When fans tuned in to watch the finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the closing moments of the show rewarded them with a surprising alteration to the end credits. However, director Kari Skogland revealed that the change came rather late in production.

According to Fandom, Skogland revealed how the meaningful change to the end credits was not an immediate decision. While the title of the show referred to Sam Wilson's original hero name, the final episode celebrated him taking up the mantle left by Steve Rogers, as the title became Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Skogland said, "The moment we decided to do that was actually through the post-production process, because even the front title [still saying The Falcon and the Winter Soldier], we worked on different ideas of it and where to put it, because we had the Marvel [logo]l front flip as well, so it was really where best to support the story."

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In regards to best supporting the story, it was appropriate to leave the change until the finale; until that point, despite practicing with the shield, Sam had never officially called himself Captain America. Skogland reaffirmed this, saying, "It became evident, once we saw all six episodes -- which wasn't until really January/February when we finally had all the editing done and the deck of cards [in place], and we put everything where we wanted it -- then it became very obvious that that's where we wanted to put it, right after we'd just seen the whole series. And then boom, Captain America." Despite this, the change was still a surprise to some of its writers.

It was also notable that in all the prior episodes, the title would have been contentious due to the presence of John Walker who had already claimed the title. Although he was stripped of that title in Episode 5 "Truth," the episode still began with him proclaiming himself as Captain America. While the same episode saw the immense training that Sam began in preparation for becoming the Star-Spangled Man, it ended just short of the reveal of his new suit.

The long wait for the change also added to the significant weight the title was shown to possess. The series confronted the complicated meaning behind the symbol and why it wasn't so easy for Sam to pick up. The character of Isaiah Bradley also suggested that a Black Captain America would never find acceptance. However, Sam's ultimate choice, alongside the end credit change, insisted he would try nonetheless.

Directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly and Daniel Brühl. The entire first season is available to stream on Disney+.

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Source: Fandom