“Rogers’ torch is being passed to none other than Sam Wilson, The Falcon.” On the heels of Marvel’s announcement of a female Thor, the mantle of Captain America has now been passed to a black man. Chief Creative Officer of Marvel, Joe Quesada, announced last night on The Colbert Show: “Steve Rogers saved the world again but now… he lost his super soldier serum. Steve had to hand the mantle over.” Rogers’ torch is being passed to none other than Sam Wilson, The Falcon, who recently gained in popularity after his star turn in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
With this announcement, Wilson becomes the second African American Captain America after the character Isaiah Bradley, introduced in the 2003 seven-issue comic book series Truth: Red, White & Black. Colbert wasn’t silent in all of this. After feigning disappointment that he himself wouldn’t become the new Captain America, the comedian–who’s also readying for a transition–quipped that now The Falcon needed to be replaced. Quesada was ready with a commissioned image by Marvel artist Chris Anka of Colbert as the Falcon.
Marvel Artist Chris Anka’s rendering of Colbert as the Falcon
– Daniel Freudberg is a freelance writer based in Washington DC
