5 Greatest Falcon Stories

Take flight with five essential Sam Wilson reads.

Falcon might be known to the Marvel Universe as Captain America’s buddy, but there’s a lot more to Sam Wilson than meets the eye. He’s a soldier and hero in his own right, and has a storied past that has led to this honor. Let’s take a look at man behind the wings in the below comics.

With Sam Wilson seemingly going rogue, Captain America had to bring him in. But appearances can be deceiving, and this story cemented that. Falcon would eventually clear his head—and his rep—and go after the imposter Captain America, Anti-Cap, but not without great loss and whole lot of trouble.

When Falcon first joined the Avengers, he didn’t get the call for his heroics. He originally found himself drafted by Henry Peter Gyrich in order to cater to equal opportunity recruitment and to restore the security clearance of the Avengers. After years of keeping his feelings bottled up, Falcon finally confronts Gyrich and earns his respect.

We learn of Sam Wilson’s character and bravery right out of the gate. While volunteering on a Haitian island, Wilson first meets Captain America. He reveals that he’s been trying to rally the people for a full on revolt against the evil Exiles. Recognizing Wilson’s heroism and courage, Cap lends a hand and teaches him the values and symbolism of being a costumed hero. Falcon never looks back.

Following the events of Shadowlands, Falcon joins a squad of general loners in order to clean up the streets. Though the team wouldn’t last very long, and had members revolving like a merry-go-round, it gave Wilson a break from the Avengers and a new edge. Trading his services for occasional back-up and the word on the street, Falcon got a new dimension to his persona and a lot more street cred to boot.

With Cap being blackmailed and labeled un-American, Falcon had to break out of his traditional role and take to the skies. With the aid of Black Panther, Sam gets some serious upgrades to his suit and gear, finally allowing the Falcon to soar like his namesake. With his technology upgraded just in time, Falcon lends a much-needed hand and pull Cap’s iron out of the proverbial fire.