Narrative Paradigm in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

In the new Marvel TV series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” the story picks up right where it was left off in the grand finale of the Marvel cinematic universe. Captain America had essentially gone back in time to live life with the girl he fell in love with in the 1940’s. All of his friends that he had made in the present day were left with his legacy, and also his shield which was not only a functional weapon but also a symbol of everything Captain America stood for. The show is reminiscent in nature because of this departure of a significant figure from the Marvel universe and the characters who were close to him are followed throughout the course of the series.

Legacies are made from stories that are told. Stories are told by people because we are naturally a species that communicates through symbols. According to the theory of narrative paradigm, which is, “A theoretical framework that views narrative as the basis of all human communication,” (300), all humans are innately storytellers. Narration is defined as, “Symbolic actions—words and/or deeds—that have sequence and meaning for those who live, create, or interpret them” (299). Stories that are effective and have people that believe them to be true are considered to have an ideal audience. This term is defined as, “An actual community existing over time that believes in the values of truth, the good, beauty, health, wisdom, courage, temperance, justice, harmony, order, communion, friendship, and oneness with the cosmos” (303).

Storytelling is a key factor that makes this show have the impact that it does with it’s audience. Because Captain America was no longer there in the present, his story and his legacy were the only things that kept him relevant. The Falcon gives a monologue during the show where he gives the shield to a museum rather than taking up the mantle of wielding it himself. Even though it is just a shield, the Falcon sees it as a symbol and the legacy behind not only the weapons itself but the man who wielded it kept him from doing so. Many of the characters on the show have a lot of respect for how noble he was and how his leadership kept the Avengers banded together. This is why the ending of the first episode has such a huge impact on the characters who knew Captain America best. The end of the first episode shows there to be a new Captain America using the same shield that the Falcon had left with a museum. The stories and the legacy of Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, were immediately defended by the main characters whenever they saw this. The Falcon and Captain America’s childhood best friend Bucky both show an incredible amount of resistance to the new Captain America because they believed that the legacy of Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, was not going to be recreated by any regular person who picked up the shield and wore a blue jumpsuit.