In Falcon & Winter Soldier #3, Bucky and Sam return to familiar costumes just as a new character suits up with their very own Captain America suit.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Falcon & Winter Soldier #3 by Derek Landy, Federico Vicentini, Matt Milla and VC’s Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
In Falcon & Winter Soldier, the two title characters found themselves roped up in a dangerous situation after the members of the secret government agency Bucky Barnes was working for were nearly all killed by Hydra. Before long, they learned that the person responsible was a lethal and impressionable young man going by the codename the Natural.
The Natural is a walking contradiction because while he was recently recruited by Hydra, he is also a massive Captain America fan. With Hydra undergoing its very own power struggle between two potential leaders, Sam and Bucky go on the trail of the Natural, hoping to steer him in the right direction while also taking care of the villainous organization. But the real surprise is that this leads to the debut of a new Captain America in the Marvel Universe.
When Sam and Bucky first met the Natural in Falcon & Winter Soldier #1, the young man simply couldn’t believe it. He is a Captain America super-fan after all, and he truly cherished the idea of having to fight them both. What the two former Sentinels of Liberty didn’t expect however was to get completely wrecked by the Natural in a fight. Clearly, this boy is naturally skilled in combat, and Hydra has already transformed him into a living weapon.
After the Natural told the two superheroes about the power struggle between two potential Hydra figureheads, they found the first candidate, Baron Zemo. Zemo offered a partnership of sorts, given that his rival threatens to transform Hydra into something far worse. He gave Sam and Bucky the location of the Natural’s home address, and it’s there that we find the two title superheroes in Falcon & Winter Soldier #3. They meet the Natural’s parents, who are also Captain America super-fans. They want Sam and Bucky to save their son, so they give them his location at Hydra’s secret base.
There, Sam and Bucky take care of some Hydra goons before the Natural finds them once again. But now, he isn’t wearing any civilian clothes — he’s got his very own, brand new Captain America suit.
The Natural reveals to Sam and Bucky that he made this suit himself. It’s got the appropriate red, white and blue colors, and it’s got a modern, tactical design. His suit incorporates a face mask like Same Wilson, instead of a full cowl. What’s more, his brown straps and pouches seem to be a nod to Steve Rogers’ World War II uniform from Captain America: The First Avenger. Plus, Hydra even made him his own bulletproof shield. It’s not made of Vibranium, but it’s still handy in a fight.
The Natural may be working for Hydra, and he may have already killed plenty of people, but he isn’t an all-out villain either. Sam and Bucky try to convince him to step away from Hydra, no matter what they have promised. Despite what he’s already done, the Natural sees potential hope for him becoming a superhero like them because even Bucky was once an assassin.
With his very own costume and skills to match both the Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it looks like the Natural may have just become the duo’s newest sidekick. In fact, the cover for the series’ next issue shows the boy, in his Captain America suit, fighting alongside both Sam and Bucky.
If all goes well, he could even be promoted to become Steve Rogers’ own sidekick. After all, Captain America is no stranger to having a young, lethal soldier at his side.
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