These memes from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier capture the core essential elements of the show that all fans loved.
With every new Marvel movie and TV show, such as Ms. Marvel, comes a new round of memes dedicated to that show from the far corners of the internet. Some poke fun at characters, quotes, and even references to other TV shows within the dialogue. Some memes can be applied to every single episode of the show.
With the entrance of John Walker, it is safe to say that Sam and Bucky, as well as a large proportion of the audience, hated him without even knowing him that well. It turned out that fans were right after all. From Bucky's disapproving stare to comparisons between John and Steve Rogers, these moments provided plenty of meme material.
Fans' Feelings Towards John Walker
It was no surprise that one of the characters who would have the largest problem with John Walker was Bucky. Having fought alongside Steve since the 1940s and, even before that, having been friends since childhood, Bucky was not too pleased about John taking the shield.
This Buzzfeed Meme perfectly sums up how the fandom also reacted every time John Walker was on screen. While Walker did get a reasonably heroic ending, up until that point, none of the fans were best pleased about his general existence.
Budget Captain America
Chris Evans, as well as Steve Rogers, were both perfect embodiments of Captain America. With the perfect attitude, the right look, and years of emotional storytelling, the fans loved Steve Rogers since his first appearance in 2011. This Buzzfeed meme takes the classic "ordering something online" meme and applies it to John Walker, signifying that he was nothing but a budget version of the Captain America fans knew and loved within the MCU.
It could be argued that having a less-likable Cap in John Walker was a deliberate move by the producers to emphasize the fact that John Walker was no Steve Rogers. While both suits were accurate to the comic iterations of their characters, nothing can beat the original MCU Cap.
A More Grounded Show
It's fair to say that the powers that characters such as Loki and Scarlet Witch had, made the material for a more power-focused show with larger-than-life effects and storytelling. With Bucky and Sam being more towards the human end of the scale, the producers knew they couldn't put them up against villains that were on the levels of the more magical heroes, as they had to give Bucky and Sam a decent match without going overboard.
This meme from With Ashley & Co takes this a step further by toying with the staring contest that sums up Bucky and Sam's relationship throughout the show. For the entirety of the first few episodes, the two annoyed each other beyond belief, even resorting to a staring contest on more than one occasion.
Common Ground Amongst Fans
As the rumors of Steve Rogers passing down the shield grew as fans got closer to Avengers: Endgame, one of the main questions was "who will he pass it down to?" Would it be his best friend, supersoldier and war veteran himself Bucky Barnes, or the modern-day veteran in Sam Wilson?
This meme from No-Guilt Life combines the two Bucky and Sam camps where fans were watching with excitement to see who would be the one to take up the mantle in the end. While it was very likely that Sam was going to retake the shield from John Walker, fans that were rooting for each character came together and largely enjoyed the show and the journey that both characters took.
Chemistry On And Off-Screen
While Sam and Bucky got off to a shaky start in the show, by the end the two became incredibly close, both standing for something larger than themselves. One thing that always translates well to Chemistry on screen, is the chemistry the characters have off-screen.
This meme from Quirky Byte not only sums up the relationship between Falcon and Bucky towards the end of the show but also sums up the relationship that Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie have while they are filming. The two are always in great spirits around each other and this is something that certainly translated brilliantly during each episode.
Bucky VS. Winter Solider
When fans first met the Winter Soldier he was a force to be reckoned with. With almost no conscience and morals, he was a killing machine, designed to extract and take out targets as he saw fit. There is no doubt that without the Winter Soldier psychology, Bucky isn't as much of a killing machine and this meme from Ranker sums this up perfectly.
When battling the flagsmashers, something tells fans that the Hydra Soldier could have taken them all out easily, however, Bucky did seem to struggle a bit. On the contrary, with Bucky being more human, it certainly makes sense that he is not as gung-ho as the Winter Solider. Bucky has a conscience and vowed to leave his Winter Soldier past behind. The extent to which Bucky fights now is more to knock out or disable an enemy instead of killing them in cold blood like his Hydra alter-ego.
Zemo Vs. John Walker
Falcon and Bucky weren't the only characters from the MCU that made it into the Disney+ show. Helmut Zemo from Captain America: Civil War also made a return and continued his vow to wipe supersoldiers from existence. While fans certainly weren't on his side when he was the villain in Captain America 3, they certainly saw his point of view now.
This meme from Pinterest sums up the weird and wonderful opinion of fans who were on Zemo's side far more than they were on John Walker's. While Zemo sort of remained a villain, at least he was upfront about his intentions whereas there was something much darker and mysterious going on with John Walker.
Bucky's Stare
One of Bucky's most common traits in the show was his disapproving stare. This started in episode 2 when he sat staring at Sam on the plane, then again in the interrogation room when the two engaged in a staring contest. There were also numerous times when Bucky was caught glaring at John Walker with hatred and disapproval.
This Reddit meme likens his behavior to that of Aragorn in The Lord of The Rings when he sat staring at Frodo. While Aragorn's stare was one of intrigue, Bucky's stare is far more critical and menacing.
Bucky Hates John
In a callback to the first Avengers movie, this meme from iFunny mirrors one of Tony and Cap's first encounters and compares it to Bucky's attitude towards John Walker. It's already been established that Bucky was caught staring disapprovingly at John numerous times, but any time John tried to be a decent human being towards him, Bucky was not for it.
It was incredibly hard for Bucky to see John carry the shield given that not only did it belong to Steve, but also if anyone should be carrying it, it would be the man that Steve entrusted it to, Sam Wilson who will lead him into Captain America 4.
John Walker's Training
After the events of The Avengers, Steve Rogers trained with S.H.I.E.L.D to make him into a tactical agent that taught him to utilize the strength he already had. In John Walker's case, he never went through any Hydra training and he was never taught to fight tactically from S.H.I.E.L.D. Throughout the show, John relied largely on his shield and did not have the athleticism and fight style that Steve had. While John had experience in the army, this did not help him fill the boots of Steve Rogers.
This meme from Sculette emphasizes that if John Walker was in the elevator in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he would likely not survive long. Even with the super-soldier serum, it could be argued that John would not be able to hold his own against several Hydra agents.
NEXT: 10 Best Scenes From The Falcon And The Winter Soldier That Live Rent-Free In Every Fans' Head
