The Fourth of July is coming, and with that, we have civil unrest in America along with a pandemic, a lack of leadership (at best), and basically nothing worth celebrating. Yay! But you know what is important to remember this July 4th? Sam Wilson is Captain America.

At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers decided his time was better spent ignoring major historical moments so that he could live out his life with Peggy Carter. In doing so, he had to pass on the title of Captain America and gave it to Sam.

In a beautiful moment, Sam looked at the shield and said that it felt like it belonged to someone else, to which Steve said that it didn’t, and even thinking about that makes me cry. Sam Wilson, in all his glory, was a character who just constantly stood by his friend and did what he thought was the right thing, which, in a lot of ways, makes him a perfect Captain America.

So, while the world is in absolute chaos, we can look at beautiful little moments like this and remember that we’re going to get an entire series on Disney+ dedicated to the adventures of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. I thank the gods for Falcon and the Winter Soldier daily.

Sam Wilson is not only a character who put himself on the line time and time again; he’s loyal, too. He made sure to stand by Steve Rogers, a man he had just met, throughout all of Winter Soldier, and even when everyone was fighting each other during Civil War, he still stopped to make sure that Rhodey was okay when Vision tried to shoot him out of the sky.

He’s dedicated to those who are around him and need him, and … when Captain America needed his help, he was there.

Wit the world snapped away, no one knew what was happening, but Sam Wilson knew that he had to go back for his friends and do the right thing against Thanos. And how did he announce to Steve that everyone was coming to help the Avengers?

Not to mention that Sam is … extremely determined. (Never forget that he tried to outrun a SUPER SOLDIER.)

He’s an all-around great character for multiple reasons. Beyond his loyalty, Sam Wilson is someone who puts the needs of those around him above himself. And while everything in the world feels so completely out of our control, especially in America, it is nice to look to characters like Sam Wilson as a beacon. So yeah, my Fourth of July is celebrating Sam Wilson, because he’s Captain America and that’s about the only America-adjacent thing I’m proud of right now.

And, most importantly, with Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we’re going to get an entire series of this.

And, you know … this.

Who knows when we’re going to get the show? Maybe, for a Fourth of July treat, we can get a trailer for it! (Please, Marvel?) But until we have any kind of news, I’m just going to bask in the knowledge that Sam Wilson is Captain America, and that’s who I’m supporting this holiday weekend. Nothing but respect for MY Cap.

(image: Marvel Entertainment)

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