"Truth" is the fifth episode of the American television miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Sam Wilson / Falcon and Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. It follows the pair as they return home after fighting with the Flag Smashers, while John Walker faces consequences for his actions. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Dalan Musson and directed by Kari Skogland.
Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie reprise their respective roles as Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson from the film series, with Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell (Walker), Erin Kellyman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Florence Kasumba, Danny Ramirez, Georges St-Pierre, Adepero Oduye, and Daniel Brühl also starring. Development began by October 2018, and Skogland joined in May 2019. Louis-Dreyfus is introduced as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in a surprise cameo appearance that had previously been teased for the episode and was kept a secret on set. Filming took place at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with location filming in the Atlanta metropolitan area and in Prague.
"Truth" was released on the streaming service Disney+ on April 16, 2021. Critics praised the focus on characters and themes, while Louis-Dreyfus' appearance also received positive responses. The episode received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Plot
After using Captain America's shield to kill one of the Flag Smashers in public, John Walker flees, but is pursued by Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. Wilson demands that Walker hand over the shield, but he refuses. In the ensuing fight, Walker destroys Wilson's wingsuit, but Wilson and Barnes take the shield from him, breaking his arm in the process. Wilson then leaves his damaged wingsuit with Joaquin Torres and asks him to continue looking for the Flag Smashers.
Barnes finds Helmut Zemo at a memorial in Sokovia and hands him over to the Dora Milaje. While Ayo advises him not to return to Wakanda for some time, he asks her to forward a favor to the country. Meanwhile, Walker receives an other than honorable discharge and is stripped of his role as Captain America. Afterward, he is approached by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who tells him that taking the serum and killing the Flag Smasher was the right thing to do and says she will contact him in the future. Walker later visits his late partner Lemar Hoskins' family, and claims that the man he killed is the one who killed Hoskins.
Wilson returns to Baltimore to visit Isaiah Bradley, who discusses his past as a Black super soldier and how he was imprisoned after rescuing fellow soldiers who had also been experimented on before stating that a Black man would never be allowed to become Captain America nor should one want to. Wilson then returns home to Louisiana and helps his sister Sarah fix the family boat, with assistance from several locals as well as Barnes, who delivers a briefcase from the Wakandans to Wilson. Wilson and Barnes train with the shield and agree to move on from their pasts and work together.
Meanwhile, the Flag Smashers plan an attack on a Global Repatriation Council (GRC) conference in New York City. They are joined by Georges Batroc, who wants to kill Wilson and was released from prison by Sharon Carter. When Torres contacts Wilson and tells him the Flag Smashers have been detected in New York City, Wilson decides to intervene and opens the briefcase.
In a mid-credits scene, Walker builds a new shield from scrap metal and his Medal of Honor.
Production
Development
By October 2018, Marvel Studios was developing a limited series starring Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson / Falcon and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films. Malcolm Spellman was hired as head writer of the series, which was announced as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in April 2019. Spellman modeled the series after buddy films that deal with race, such as 48 Hrs. (1982), The Defiant Ones (1958), Lethal Weapon (1987), and Rush Hour (1998). Kari Skogland was hired to direct the miniseries a month later, and executive produced alongside Spellman and Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Nate Moore. The fifth episode, titled "Truth", was written by Dalan Musson. It takes its name from the comic book Truth: Red, White & Black by Robert Morales and Kyle Baker, which tells the story of the character Isaiah Bradley, a Black man who became Captain America after being imprisoned and experimented on. The episode was released on the streaming service Disney+ on April 16, 2021.