Falcon and Winter Soldier season 2: will Captain America return for more?

Falcon and Winter Soldier season 2
(Image credit: Marvel/Disney)

Spoilers for The Falcon and Winter Soldier finale follow. 

Will there be a Falcon and Winter Soldier season 2? While Disney Plus hasn't officially ordered a second season for the show, it's looking like there's a plan for more, based on the final episode. In fact, the show even tells us what the future title of this series is likely to be, should a second season go ahead: Captain America and the Winter Soldier. 

Unlike WandaVision, which was not designed with a second season in mind, and instead leads in to next year's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Marvel has actually talked openly about the possibility of a Falcon and Winter Soldier season 2. It's fairly clear that episode 6 leaves the door open for more adventures with Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson, especially now the latter has finally assumed the mantle of Captain America after a lot of soul-searching.

In this piece, we'll explain everything we know about a possible Falcon and Winter Soldier season 2 so far – and join the dots on what the second season's story could entail.

Captain America and the Winter Soldier: why season 2 is pretty likely

Falcon and Winter Soldier season 2

Expect to see Sam fully taking on the Captain America role in season 2.  (Image credit: Marvel Studios/screengrab)

Just this week, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's executive producer Nate Moore made it clear that there's room for season 2 of the show – and that the events of the finale tease what it could look like. 

"Hopefully at the end of this season, you will see the potential for what we could tell in a subsequent season," Moore told IndieWire, the strongest indication yet that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier season 2 could be in the works. Moore explained that while the focus for Marvel was getting the first season finished, they "definitely kicked around ideas" for a follow-up season.

Disney Plus has not officially ordered a second season yet, then, but the door seems wide open for what happens next. 

Back at the TCAs in February, Marvel head Kevin Feige explained that some MCU shows on Disney Plus will lead into second seasons, while others would link up with movies instead. "Sometimes they’ll go into a season 2, sometimes it will go into a feature and then back into a series. We’ve announced that Ms. Marvel, after her debut on Disney Plus, will be going into the second Captain Marvel film. But sometimes – it’s yet to be announced, but we are thinking of planning second seasons for some of the upcoming series."

Loki is one show that's in line for a potential second season, Moore mentioned in the same interview – but given that nothing else on Marvel's schedule currently feels like it's going to continue Sam and Bucky's story, it does feel like a season 2 makes sense here. 

So, what could actually happen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier season 2?

Falcon and Winter Soldier season 2 would likely feature Power Broker as a villain

As revealed by The Falcon and Winter Soldier finale mid-credits sequence, Sharon Carter, now confirmed to be the series' behind-the-curtain villain the Power Broker, is back working for US intelligence after being pardoned for her actions during Captain America: Civil War. When Moore refers to the events of a second season being hinted at by the events of this episode, he's probably alluding to this scene.

Sharon Carter wants to get back at the people who took her freedom from her – and possibly to build something else. Earlier in the episode, Karli calls her out for wanting to amass power, and even uses the word 'empire' in discussing Sharon's intent as the Power Broker. 

Outside her senate hearing and with her name cleared, Sharon calls a mysterious figure, indicating she has no intentions of changing her ways after the events of this episode. "Start lining up our buyers. Super Soldiers might be off the menu, but we're about to have full access to government secrets, prototype weapons, you name it. Should be something for everyone."

In Falcon and Winter Soldier season 2, then, could Sam and Bucky be facing an enemy who's right beneath their noses? And what will happen to Sharon when the pair inevitably discover the truth?

Could John Walker return in Falcon and Winter Soldier season 2?

John Walker enters the fight in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 6

(Image credit: Marvel/Disney)

Sam and Bucky appear to leave things on good terms with John Walker, who turned up to fight the Flag Smashers, and tried to save lives in a pinch. It's hard to tell whether the final moments of episode 6 set him up for future appearances in an another Marvel project down the line.

Putting on his new costume – a gift from Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, introduced last week – Walker assumes the role of US Agent at the end of this episode, his moniker from the comics. What Fontaine says next leaves the future of Walker up in the air, somewhat.

"Things are about to get weird. So, when they do, we're not gonna need a Captain America. We're gonna need a US Agent." Walker is then told to keep his phone on, before exclaiming, "I'm back!" several times. 

Will he turns up again in season 2 as an ally to Sam and Bucky? Or does Marvel have another plan for him? It's hard to tell – fan theories suggest Walker could wind up being part of a rival superhero group to the Avengers in the MCU, like the Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers from Marvel's comics. We'll have to wait and see on him.

Falcon and Winter Soldier season 2 should focus on Sam Wilson doing Captain America stuff

We just had a whole season of arguments over what it means to carry Captain America's shield – the highlight of episode 6 was seeing Sam actually get to enjoy being Cap, and save a bunch of innocent lives in the process. 

Now he's got the suit and the shield, it would be great to see more in the way of basic superheroics in the next season (if they make one), and less in the way of chasing the same boring terrorists for five episodes in a row. 

Samuel Roberts

Samuel is a PR Manager at game developer Frontier. Formerly TechRadar's Senior Entertainment Editor, he's an expert in Marvel, Star Wars, Netflix shows and general streaming stuff. Before his stint at TechRadar, he spent six years at PC Gamer. Samuel is also the co-host of the popular Back Page podcast, in which he details the trials and tribulations of being a games magazine editor – and attempts to justify his impulsive eBay games buying binges.