Falcon & Winter Soldier Credits Scene Explained: What Movie Is It Setting Up?

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 6, “One World, One People.”

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s finale includes a post-credits scene that sets up Sharon Carter’s future as the Power Broker, as well as a possible mystery future MCU movie. Here’s what it means for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The final episode of the latest MCU Disney+ series brought the show’s multiple storylines to a head in dramatic fashion. Sam Wilson officially became Captain America and worked with Bucky Barnes to stop the Flag-Smashers’ violent attacks while ultimately supporting their cause to stop the GRC from removing refugees in a post-Blip world.

Marvel Studios wrapped up The Falcon and The Winter Soldier season one – which received a retitle to Captain America and The Winter Soldier in the credits – with some resolution and teases for the future. Sam is generally accepted as the new Captain America, Bucky makes amends with every name on his list, John Walker becomes U.S. Agent with the help of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Isaiah Bradley’s story is added to the Captain America exhibit. It also shows Baron Zemo imprisoned in The Raft and confirmed Sharon Carter is the Power Broker. Out of all of these storylines, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s post-credits scene follows the latter.

With no official plans for season two, a follow-up movie, or confirmation on where these characters will appear next, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s post-credits scene could’ve gone in many different directions. Marvel Studios ultimately decided to tease Sharon Carter’s future with the scene and explores her getting the pardon for her role in Captain America: Civil War that she’s been waiting for. But what exactly happened in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s post-credits scene and what implications does it have for the MCU’s future, particularly in terms of a future movie? Here’s a breakdown of the post-credits sequence.

Who Sharon Carter Calls

After Sharon Carter receives her full pardon from the U.S. government, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s post-credits scene teases her plans with a phone call. Sharon immediately begins a conversation with an unknown recipient and discusses the wealth of resources she’ll soon have access to. She says that super-soldiers might be off the table right now, but she will soon have full access to “government secrets, prototype weapons, you name it.” Sharon wants the person on the other line to start lining up buyers for what she’ll soon be able to sell and mentions that there should be something for everyone. The show doesn’t include any audio from the other end of this phone call, leaving a mystery about who Sharon is in contact with here.

So who is Sharon on the phone with in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s post-credits scene? The easiest and most likely explanation is one of her followers or supporters. With no dialogue exchanged between Sharon and the other person on the line, the call comes across as her giving orders. As the Power Broker, Sharon has multiple individuals under her control and appears to be ordering one of them to get their clients ready for an upcoming bidding war. Instead of Sharon dealing with expensive paintings or recreating super-soldiers, she is about to start selling even more valuable items and information in the future.

Since there isn’t a clear answer about who Sharon calls, there is always the chance that Marvel Studios will reveal a more meaningful connection down the road. It doesn’t appear Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and Sharon Carter are working together, and it would be strange for Marvel to delay revealing that working relationship. If someone more important than one of Power Broker’s henchmen is on the other line of Sharon’s call, it’ll take a future MCU project to shed more light on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s post-credits scene.

Who Sharon Carter Is Working For In Phase 4

Sharon’s new plans as Power Broker are possible thanks to her pardon and the tease that she’ll be going back to work for her previous employer. The setup for Sharon working in her “old division” again does raise a question about who exactly she’ll be working for after The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s post-credits scene. Sharon is best known as a former SHIELD agent in the MCU, so could this be a sign that SHIELD still exists? The spy organization hasn’t been part of the MCU since it collapsed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, even though Agents of SHIELD technically revived it multiple times. Although most fans believed SWORD will be the MCU’s SHIELD replacement moving forward, there’s a chance both organizations could exist. Sharon has deep ties to SHIELD in the comics and even becomes its director for a time, so it is possible Marvel Studios is sending her down a similar path now.

However, Sharon rejoining her old division could also be a reference to the CIA. After the fall of SHIELD, Sharon immediately began training to join the CIA and was affiliated with them during Captain America: Civil War. This is how she got stationed at the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre. Since this is was her last place of employment prior to becoming a fugitive, this could be where Sharon ends up too. Unlike SHIELD, the CIA has always been around in the MCU. While the comics would point to SHIELD being the answer to Sharon’s future, her story in the movies makes it just as likely (if not more) that the CIA won’t be where Sharon sets up shop next.

There’s also the question of whether Sharon Carter is working for someone else, even when she was the Power Broker. She may have had lots of contacts from her time as Agent 13, but the Power Broker had reach and resources well beyond someone who had been ostracized by her government. Could her backer be the same backer as the Contessa, who has a vested interested in their own power plays in the MCU? Could this be the means to introduce a new human-level threat, such as a Norman Osborn-like figure? He’s been the backer to both the Thunderbolts and the Dark Avengers team before, and that could make for an interesting follow-up to The Falcon & The Winter Soldier.

The MCU Sets Up A Repeat Hydra Infiltration For A New Movie

No matter what organization and previous employer Sharon Carter ultimately begins working for, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s post-credits scene is setting up a repeat of Hydra’s infiltration now. Hydra secretly spent decades flooding the ranks of SHIELD with its loyal supporters waiting for the right time to tear it down. These events played out in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and saw Sharon stand up to Hydra’s attempted takeover. Instead of continuing to fight for freedom and American government agencies, it appears Sharon is taking a page out of Hydra’s playbook by invading either the CIA or a revitalized SHIELD. However, Sharon’s plan doesn’t appear to revolve around dismantling whichever organization she joins. All she seems to want is more and better resources to sell to her various clients.

The MCU could take multiple approaches with this storyline and the fallout of Sharon’s new position of power. We could see Sharon’s influence as Power Broker spread across multiple projects and years that makes her a significant ground-level villain. There are massive intergalactic and multiversal threats on the horizon, but the MCU is still in need of a grounded threat for its Earth-based heroes. Sharon could become that and supply future villains with the technology, power, and resources needed to make life difficult on the MCU’s heroes. She could easily be working with Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa to set up an alternative team to the Avengers – such as the Dark Avengers or the Thunderbolts – from a position within the government to lean on them for official backing. Perhaps Sharon Carter could become a key figure in whatever villain team seems to be already set up, further setting up a face-off with the newly reformed Avengers in The Avengers 5?

It’s also possible that the latest government infiltration is meant to build to Secret Invasion. The Disney+ series will deal with the invasion of Skrulls if it is anything close to the comics it is based on. This isn’t to say that Sharon Carter is secretly a Skrull – although that could further explain her dramatic character changes – but her infiltration plans could fit nicely in a story that should be driven by paranoia and distrust. For now, fans might have to wait for Marvel Studios to officially announce what is next for Sharon Carter to get a clear grasp on what The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s post-credits scene really means for the MCU’s big picture.

About The Author

Cooper Hood
(5632 Articles Published)

Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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