by George Bate and Josh Bate for @mar_tesseract
Lieutenant Joaquin Torres
Torres was in Tunisia with Sam Wilson as the latter fought back against the plane hijackers in the big action sequence of the first episode. He later appears undercover in the episode as he attempts to stop a bank robbery, and reports his findings on these serial thieves to Wilson. In the comics, Torres becomes The Falcon to Sam Wilson’s Captain America. Expect to see more of him in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and the MCU in general.
Redwing
Sam uses Redwing in the air battle in Tunisia, and later repairs his electronic sidekick to make sure it’s good to go again. Redwing first made an appearance in Captain America: Civil War, and is Sam Wilson’s sidekick in the comics. In the source material, Redwing is an actual bird, compared to technology in the MCU.
Enfys Nest
In the scene in which The Flag Smashers cause chaos and steal yet again (and Torres gets hurt), one of these villainous individuals is seen putting on her mask. The audience can see her red, curly hair, and this actress is Erin Kellyman, who will go on to have a bigger role in TFATWS. Kellyman is best known for her role as Enfys Nest in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Georges Batroc
One of the hijackers seen early on in the episode is Georges Batroc, who is seen in the opening action scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and fights Steve Rogers. Batroc is played by Georges St. Pierre, a famed UFC fighter.
On Your Left
A recurring theme in the relationship between Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers was the way in which both kept saying “on your left” to each other, a trend that started in the second chapter of the Captain America trilogy. As many fans pointed out after a trailer reveal for the show, Sam Wilson stands beside a photo of Captain America, which is on his left.
The Captain America Museum’s Endgame Reference
Rhodey and Wilson walk through the Captain America museum early on in the premiere, and fans can see a section dedicated to Cap’s “final mission”, which describes the events of Avengers: Endgame and the return of the infinity stones across time and space.
Bucky on the Floor
“Your bed. It’s too soft. When I was over there, I’d sleep on the ground and use rocks for pillows like a caveman. Now I’m home, lying in bed, and it’s like-“
“Lying on a marshmallow. Feel like I’m gonna sink right to the floor.”
The first episode of TFATWS had many callbacks to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, including a reference to his exchange between Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson. Bucky wakes up from his nightmare sleeping on the floor, highlighting that he too feels uncomfortable in his own bed, instead choosing to lay on the hard ground. This only adds to Bucky’s internal struggles and guilt in this episode.
Paul Walter Hauser
Sebastian Stan is best known for his role as Bucky Barnes in the MCU, but has also appeared in several non-Marvel films, including the critically acclaimed “I Tonya”, in which he appeared alongside Margot Robbie and Paul Walter Hauser. On Bucky’s list of those he wanted to make amends with, the name “P.W. Hauser” appears, a reference to his costar from that film.
The Alley
Bucky stops a fight between Yori and a man named Unique in an alleyway, a callback to Steve Rogers fighting a group of bullies in an alley in 1940’s New York, as seen in Captain America: The First Avenger.
Zemo’s Notebook
The end credits of the episode have many hidden references and call backs, one of which being Zemo’s notes from Captain America: Civil War that make Bucky turn into the Winter Soldier. Seventeen, daybreak, and furnace all appear in the credits, and are all part of the sequence of words that Zemo used against Bucky.
Images courtesy of Disney+ and Marvel Studios