Why Would Any Black Man Want to be Captain America?
“They will never let a Black man be Captain America. And even if they did, no self-respecting Black man would ever want to be.”
These words spoken by Black super soldier Isaiah Bradley are one of the main themes masterfully explored in Marvel’s latest Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. For any African-American aware of this nation’s history of racism and its various outworking, Bradley’s words are completely understandable. They resonate with us. Why would any Black American even have the desire to represent a country that has never shown them the love, respect, and dignity owed them? Why represent a country that has continually shown us that our lives don’t matter to it? Why wear the stripes and hold the shield of a nation where your people still face disparities in education, housing, the medical field, and the criminal justice system? Sam Wilson, one of the two main protagonists in the series and a Black man, must face these questions in determining whether he should pick up the shield as the new Captain America.
Watching all six episodes, I found myself on the familiar rollercoaster of emotions when encountering the injustice in this country. One of the more moving scenes was when Isaiah Bradley, the emotionally broken super soldier, explained to Sam what happened to him due to the hypocrisy and racism of the American government. Bradley committed the same act of breaking his men out of the enemy’s camp and, unlike Rogers who was hailed as a hero and awarded a medal for his bravery and accomplishment, was thrown in prison for 30 years where he was illegally experimented on (if this sounds familiar, it’s because illegal experimentation on African-American men did happen in the infamous Tuskegee Experiment). Not only was Bradley imprisoned and tortured, the letters written to him by his wife were kept from him and when he escaped due to the sympathy of a nurse, he found out that his wife had died. As Sam says later on, Bradley’s bitterness is easy to understand and he’d probably feel the same way had he experienced the same.
So the Black viewer is left with Isaiah’s words, “And even if they did, no self-respecting Black man would ever want to be.” However, like Sam, I came to a different realization. No self-respecting Black man would disregard and discard all the pain, sacrifice, and hope given to them by older generations of African-American heroes. No, we stand on their shoulders and carry the baton of justice, righteousness, equality, and freedom for all peoples. We continue their work by making it our own. Sam knows that for him to pick up that shield, with its complicated legacy, is to honor all the Isaiah Bradleys’ who have fought and bled for this nation and yet, have been horribly mistreated by some of the very ones they’ve bled and fought for.
When Sam finally accepted the mantle of Captain America, I felt a sense of pride. The embodiment of the best of America and her ideals, was a Black man standing proud before a watching nation in a winged red, white, and blue striped Captain America suit, holding the shield. When thinking about the past four years under an extremely problematic President and how many of my people, myself included, have been told to leave this country when we point out the systemic racism and injustice that still plagues this nation, to hear a Black man proudly proclaim, “I’m Captain America” was life-giving. As our new Captain America states to a more hopeful Isaiah Bradley in the final episode, “We built this country. Bled for it. I’m not gonna let anybody tell me I can’t fight for it. Not after what everybody before me went through. Including you.”
As a Black man, this is my country. My ancestors built it, bled for it, and fought for it. Now, that fight is mine. It’s ours. We call America to live up to her principles and ideals. We call her to remember the words that “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” As I watched the finale yesterday, this line, spoken by Captain America to a government group getting ready to displace millions of people, struck me as the most iconic of the entire season: “The only power I have is that I believe we can do better.” America can do better. America can be better. And believing this truth empowers our work and fight. Thanks for the reminder, Cap.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a must watch and I give it a solid 5 out of 5 stars.