that reflects their ideas of turnings and cohorts.
Be seeing you 👌
You are number 1.
Or: “You are, number 1.”
Thanos snap has pretty much like how the "Black Death" lead to higher wages and more rights, in order to atract the suddenly scarce labor force. Except that back then people did not come back.
On the subject of the Malthusian Fallacy, I was just re-reading Tunnel in the Sky, and in the first chapter Heinlein actually explains (as part of his world building) that the Earth is in a Malthusian trap, and references Malthus by name.
I haven't read Tunnel in the Sky but clearly I need to.
You should bear in mind that, in the MCU but overwhelmingly in the comics, Cap never served the american state. As he said in a 1986 Daredevil arc "I am loyal only to the dream."
That's very easy for him to say. Just as the Government can very easily say, "I am from the government and I am here to help."
Captain America is certainly no gun-toting 2A enthusiast and 1A absolutist. And he is certainly no Ideological Whig.
He is loyal to his version of the dream of America. And it is not by accident that this dream just happens to perfectly align with the Blue Party out of the New York Metropolis and the coast of California.
The character is the perfect tool for astroturfing. Through him 'they' are able to define what an American ought to be.
By hook or by crook, we will.
I really dislike they gave Falcon the shield but for no reason to do with race; yes race was the reason the choice was made (they openly admitted this) but that's not the issue. The issue is that Falcon was already a cool hero with his own unique gimmick; wings and his drone. It was cool and it was his own thing. Meanwhile in the comics Bucky becomes Cap after Steve *AND* makes more sense because he's basically the Russian answer to Captain America. Their abilities are basically the exact same.
So instead of just losing Captain America we also lost Falcon. Now we have this weird mixture of the two that's just Falcon but with a shield he shouldn't even be using (because it doesn't match his other gear / abilities.)
Not only that Steve *JUST* met Falcon but he knew Bucky his whole life. This is why pandering and tokenization is bad; it causes awful writing like this. You could have had the same story just with Bucky being denied the shield out of anti-Russia politics.
Didn't Falcon become Captain America at some point back in the retro-comics? I am almost certain he did, back in the 20th century before the MCU. But I am not certain.
@@bryanv1681
In an issue 3 years before Infinity War came out; yeah. Yet this was after a number of other people had done so felt jarring even then. Up until then he was always his own thing.
I'm with you on this show; it had moments of strength, and moments of great disappointment. Cap was always the pinnacle of a superhero, not just because he was the American ideal, but owing to all his qualities. Superman, but a very *human* one. And a similar thing happened in the 90's to DC when they tried to kill off and re-invent Superman. Bad writing -- two-dimensional, poorly-executed stories with cardboard cut-out versions of aspects of the character -- ultimately led to his complete re-birth and basically forgetting they tried to make anything else out of him, including the non-white version known as Steel (aka Shaquille O'Steel). Just lame.
I must say I really enjoy your moderate break downs of the pop culture you cover. As a more conservative guy, I try to see objective views and perspectives. P.S. love the shirt!
the set up with 5 years and than coming back would be great for a lot of great stories, also like the big alien skull in the mideel of the pascfic.
The problem is they would need make a proper crtic about US socity and the systeme we have
Okay judging by the end of your video you will be covering the prisoner starting Patrick McGowen from the 1960s
What made Red Skull ALSO made Captain America.
The serum made both.
It magnifies what you are.
Red Skull is Steve's opposite.
They're both paragons of their sides.
Where the show went wrong was trying to make the entire thing about Sam being black.
That killed any chance of it being great.
Pour some out for Bucky.
Maybe it's Air Force vs Army?
6:04
Theyre Roblox in my way
Who is #1?
3:17 - what a load of shit. Also, the shield should have gone to Bucky as it did in the story the took it from in the comics. Narratively, it makes more sense, and creates a bigger challenge than a black Captain America years after we had a two-term black president and decades after a black CJCS and SECSTATE(s). The idea that a black Cap presents some kind of challenging narrative is hilarious, vs a former American hero turned Soviet agent, turned American hero again. That would have been interesting. Instead they went with Faux News Cap vs Black Cap. What a load of crap.
Considering the shortening collective memory of our grand modern civilization, I don't think people remember the Obama Presidency. Seeing the resurfaced rhetoric that Trump is a fascist, tells us that people barely even remember that he was President 4 years ago. And looking at the swooning over Harris tells us that people don't remember that she is the current Vice President.
And yet again Zima rears its delicious and refreshing head...
So, basically, Americans prefered "Walker" to "Falcon" last week.
Love the bab 5 Easter egg. Is it actually a hint of things to come?
More likely The Prisoner. Bester's line "Be Seeing You" is an explicit reference to the Prisoner, as evidenced that he makes almost the same hand gesture the first time he gives the line.
"the symbol of a changing nation" makes it sound organic, and not state mandated
Would you edit the first draft of my book?
8:50 yep, ever whinny, scolding by calling people "weird" for not conforming, that's neoliberalism.
Having a dream is free having a Goal on the other hand takes everything
Better writing? Do you remember the Rosetta Stone it’s not the better writing we remember it’s the cant.
I’m just a stupid white person so what do I know… But the show disappointed me by making so much about race. I didn’t care that Captain America was black now. I liked the scene were the mantle was handed off. But I’m nostalgic for the feeling I had in the 90’s of years racism still exists but we’re moving forward to a colorblind society. So much of culture today is specifically about race and identity politics. I wanted black Captain America to be a color blind hero for all Americans. But he can’t get a bank loan because he’s black and he tells me I need to do better.
On Captain America, one must remember that it's not just a look back at the "greatest generation". It is a creation by people, and it is through the eyes of the creators that we look back.
Originally, Captain America was created by two Jewish men from New York.
And the 2011 movie was directed by an old Texan who went to private art school in California.
And the screenplay was written by two men. One is from New York and the son of a Jewish dad and a Catholic mother. While the other is from the San Francisco Bay Area and went to the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic University.
We start seeing a trend forming. New York. California. Judaism. Catholicism.
So it does not come as any great surprise that the character by the title of "Captain America", is a New York Catholic.
And we have to remember that back in the 1940s, both Jews and Catholics were heavily discriminated against. Many stores in New York gave an equal treatment in discrimination towards the Irish as they did towards Black Americans.
And in places like Boston, there was a fierce struggle between the Anglo Protestant natives and the Irish Catholic immigrants.
And the Jews had few friends in America. Few friends anywhere really.
We must keep that in mind that Captain America is not a neutral creation. Nothing ever is. The "Kulturkampf" is a constant thing that forms and reforms and constantly changes and shifts.
And with Captain America, it is a very specific look back. It is a very specific character that has been created for very specific reasons.
The morality and views of Steven Rogers, are the views and morality that the creators wanted America to have. By definition, he is the champion of "their" America.
Where the word "their" refers to whoever is currently in creative control of the character.
There is no better tool for propaganda on social or cultural issues, as having a character by the title "Captain America". With this, you can form and advocate whatever you want, and paint it as the peak of personality and of morality.
To over exaggerate, if someone went back in time and stepped on a butterfly and the whole culture had been ideologically flipped, John Walker could have been the original Captain America who would be frozen in ice and representing everything good about "that" America. A Chris Kyle mixed with John Wayne, who will stop at nothing to take down the bad guy and save Sacred America.
While Steve Rogers would have been the "evil bad guy unhinged radical leftist" version of Captain America, who is soft and liberal and gives weak and wet handshakes, yuck. Who just wants to hug it out and make friends, boooo!
And I can assure you that the Germans in The Man in the High Castle would have created their own version of Captain America. One who would hold and advocate what they would hold as the perfect American.
I don't know what point I am trying to make. I am tired. August in the Southwest of Norway is hot and humid, and I am running on fumes until the planet tilts to the sanity that is autumn.
I don't like Comic Books.
You don't retire superheroes, you recast them. It wasn't just race swapping a character adjacent, it was just super dumb for the long term health of the genre. All the current actors have aged out of their roles. We should not have had decrepit Logan (as good that film was) Wolverine (who is effectively immortal) should have been recast.
Is love to hear your take on "Infinity War" and the fact that Thanos wants the same thing as the intellectual elite/ environmental activists want( a reduction of human population)
I've been thinking about that.
One of those is a gradual reduction in population through lower birth rates, something already happening as young people opt out of having children through a lack of economic and future prospects.
The other is a random culling of half a population with no discretion of who or how.
They are not the same.
The method hardly matters@@bryanv1681
@@bryanv1681 Arguably, the reduction in birth rate is worse. When societies are crushed by mass death (for example, the Black Plague), old-style go-forth-and-multiply societies rebound very quickly to whatever population level their agriculture technology supports. Reduction in birthrate is accomplished by change in culture, which is less reversible.
@@purplefuzzymonster17
Oh, I completely agree. It's far more insidious.
But I don't lay the blame for this on a lack of hope on young people. Not from some sort of nefarious plot by 'the elites' but simply down to the fact that the material conditions of younger generations are sh!t. Add to that the gradual shift in attitudes over time that as societies become more prosperous, family sizes tend to shrink.
Japan is an excellent example of all this. The work-hard society, where putting in loads of overtime every week, has so thrown the work/life balance out of... balance, that the government is actually having to sponsor dating programs to try and get young people to hook up.
A lot of Walker and US Agent and his stance as a champion of US Policy has it's roots in the comics of the 80s. A desire to deal more with foreign policy like Rambo or Red Dawn, championed by Reagan.
It's not really gone away, has it? In fact as seen from Trumps first term, it's probably gotten stronger.
If USA were a superhero, we'd be Homelander, not Cap.
Stay Unmutual
It was racial pandering, which they had already done in the comics which it was roundly rejected because for the longest time the other guy (Bucky or something?) was Cap's successor. In the recent era of anti-white marxism. It also has been said (often by blacks) that the idea it seems like the creators think falcon sucks and so "upgrade" him by giving him a better character's legacy. A sort of stolen valor. It's Anti-white first and foremost but make no mistake it is also embarrassing. Then there's the physical aspect of Stever Rogers being an augmented human being, whereas flacon is just a man. Bucky on the other hand has a robot arm or something.
Neither Falcon or Bucky can be Captain America (Race has nothing to do with it) only Steve Rogers can be Captain America, Captain America must have the morals and values of an American World War II soldier that has distain for what America has become that, does have the answers return to the morals and values of the greatest generation.
Ehhh.... I think you underplay captain America's story in some sense. You talk about his concept as a moral weakling turned strong more as backstory and less of a very important side oh who he is. This later captain America goes against the international community as well as the US when it clashes against hie ideals. Captain America is a man wholes the ideal of what he thinks the country should be. Falcon is supposed to represent not only the direct one chosen to fill the books but also a man who looks at his ideals first, also you fail to mention his own previous military record as a member of the air force. Retired and helping other soldiers with ptsd sounds like a good reason to hold to an ideal not just a country that sent soldiers off to die. Walker is simply the tool achetype..... he seems to fit the concept of what captain America was but at the same time will follow orders, even corrupt ones. Add in the powers that be specifically hand picking him to represent their propaganda and goals he is the perfect foil and antagonist to falcon. Not every movie needs a good guy and a bad guy, but he is the villain to falcon's story.
No views in 1 min? Fell off
R.I.P.
Your content is so underrated. It's a sign of our times that quality pop thinkers put out excellent material on a small YT channel while regime-approved idiots get the premier writing gigs to ruin our favorite franchises.
Whom are you speaking of.
@@theellimist9472 basically anyone hired by Kathleen Kennedy. Other examples are Rings of Power or Wheel of Time. There are more.
Isn't that what most humans do? "Moralize and offer glib solutions from on high"? 🫡