Sam Wilson: Curator of Black History
One of the things that I feel gets overlooked a lot when it comes to Sam Wilson, is the investment that he has in Black American history. In Brave New World, he even has a picture of Howard Adolphus Wooten on his book shelf.
In The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson is not only introduced to Isaiah Bradley's story, but he also brings it out into the light, in a museum no less.
And in Captain America: Brave New World, the protection of Isaiah's legacy is the sole purpose for Sam getting involved with President Ross's issue in the first place. One of the main criticisms for Brave New World was the idea that the story didn't center Sam Wilson's beliefs/personal positions enough. The focus was more on Ross's mistakes. People argued that Sam had no reason to be in the conflict.
But, looking at this film from the perspective of Black History, (both the curation of Black history and the maintenance of it) Sam Wilson's personal stakes could not have been higher.
Sam wasn't just trying to protect Isaiah because they were friends. Sam was trying to ensure that Isaiah's legacy wouldn't be tarnished, and that the history that was finally excavated from America's past wouldn't be thrown into the dustbin. By clearing Isaiah's name, Sam was ensuring that the history of "The Forgotten Captain America" would not be erased a second time.
American history has always gone out of its way to downplay the histories of Black Americans, and has always looked for any excuse to erase Black success.
Phylis Wheatley, who a lot of scholars view as the foundation for the African American literary tradition, was forced to prove in court that she really did write all of those poems. When those accomplishments can't be contested, they are downplayed, or the narrative shifts to focus on a more unsavory piece of the legacy. The Black Panthers were responsible for many community outreach programs, such as free and reduced lunches for students, yet whenever they are talked about, the narrative paints them as wild radicals who hated America.
When it comes to Black history, even the smallest infraction, miscalculation, or mistake can lead to the vilification of an entire movement, history, or tradition.
Now, place this into the context of the MCU.
Isaiah Bradley's story is a direct parallel to Steve Roger's, even going so far as to paint the two as heroes who went out (against orders) and saved a company of their men. While Steve was honored as a hero and an American icon, Isaiah was imprisoned and forgotten. Isaiah Bradley's entire story shines a light on America's hypocrisy.
Unlike with Steve Rogers's story, America is not the hero.
So, when Isaiah's story is placed in a museum for the entire world to see, it's not a point of pride for the country, it's a point of shame. Jusst like chattel slavery, just like the Red Summer, just like the Tulsa Massacre, just like the Tuskegee Syphilis incident.
America was wrong. But America will always America, and America will always find a way to erase its mistakes rather than learn from them.
And Isaiah going to prison for shooting the current President was the perfect reason to disparage Bradley's story and rebury it.
And that's what would have happened without Sam's intervention. Just like Carter G. Woodson before him, Sam Wilson went out of his way to ensure that a monumental piece of Black history was preserved and protected.
And on a more cynical note, it's interesting the way the MCU responds to Sam Wilson as Captain America. Through BNW, everyone Sam interacts with recognizes him as Captain America (even his enemies). Hell, the only person who gives Sam any kind of disrespect for his new position is President Ross (i.e. "You're no Steve Rogers.")
It reminded me a lot of living through the Obama presidency. Where so many people loved the idea of Obama and actively celebrated having a Black man as president, while also ignoring the histories, brutalization's, and bloodshed that Black bodies underwent to build this country. Obama being president meant that the country as a whole didn't have to unlearn or reconcile with past racial injustices.
And a part of me feels as though this same mindset is present when it comes to Sam Wilson as Cap, especially when compared to Isaiah. In the MCU everyone knows the story of Isaiah Bradley, thanks to Sam, but that doesn't mean they understand (or even want to understand) what was done to him and the other soldiers that he served with. Thinking about how America was willing to sacrifice their own Black country men out of convenience is an uncomfortable truth. In the same way that Americans today don't want to reconcile with the Tulsa Massacre and its impact generations later. Raising Sam Wilson up as the "current" Captain America allows them to ignore the harm that America has done in the name of comfort and convenience.
After all, how racist can a country be if it allows a Black man to carry the shield, right?
And if a modern day Black man is carrying the shield, that means no one has to feel guilty about how another Black Captain America was imprisoned, experimented on, and forgotten about. In this way, Sam becomes less of symbol of America and more of a "get out of jail free card".
Sam Wilson is Captain America, so we don't have to feel bad about Isaiah Bradley.
Obama was president, so we don't have to feel bad about slavery.
But Sam Wilson is connected to Isaiah Bradley, and his experiences as America's symbol today does not erase the atrocities that America did to Isaiah in the past.
That's what history is. A connective force that guides the present. Sam Wilson as Captain America now will always be built on the foundation that Isaiah laid before.
I've always joked that, in the MCU at least, Sam is more of a legacy character for Isaiah than he is for Steve. While Steve may have given Sam the shield, it was the story of Isaiah Bradley that pushed Sam to accept it.
