Falcon Personally Asked Stark Industries For An Armor Upgrade

3 years ago

Falcon Personally Asked Stark Industries For An Armor Upgrade

After the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it's revealed that Falcon personally reached out to Stark Industries for an armor upgrade.

Sam Wilson apparently asked Stark Industries for an armor upgrade following the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Debuting in the 2014 Joe and Anthony Russo's first MCU movie as Steve Rogers' new friend, Falcon remained a loyal ally to Captain America until his retirement in Avengers: Endgame.

After his initial stint with Captain America and Black Widow taking down the HYDRA-infiltrated SHIELD in The Winter Soldier, Falcon officially became a member of the Avengers' newest roster in Avengers: Age of Ultron. His next outing from then on was in Captain America: Civil War where he debuted a pretty nifty new set of wings. Through the years, there have been significant improvements on his suit and weaponry which makes sense considering that he's an Avengers, but as it turns out before he joined the group, he already knew he needed better paraphernalia, leading him to seek assistance from Stark Industries.

In the recently-released Wakanda Files, it's revealed that Sam personally reached out to Tony Stark's company in the hopes that they can help him with his armor. The book includes Falcon's letter explaining his situation and making a case why he badly needed an upgrade.

“My old flight pack from Fort Meade did the trick temporarily, but the tech is outdated and outmatched. It’s time for an upgrade. Let’s start with the wings. When those things get shot to pieces midair, I’m cooked. They need to be able to withstand a little more firepower. Maybe carbon-polymer fiber like Cap’s suit? I hear that might keep the rigidity and flexibility ratio. The flight goggles from the prototype don’t do much more than keep the sun and wind out of my eyes.”
“Based on the last few missions, I need AR googles with a built-in comics system. I need something to give me a wide view of the battlefield. How about adding enhanced optics for isolating and differentiating targets at greater distances? It would be nice to have some sort of surveillance device that I could send into battle before I jump in. The minute I swoop in, I’m vulnerable. Unlike all the bulletproof, enhanced people on the team, I’m just a dude.”
Reading the letter, it's clear that Sam knew what he needed after going on a few missions with Captain America who's physically-enhanced thanks to the Super Soldier Serum. While Falcon has his own specialized set of skills thanks to being in active years of duty, he also realized that that the MCU heroes deal with far more dangerous threats and that he needed to be well-equipped to be in battle if he was really serious about tagging along with Steve. The book did not specify if Sam got any response from Stark Industries, but considering that he joined the Avengers thereafter and he was sporting some new equipment during their outing to Lagos in Civil War, chances are that they addressed his requests. As Sam moves forward in the MCU assuming the role of Captain America, he's aware that his physical abilities do not compare with that of Steve's. It's curious how he's planning to address this considering that other than the shield, the Star-Spangled Avenger usually does not have any kind of additional weaponry with him.
This also highlights the importance of Tony Stark in the MCU. Aside from functioning as Iron Man, the hero also provided almost infinite resources to his fellow heroes. He provided them shelter and basic necessities; after the fall of HYDRA and SHIELD in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he funded the Avengers' operations. This effectively resolved the other characters' personal financial dilemma and allowed them focus on their tasks as Earth's Mightiest Heroes. With him gone, it's curious how the Avengers as a team will continue to function especially after the destruction of their HQ in Endgame.