Sam Wilson and the High Key Importance of Wielding the Shield

So, I was pretending to be interested in the Super Bowl when I saw a commercial for the upcoming Marvel programming for Disney Plus. Though the teaser was predictably brief, WandaVision looked appropriately bizarre and what little we got from Loki was vague. What really ensured that the mouse had my money was one particular scene from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. In the clip, Sam Wilson, in what I assume to be his backyard, is throwing his whole back into launching the legendary shield (passed down from Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame) across the yard. And we need to unpack how important this moment is going forward for a couple of reasons. Here’s the spot, in case you missed it: First off, can we talk about the work Sam must be putting in at the gym? Though the density of the shield (in the MCU) hasn’t been spoken of in detail, one can assume it takes a considerable amount of strength to launch. Steve was juiced up on Super Soldier Serum so we know he had no problem throwing the touchdown pass. Bucky had a cybernetic arm with augmented strength so anything he throws has lethal potential if he wants it to. So we can safely assume Sam has been shooting in the gym, doing the 10a AND 1p crossfit classes five days a week. More importantly, despite going all in with their on-screen investment into Black Panther, Marvel has been known to waffle on their moments of inclusion in the comics. Either the character doesn’t have enough time in the spotlight to gain a real fanbase …