Sam Wilson
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Samuel "Sam" Thomas Wilson |
| Occupation: | Superhero |
| Relationships: | Steve Rogers (friend/ally), Jim Wilson (nephew), Gideon Wilson (brother), Sarah Casper (sister), Jody Casper (niece) |
| Fandom: | Marvel Comics, The Avengers (Marvel), Captain America, Captain America Movieverse, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Avengers Assemble, The Super Hero Squad Show, The Avengers: United They Stand, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Sam Wilson, full name Samuel Thomas Wilson, sometimes nicknamed "Snap," is the alter ego of the Falcon and a main character in the Captain America and the Avengers comics, on the television shows The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Avengers Assemble, and in the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Canon
He was the first African American superhero in mainstream comics, first appearing in Captain America #117 (Sept. 1969). In the Marvel Cinematic Universe he is played by Anthony Mackie.
Comics
MCU
Sam Wilson was introduced to the MCU in Captain America: The Winter Soldier portrayed by Anthony Mackie, where he is a United States Air Force Pararescue veteran and currently works at the Washington D.C. V.A. hospital. He meets Steve Rogers while out jogging, and later helps Steve, Natasha Romanoff, Nick Fury, and Maria Hill fight a Hydra faction within SHIELD. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Sam becomes officially part of the Avengers.
Mackie has reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and the TV show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Television Shows
Falcon has appeared as a main character in The Avengers: United They Stand, The Super Hero Squad Show, Avengers Assemble and appeared in as a supporting or guest character in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors, Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload, and Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers and Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers.
Fandom
- See also: Captain America Movieverse
Though Sam has appeared regularly in Marvel comics and other media since his introduction in 1969, he was rarely the focus of fannish interest before the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. After that movie's release, however, his popularity skyrocketed, particularly on tumblr. Very quickly controversy arose over perceptions of racism affecting fanon surrounding his character.
Common Tropes
- Sam is Everyone's Therapist: Post-The Winter Soldier where Sam acts as The Avengers' (and other significant others) therapist due to his career path as a counselor to veterans with PTSD prior to joining up with Steve. This is mostly applied to Steve, Bucky, Natasha, Clint, but many others in various fanworks are often shown or mention talking to Sam.
- Up All Night To Get Bucky: Post-The Winter Soldier, Sam and Steve and sometimes Natasha go on a roadtrip to bring Bucky back for deprogramming. Examples:
- Wingfic: Sam has actual wings and/or is an angel. Examples:
- Matchmaker: Sam is often put in the position of setting up Bucky and Steve.
- There is usually some mention of 'crazy/stupid/dumb white boys' in these sorts of fics.
- This is another version of the Black Best Friend [1] trope.
- There is an AO3 tag "Sam Wilson is a Good Bro," [2] which seems to have many fics where Sam is a supporting character, sometimes to the point of being an emotional crutch, used to further the storylines of other characters, usually Steve Rogers or Bucky Barnes.
Common Pairings
(in roughly descending order of popularity)
Slash pairings:
Het pairings:
Challenges
- The Sam Wilson Birthday Bang was a challenge in 2017, run primarily from its tumblr page and Slack channel.
Notable Fanworks
Fan Fiction
- No Angel by Domenika Marzione - Backstory fic. (3,660 words)
- [[1]] by myownremedy ( 16,345 words)
Fan Art
- Sam Wilson by bijit69
- Falcon by scoobylady
- The Falcon Valiant Ascent by Mystic-Oracle
Meta
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier review, Part 3 -- Black Widow & Falcon, by Hello, Tailor (argues that Sam was given the love interest role in The Winter Soldier)
- Pararescue Creed + commentary, on tumblr
- So I have to randomly ramble about Sam's career choice pre-film, by antiquecompass
- Sam Wilson was an NCO not an officer, by ArwenLune
Other Works
- heart full of promise, fanmix by jjjat3am
- Sam Wilson, Where Did You Go? was a four-episode fanfiction podcast set directly after the Issue 21 of Captain America: Sam Wilson. It was written and produced by Linda Codega, and performed by various fans, many originating from the Sam Wilson Birthday Bang. The podcast deals with the aftermath of superheroism, racism, police violence, and activism. It is available on iTunes, and transcripts can be read on Ao3. iTunes link. Ao3 link.
Additional Art Gallery
Marvel's Sam Wilson, by LadyZolstice
Sam Wilson, by seonee
Falcon, by crim-son
Falcon, by luckyraeve
Actual Guardian Angel, by artinggrace
Archives & Communities
- Sam Wilson on AO3
- Sam Wilson in Captain America (movie) on FFN
- Sam Wilson in the Avengers (comics) on FFN
External Links
- Sam Wilson tag on tumblr
Resources
- Falcon on Wikipedia
- Falcon (Sam Wilson) on Marvel.com
- Sam Wilson (Earth-616) on Marvel Comics Database
- Sam Wilson on Marvel Movies Wiki
References
- ^ | Black Best Friend Black Best Friend
- ^ #Sam Wilson is a Good Bro on AO3