Falcon & Winter Soldier: Why Flag Smashers Originally Stole Super Soldier Serum

Karli Morgenthau actress Erin Kellyman reveals why the Flag Smashers originally stole the Super Soldier Serum in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Introduced in the first episode, the Flag Smashers remained a bit of an enigma as the series teased out their intentions and goals over the show’s first four episodes. Things took a turn in episode three when Karli Morgenthau bombs a Global Repatriation Council (GRC) facility in Lithuania with members of the organization inside.

The hunt for the Flag Smashers became all the more prevalent in the fourth episode after this bombing. With John Walker, Bucky, and Sam on their tail and closing in, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s fourth episode gives Morgenthau her most important scene yet when Sam attempts to reason with the leader of the Flag Smashers. Morgenthau explains their goal of unity while Sam tries to explain to her that the group’s methods are in opposition to their stated goal, but before he can make too much progress, Walker, unsurprisingly, ruins the moment.

Although The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s fourth episode ends with the Flag Smashers in an even worse position than when it started, Kellyman reveals that the group really did have pure intentions when they stole the Super Soldier Serum. The actress tells TVLine that when the Flag Smashers originally stole the serum, they had only planned to use it for more practical things like helping people and distributing aid. Kellyman acknowledges that the circumstances have evolved and the group has been forced to change their methods but emphasizes that, originally, the Flag Smashers did not set out to be villains.

I think the reason that they wanted the power behind them, originally, was probably for a more practical use. They do a lot of moving boxes and helping people, and I think they probably would have just taken it for that reason. Now they’re starting to get more attention, and they’re posing more of a threat, and I think [the serum] is quite helpful.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s fourth episode, “The World is Watching,” ended with what is quite possibly the darkest moment in the MCU yet. John Walker’s pursuit of the Flag Smashers ended in tragedy for both parties when Lemar Hoskins is accidentally killed by Karli. Walker, enraged and with a stolen vial of Super Soldier Serum running through his veins, follows Nico and murders him with Cap’s shield in front of a crowd of onlookers and Karli herself.

How this will influence the Flag Smashers’ actions going forward remains unclear, but with Karli already expressing disdain for Captain America in this episode, she may have her sights set on John Walker. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier may have set up both the Flag Smashers and John Walker as its primary antagonists, but it’s clear that both parties started from a place of good intentions. The show is sending a clear message, though: even the best intentions become corrupted when in opposition with each other.

Source: TVLine

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Graeme Guttmann
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Graeme Guttmann is an editor, writer, and interviewer for Screen Rant. With a love for all things pop culture, he watches just about everything from the biggest blockbusters to reality shows like Real Housewives. He currently resides in Boston, MA where he is an MFA candidate at Emerson College for creative writing. You can follow him on Twitter @cryptograeme for pop culture commentary and random musings about pop music and just about anything else.

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