The following contains spoilers for episode 3 ofThe Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
The latest action-packed episode ofThe Falcon and The Winter Soldierfinally brought Sharon Carter back into the foldand gave fans a little bit of insight into what she’s been up to after the events ofCaptain America: Civil War, which is the last time she was seen. As it turns out, she was on the run after stealing Captain America’s shield back for him (among other gear like Falcon’s wings) and was hiding out in Madripoor. She shows up just in time to save Sam and Bucky, and helps them find the answers they’re looking for about the super-soldier serum.
Though she’s clearly harboring a lot of anger because of how she was treated afterCivil War, she acts as an ally towards Sam and Bucky, and is on their side for the course of the episode. However, there is a fan theory circulating that Sharon might be hiding a big secret, and could actually turn out to be a much more antagonistic force.
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Power Broker is a character who was mentioned multiple times in the episode(and has been mentioned in past episodes) but the audience still hasn’t met him…or her. The current fan theory suggests that there’s a large possibility that Sharon Carter could be Power Broker, or at the very least be working for or with him. This theory definitely holds some traction, as there are multiple bits of evidence that suggest Sharon is not quite who she seems.
First of all, the episode itself is entitled “Power Broker,” despite the fact that the character of Power Broker is only mentioned a few times and never actually makes an appearance. However, this episode features Sharon heavily, and she plays an integral role in the story.This could be a big hint that she actually is Power Broker, or has tight connections with him. It wouldn’t make sense to title the episode “Power Broker” unless that character played a large part in it, and since we never actually see Power Broker, it’s not crazy to assume that maybe they were actually there the whole time, unbeknownst to the audience.
Sharon clearly has a lot of (justified) anger and resentment towards how she was treated after Civil War, and how it seemed like everyone else on Team Cap got pardons but she had to go on the run. This anger could haveled to her taking a more villainous turnand becoming Power Broker. She is an ally to the heroes in this episode, but what if it was mostly to further her own ends that haven’t yet been revealed?
There is a vague mention of the “hustle” involving art pieces that seems to be Sharon’s main source of income. This is implied to be something that has set her up nicely in a financial sense, and she does appear to be doing well for herself. But is this hustle really enough to fund her lifestyle and the place that she’s staying? She even has a personal driver. It would make more sense ifshe was actually the one running things as Power Broker, which was either a position she created or one that she took over by disposing of a previous Power Broker (which is, of course, another possibility as to how she took on the title). If she was as in charge as the Power Broker is positioned to be, it would explain why she has seeminglynever tried to reach out to the United States or the Avengers for a pardon- after all, why give up that income and that control that you’ve spent years working for?
In the latter half of the episode, there’s a scene where Sharon meets her driver and gets into the car, saying, “We’ve got a big problem. Actually, a couple of them.” This is an (intentionally) vague statement and could be referring to a number of things. Sharon could be saying that the missing serum orthe fact that the Flag Smashers are in possession of itis a problem, but it’s also possible that the “big problem” she’s talking about is actually Sam, Bucky, and Zemo. After all, if she is Power Broker (or is working for him), she might feel these men are starting to stick their noses where they shouldn’t and ruin everything she’s worked for. Specifically, the fact that Sam and Bucky broke a very intelligent supervillain out of prison could be something that she sees as an obstacle for her own goals,or even just as a problem for the world in general.
There is also a possibility thatshe’s actually allied with the Flag Smashers, either as Power Broker moving everything around behind the scenes, or as a free agent. Again, her reference to a “big problem” could be hinting towards the fact that Sam and Bucky are going to be an obstacle for her goals with the Flag Smashers. Joining the group (or at least assisting them) is something that is plausible for her after feeling so much resentment towards the government afterCivil War.
This, of course, is all wild speculation, and all of it could prove to be false. After all, plenty of the theories that circulated during the release ofWandaVisionended up not coming true. However, there are a lot of hints in this episode that Sharon is hiding a few things, and is definitely going to prove to be more important in the series. It’s a safe bet to say that we haven’t seen the last of Sharon Carter yet.
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