New Falcon and the Winter Soldier trailer teases a fractured Captain America shield

A new The Falcon and the Winter Soldier trailer has dropped in anticipation of the fifth episode, which will be available to stream Friday on Disney Plus. 

Only two episodes remain for the series and the trailer teases how much things have ramped up for Sam and Bucky as they confront the new Captain America, who now has super-soldier serum ruining through his veins. There is even a glimpse of the shield, which now appears to be cracked, maybe foreshadowing of just how fractured the ideology of Captain America is now after the ending of episode 4.

There's recently been word that episode 5 will feature a major cameo, with fans theorizing who could show up. While the trailer doesn’t tease enough to discern who will appear in the episode, a recent interview with showrunner and head writer Malcolm Spellman tells us who it won’t be. 

"There are characters in our series who I would love to see partnered with like – it’s a very, very grounded character – partnered with one of the big world-shakers like Thor or someone like that. The personality is so strong. It’s the episode five character. I’d love to see that character with Thor," Spellman told Rotten Tomatoes.

So, we know it won’t be an Avenger nor an all-powerful world shaker. From what we know, Nick Fury is still in space with the Skrulls, plus Fury has interacted with Thor before. Perhaps it’s another former member of Shield or an entirely new character we haven’t met yet who would be a ground-level hero. 

This leaves the possibilities open for someone like a Luke Cage or Jessica Jones type to appear. We already know Charlie Cox is reprising his role as Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home, even though Fiege has said before the Netflix shows aren’t part of the broader MCU. 

The good news is that we won't have to wait long to find out who this character is, but there is still time for more hints to appear before Friday arrives. 

You can check out our thoughts on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's most recent episode and come back for our review of this week’s episode

Stephanie is a comic book historian and pop culture critic for publications including SYFYFANGRRLS, Marvel, The A.V. Club, Nerdist, Den of Geek, and Rotten Tomatoes. Stephanie is also a comic creator with three ongoing webcomics, Parenthood Activate!, But What If Though?, and Living Heroes. She made her Marvel debut with a short story featuring Monica Rambeau in Marvel’s Voices: Legacy. She recently made her DC Comics debut in Wonder Woman Black and Gold #2 and is co-writing the Nubia and the Amazons miniseries.