The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Erin Kellyman on her "determined and passionate" character

Erin Kellyman in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

Erin Kellyman's Karli Morgenthau has already been a force for Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes to contend with on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and the character looks set to continue being a strong nemesis for the titular duo.

"She is a really determined and passionate young woman, and she won't let anybody or anything get between her and what she's trying to achieve," Kellyman tells a roundtable attended by GamesRadar+. "And I think you'll see that, as well, play out. You'll understand that about her."

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 2 brought Kellyman's Karli into the spotlight and set her up as a partly sympathetic Marvel villain. She's part of a group called the Flag Smashers, who want to return the world to the way it was during the Blip, those five years after Thanos snapped his fingers and half the universe vanished. The group seems to genuinely care about the wellbeing of those who survived this catastrophe, though, even if their methods might not be so clean.

Answering how she thinks fans will react to Karli as the series goes on, Kellyman says: "I'm not too sure. I hope that they understand her. I hope that they can relate to her. But I think it will be a surprise as well. I think people will be kept on the edge of their seats for sure, with her and her storyline and the boys as well."

On the show, Karli has used the same Super Soldier Serum that gave Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes their enhanced capabilities. That means she's more than able to hold her own in a fight – as seen in her action-packed introduction. "It was quite an entrance,” Kellyman laughs. "I think you get used to that too, my character likes to fight a lot, so. Well, she doesn't like to fight, but there is a lot of fighting, so yeah. It was a lot of fun to film as well."

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier drops a new episode every Friday, and you can check out our The Falcon and the Winter Soldier release schedule to make sure you don't miss any of the action. While you wait, discover the best Disney Plus prices and deals, and see how to watch Marvel movies in order to get up to speed.

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.