We Finally Know Who the Power Broker Is on 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' (SPOILERS)
Updated April 23 2021, 10:23 a.m. ET
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
MCU’s highly-anticipated The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has finally reached the finale for Season 1, and according to social media, despite a delayed release date, the series has not disappointed viewers.
Along with reuniting us with Marvel cast members that we haven’t seen onscreen in years, showrunners are also introducing a few characters that may be familiar to longtime fans of the comics but new to the small screen. On one episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we were introduced to a mysterious new villain — but who is the Power Broker?
Who is the Power Broker on ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'?
First appearing in September of 1978 in Machine Man #6 and later in Captain America #230 released the following year, the Power Broker was initially identified as Curtiss Jackson, the North Carolina-born founder of the Corporation.
Working alongside mad scientist Dr. Karl Malus, who appeared in Season 2 of Netflix’s Jessica Jones, the businessman drugged and experimented on superhumans to later sell their strength to paying customers, and they burned a lot of bridges in the process.
Curtiss Jackson was ultimately killed by the Punisher, but the Power Broker's character was revived by a successor who was later subdued by Stinger. While the character was portrayed by a man in the comics, the Power Broker could literally be anyone.
In Episode 3 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we learn that the Power Broker is responsible for the new super-soldier serum that we now know was created using Isaiah Bradley’s blood, and they want it back from the Flag-Smashers expeditiously.
Because this is the character’s first on-screen appearance in the MCU, the Power Broker’s debut on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was highly anticipated, and fans used all their detective skills to sleuth out who could be the Power Broker.
Some fans believed that the Power Broker would stay true to the original Curtiss Jackson archetype and turn out to be an existing male cast member like Batroc the Leaper, while others thought showrunners would take a different approach.
Since Captain America: Civil War, Sharon Carter has been on the run as a fugitive, officially making her kind of a bad guy. And her shady behavior throughout prior episodes makes her an easy candidate for the Power Broker. So is the Power Broker former Agent Sharon Carter?
Is Sharon Carter the Power Broker on 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'?
Yes! In the final episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, titled "One World, One People," Sharon revealed herself to be the Power Broker to Karli and Batroc mid-battle, a nice confirmation for fans who suspected her in the first place. It sounds like Sharon's bitterness towards the U.S. government for treating her as a vigilante post-Captain America: Civil War has manifested as villainy.
Fans are right to continue to be suspicious of her. In the post-credits scene of the final episode, she was fully pardoned by the government...only to call a mysterious stranger and confirm she would have "access" to the U.S. government's biggest secrets. Could Sharon Carter be the next 'big bad' villain in upcoming Captain America content? Only time will tell.
You can stream The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Fridays on Disney Plus.