Why Falcon And The Winter Soldier Made Sharon Carter A Villain

In the final episode of Marvel's Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we learned that it was Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) acting as the Power Broker in Madripoor. While that was definitely one ongoing theory among fans throughout the series, it was still a surprise to see the former agent of SHIELD--and close ally of Steve Rogers--had gone rogue. However, it also makes sense given everything she's been through.

Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Sharon was viewed by the government as an enemy--as was a large portion of the Avengers. And while the superhero team wound up regaining their status in the MCU, Sharon wasn't so lucky. It was an easy story to tell for Falcon and the Winter Soldier head writer Malcolm Spellman.

"It was a conversation with Marvel and it came from us really litigating what Sharon's life has been Since Civil War," he told GameSpot. "And I think there was no way to avoid it, you know? She was banished and an outcast by the government institutions that she's always worked for."

\In going this route for Sharon, though, the show's creative team also had to figure out the last several years of her life. "We started imagining... is she just sitting down in a room by herself not doing anything or was she making overtures to the Department of Homeland Security and the CIA and were they all rebuking her?" Spellman continued. "And we said they probably will rebuke her because [she hasn't] been seen around. That means they were probably going after her because of what she may know or may not know between SHIELD and whatever other stuff she's been involved with. And so this woman has been hunted and forced to survive on her own. Where else was she going to go with it?"

Now, though, Sharon is in an interesting position. All of those that knew her true identity as the Power Broker have been eliminated. What's more, she's once again been embraced by the government and given her old job back. It makes her a formidable foe going forward.

What remains to be seen is when we will see more of that foe. She could potentially re-emerge in Captain America 4, which will surely deal more with Sam's struggle as the titular superhero and is expected to be written by Spellman.

All episodes of Falcon and the Winter Soldier are available on Disney+ now.

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