5 Subtle Clues That Gave Away The Falcon And The Winter Soldier's Power Broker
Previously known by her illustrious codename Agent 13, former S.H.I.E.L.D. ( Strategic Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division) agent Sharon Carter (played by Emily VanCamp) has gradually developed into a much darker personality. Turned away by her own government and forced to survive for years as a NOMAD, Sharon has ditched the Agent 13 moniker in favor of the villainous Power Broker persona. As Power Broker, Carter has been met with no choice but to turn to the side of darkness. Building an array of connections throughout the criminal underworld, Sharon has made The Power Broker's identity her absolute own while acting as the core patron of the Flagsmasher terrorist movement.
The six-episode Disney + miniseries The Falcon and The Winter Soldier finds The Power Broker coming into conflict with The Flagsmahers agenda, which draws the attention of superheroes Sam Wilson a.k.a. The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and his infrequent partner Bucky Barnes a.k.a. The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).
5. A Touch of Mercury
While Falcon and Bucky deal with Flagsmashers leader Karli Morgenthau (played by Erin Kellyman)'s New York City takeover on the surface, Sharon ventures to a vacant parking garage and performs a brutal method to prevent any further interference from the Flagsmasher radical by the name of Lennox (Renes Rivera). In order to keep the runaway soldier from escaping into a New York Police Department vehicle, Carter incapacitates and seemingly eliminates Lennox with a heavy dose of Mercury Vapor.
Carter's Mercury Vapor bomb almost immediately covers Lennox in his car, while Sharon continues her mission at hand without remorse. While heroes cannot always find a solution to ending their villains, the use of mercury vapor further skews that line between villain and hero. Captain America or even other main Avengers in the MCU have yet to employ Sharon's brutal tactics.
4. The Death of Dr. Nagel
The devolving relationship between Sharon and the Flagsmahsers relies heavily on the super-soldier serum, which not only enhances Captain America to peak form and condition but a number of supplementary MCU characters. The show cleverly avoids a reunion between modern super soldier pioneer Dr. Wilfred Nagel ( played by Olli Haaskivi) and Carter through the show's untested commodity Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl). Refusing to let Nagel bring additional super-soldiers into the world, Zemo rewards Nagel for all his hard work by blasting the good doctor with a gunshot to the face, moments before Sharon enters the secret bunker.
Nagel reveals his established partnership with the Power Broker, but skimped out on specific details pertaining to the individual. If Nagel had lived to see Carter once again, Sharon's secret identity may have been in potential danger of being leaked out to her friends Sam and Bucky. With Nagel dead and his formula lost, The Power Broker is left having to move onto another revenue source... the U.S. government itself.
3. Sharon Has Eyes Everywhere
Titular heroes Falcon and Winter Soldier are first reacquainted with Sharon Carter in the murky streets of criminal safe haven Madripoor. As Carter rescues the pack from certain death, it's assumed that Sharon's reintroduction into the fold is out of a sheer coincidence. After all, it's Carter's timely intervention that prevents the deaths of Sam and Bucky from esteemed crime boss Selby and her enforcers.
But, Sharon is the one that's been keeping an eye on them and their associates (with the help of cameras and state-of-the-art computers), all the while ensuring their safety in the criminal underground of Madripoor. With her villainous intentions revealed at full display, fans are left to wonder exactly how long Sharon has had her eyes on Sam and Bucky.
2. Bounty Hunter Takedown
Following her assassination of Selby, Sharon has (intentionally?) marked her friends for death, with every bounty hunter on the coast of Southeast Asia placing a target on their heads. As Sam, Bucky, and prisoner Baron Zemo make their way to a shipping yard to conversate with her unknowing benefactor Dr. Wilfred Nagel, Carter must contend with her own affairs. Several bounty hunters begin to converge on the yard, but it's too little too late before they find themselves in a brawl with The Power Broker.
Unlike her last film appearances, Sharon handily defeats all of the approaching bounty hunters single-handedly. However, Carter's moves have become a bit edgier in her time as a lone fugitive during the five-year period without other superheroes saving the world. Even without super solider serum and enhanced reflexes, The Power Broker is not a force that will go down without taking a dozen of bounty hunters with her.
1. Agent Without a Country
There wouldn't be a Power Broker without the U.S. government's desperate enactment of the Sokovia Accords, which ignited the lengthy feud between Avengers founders Steve Rogers / Captain America and Tony Stark / Iron Man. Unlike most of her superheroic friends and allies who left the battlefield with their careers intact, Carter didn't escape the superhero Civil War unscathed. Sharon, with no hope of returning to the United States to visit family or loved ones, remained off the grid for the next several years.
The incident left the former Captain America love interest in such a that she abandoned all of her past morals and teachings in order to survive. Once The Avengers had finally done away with cosmic warlord Thanos, Sharon remained as the Power Broker.
While Sharon Carter's turn as The Power Broker was not made official to audiences until The Falcon and The Winter Soldier season finale One World One People, the show did an ample job of laying the seeds for the big reveal, throughout the six-episode run. With all of the clues and buildup at hand, it was hard to imagine the decisions made toward Sharon's wicked turn as contrived or crammed in for shock value to add to the thrilling nature of the show. Now that Sharon has been reaccepted into society by her government, The Power Broker's reign will only continue to live on and her career as a renowned agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and ally of The Avengers gradually diminishes.
Opinions and Perspectives
I'm still trying to wrap my head around Sharon's transformation. Her use of mercury vapor against Lennox was particularly shocking to me. Never thought I'd see her go this dark.
The writing really showed her gradual descent into becoming the Power Broker. When you think about how she was abandoned by her government, it makes perfect sense why she'd turn.
Anyone else notice how much more skilled she became in combat? That bounty hunter takedown scene was incredible. Makes you wonder what she went through during those years in exile.
I actually disagree with her being more skilled. She was always capable, we just never got to see it properly in the previous movies. Remember her fighting skills in Civil War?
That scene with Dr. Nagel was brilliant misdirection. I was completely fooled thinking she just happened to show up at the right moment.
What bothers me most is how the government just welcomed her back with open arms after everything. Seems way too convenient if you ask me.
The surveillance system she had in Madripoor was seriously impressive. Makes me wonder what other resources she's built up over the years.
I find it fascinating how they portrayed her as both a victim and villain. The writing really made us sympathize with her while showing how far she'd fallen.
Let's be honest, the US government created their own enemy here. They abandoned a loyal agent and forced her to survive by any means necessary.
You've got a point about the government, but that doesn't justify working with terrorists like the Flagsmashers.
Emily VanCamp absolutely nailed the transition from Agent 13 to Power Broker. You could see glimpses of the old Sharon fighting with her new identity.
Am I the only one who thinks she was playing both sides from the very beginning? Even her help in Civil War seems suspicious now.
The mercury vapor scene really crossed a line for me. There's surviving, and then there's becoming the very thing you once fought against.
I have to respectfully disagree. She did what she had to do to survive. We might not like it, but sometimes survival isn't pretty.
Looking back, the clues were all there. I love how they planted seeds throughout the series without making it obvious.
Just rewatched the bounty hunter scene. Her fighting style is completely different now much more ruthless and efficient.
The Sokovia Accords really messed up a lot of lives. Sharon's story is just one example of the collateral damage from that whole mess.