“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”: Sam Can’t Get a Loan?

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Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company via the official Twitter account for "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."

Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier debuted earlier this month on Disney+. One scene, in particular, caught people (including Marvel Studios folks) by surprise: a scene where Sam Wilson, AKA The Falcon, can’t get a small business loan in the series premiere. Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not that far-fetched.

What do you mean? How come The Falcon can’t get a loan? 

This probably has to do with him being a victim of The Blip. The implication seems to be that those people are now credit risks, and thus it negatively impacted Sam’s credit. Despite being a former employee of the VA and a current Air Force independent contractor, none of that seemed to help him. He’s also a Black ex-fugitive. That’s a huge risk.

What’s being Black have to do with anything? 

While race isn’t explicitly factored in, many Black people with proof of income, but bad credit, haven’t been able to get loans. This compounds if they’ve been incarcerated and also when the country has been economically distressed (which is what happened in Endgame). Hell, some Black people with good credit can’t get loans. Some of that was due to historically racist practices, other times it was nepotism. Either way, it’s something people are used to.

But Sam’s an Avenger! 

He’s The Falcon, not Captain America (yet). He’s not Thor or Iron Man. It’s like giving Delonte West a loan because he used to play with LeBron James. Sam was banking on his celebrity as a last resort, but reality’s a bitch. As far as they’re concerned, he’s 30 for 30 levels of broke.

Well, isn’t he’s a veteran?

This is a great point: does he qualify for a veteran small business loan? How does The Blip affect those policies? This show takes place only six months after Endgame, so things like that take time to play out. Sadly, all of our veterans have not been taken care of in the real world. 

I bet Rhodey could get a loan…

Rhodey is a decorated combat pilot who remained in good standing with the law, wasn’t a Blip victim, and returned to active duty after Thanos’ defeat. He was also Tony Stark’s best friend. Rhodey’s probably taken care of, but we don’t know yet!

Speaking of Stark, is there really no Avengers fund?

No. Tony Stark was the Avengers fund, paying for their needs out of pocket after S.H.I.E.L.D.’s collapse. After Civil War, most of them became fugitives. Then, Thanos happened and most of them, including Sam, were gone. Then, Stark died, and with him, the Avengers’ money. Maybe he would have eventually set up a fund, if he was still alive. Tony probably didn’t think much about it, given how crazy his life had been. But for now, you’ve got former Avengers doing contract work, having adventures off-world, or living in retirement.

So, who’s funding the Avengers now?

It’s unclear. My gut tells me “no one,” especially since Sam is an independent contractor, Rhodey seemingly went back to the Air Force, and John Walker, the new Captain America, is sanctioned by the US government. Bucky seems to be getting government-funded therapy, even. Maybe S.W.O.R.D. will step in to take over former S.H.I.E.L.D. duties, especially given how WandaVision played out. Maybe another rich benefactor will decide to fund their efforts again. That being said, the Avengers don’t seem to be an active group in the current timeline. Perhaps that necessitates some new super teams, like the Fantastic Four or the X-Men?


How did you feel about the bank scene? Did you think it was unrealistic or too realistic? Do you think Sam could have explored other options? We’ll see if this comes back around during the remaining episodes of The Faclon and the Winter Soldier!

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