Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier .
Marvel Studios has officially completed the streaming run for its second Disney+ exclusive The Falcon and the Winter Solider after its sixth episode debuted on Friday . Giving fans a season finale jam-packed with action and drama, the legacy of Captain America is firmly secure in Sam Wilson’s hands as Phase 4 continues to ramp up the excitement.
Along with Wilson and Bucky Barnes developing both as friends and heroes, this show introduced MCU fans to a host of new faces for the last six weeks. The stage is set for Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent to set forth on a new “hero’s” journey while Cold War veteran Isaiah Bradley finally got the recognition he deserved after a lifetime of pain and trauma.
Alongside Isaiah Bradley in this series came his grandson, Eli, even though it was in a very limited role . However, don’t expect that role to stay limited for very much longer...
ELIJAH RICHARDSON LOOKS TO THE MCU'S FUTURE
In a new Instagram post, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier actor Elijah Richardson shared an image of himself from the show with Carl Lumbly's Isaiah Bradley. The Eli Bradley star also shared the following caption teasing his future within the MCU and how the series is "only... the beginning of Eli Bradley."
"The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Finale. Watch a young king at work. This may only be the beginning of Eli Bradley!"
Richardson's full post on Instagram can be seen below:
WHERE WILL PATRIOT RETURN?
Even though this series was the first on-screen action for Eli Bradley within the MCU , he only saw a few minutes in total between the second, fifth, and final episodes of the series. But with the teases already laid out for young heroes like Bradley, it's impossible to ignore the chances of his character becoming a hero in the foreseeable future.
WandaVision took the first step toward building the Young Avengers within Phase 4 by introducing Billy and Tommy Maximoff, known by their superhero monikers of Wiccan and Speed. The Infinity Saga also brought Cassie Lang in 2015, who will evolve into Stature in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania , while 2021 will finish with Hawkeye bringing Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop to the forefront on Disney+.
Eli Bradley has classically been utilized as one of the Young Avengers' leaders in the comics, although it will be interesting to see closely the MCU mirrors this path. He could start on this transition either in Captain America and the Winter Soldier (Season 2) or the recently confirmed fourth Captain America movie , but it's clear that he will be far from a one-off within the MCU.
Eventually, this will all lead up to an expected Young Avengers project , although plans for this outing are still very early in development. Regardless of when this happens, particularly for Elijah Richardson's character, this team will have a firm place in the MCU for a long time to come.
All six episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are available to stream on Disney+.
