‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: Who Is the Power Broker?
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier isn’t as mysterious as WandaVision. But with its third and fourth episodes, the Marvel series has fans trying to figure out a central character’s identity.
He/She runs the show in Madripoor and has a lot invested in the super-soldier serum. But exactly who is the Power Broker?
What we know about the Power Broker in Marvel Comics
In Marvel Comic Books, the Power Broker is Curtiss Jackson, a professional criminal who builds his own sinister empire. The character first appeared in Machine Man #6 in 1978, in which he attempted to take over and control the Machine Man. The villain later went on to fight Captain America, Falcon, The Hulk, and Marvel Man.
In the comics, Curtiss Jackson founds his criminal Power Broker Corporation and hires a scientist to help him give paying customers superhuman powers. Eventually, it was revealed that Jackson was working with Captain America’s archenemy, the Red Skull.
After Curtiss Jackson, the Power Broker title was taken by an unknown masked villain who first appeared in 2008’s Avengers: The Initiative Annual #1. His agenda, much like his predecessor, is to create and facilitate supervillains.
What we know about the Power Broker in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’
So far, we only have a limited snapshot of who the Power Broker is. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Episode 3, “Power Broker,” reveals that the villain runs the crime-ridden city of Madripoor, where now-fugitive Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) currently resides.
The Power Broker is responsible for hiring Dr. Wilfred Nagel (Olli Haaskivi), a scientist who once worked for HYDRA and the CIA and recently recreated an efficient version of the super-soldier serum. Through Nagel, Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) and her terrorist buddies received the serum and stole his last remaining vials.
Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) killed Nagel, leaving no way for the Power Broker to get more super-soldier serum. So he is now after Karli and hell-bent on getting the last of the vials. In episode 4, “The Whole World Is Watching,” the Power Broker sends Karli a threatening message, indicating that he’s coming for her.
‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ fans think they know who the Power Broker is
It’s still unclear if The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will stick to the comic books or create an entirely new character for the Power Broker. But Marvel fans already have theories on who they think he is. Some think he is Curtiss Jackson, just like in the comics.
“My assumption for the show still is that he’s going to be that person, Curtis Jackson, and there isn’t some huge mystery behind his identity,” one Reddit fan wrote. “There’s also no real point in making it a mystery, the plot’s pretty full as is that just adds another layer of stuff we have to figure out. I think it’s simpler if he’s just Curtis Jackson.”
But others think the Power Broker might be someone that already knows Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and Sam (Anthony Mackie). A few even suggested the villain could be Sharon Carter.
“So the reason for my theory is that Sharon would know that Selby was killed, as she was the one [who] killed her, she was in the CIA so she would know about Wilfred Nagel and his serum,” a Redditor shared. “And I believe that she is manipulating both bucky and Sam to get to the Flag Smashers.”
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale airs on April 23, which means fans should learn the Power Broker’s identity soon enough. New episodes air Fridays on Disney+.
