WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 4, "The Whole World is Watching," now streaming on Disney+.

Steve Rogers gave the shield – and his mantle as Captain America – to Sam Wilson at the end of Avengers: Endgame, an act that has haunted Sam throughout The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In simplest terms, he didn’t feel up for it and clearly didn’t think that anyone else was either. John Walker believed differently, though he had many of the same doubts and fears that Sam did. His spectacular fall from grace is already the talk of this week’s episode, but the subtle shift in Sam might be even more important. It's crystal clear that Sam is Captain America in all but name now; giving away the shield didn't change that.

Just as this week’s episode, "The Whole World is Watching," covered Walker’s failure step by agonizing step, so too did it demonstrate the ways Sam is a very different person. Walker’s final shocking disgrace all but handed the Captain America mantle to his former rival.

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Sam Wilson at Captain America's memorial from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Sam and Walker are veterans, which means they both understand what combat means. Both have suffered trauma as well, but Sam has done more to heal his own psychological wounds, as exemplified in  Captain America: The Winter Soldier when he counseled fellow veterans. That allows him to better hold on to his moral compass and retain his empathy -- the precise qualities that made Steve Rogers Captain America in the first place.

“There has to be a peaceful way to stop her,” Sam says of Karli Morgenthau midway through the episode. He’s the same with Bucky and Zemo, presenting alternatives and looking for ways to avoid conflict, which was always Captain America's hallmark. Sam is a “Blipper," so he understands her sense of alienation and displacement. But he also understands the difficulties of those who survived the Snap, moving on with their lives before the Avengers restored the lost and turned the world upside down. He sees things from both perspectives, and his natural compassion means he strives for just and balanced solutions every time.

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Steve Rogers piloting the Hydra bomber in Captain America First Avenger from the MCU

The respective “part threes” of the MCU movie cycle -- Iron Man 3, Thor: Ragnarok and Captain America: Civil War -- featured their respective heroes losing their signature weapons. For Thor and Tony Stark, it prompts lengthy soul searching to realize their worth. However, Steve simply lets his shield drop when Tony demands it at the end of Civil War. He doesn’t need it and never did. Sam is the same way. The fact he has gotten along just fine without the shield until now -- including active participation in the climactic battle of Endgame -- may have played a part in his decision to let it go.

Walker sees it differently. He is focused on having the raw power to win fights and views the shield -- and the Super Soldier serum -- as an expedient means to an end. His lack of understanding leads him to act before thinking time and again this week. In his goal to stop Karli immediately and comparatively, he is unconcerned about bloodshed. Sam, in contrast, made a connection with Karli and was close to resolving the situation. Walker focused on his power instead of how he uses it, turns the situation into a nightmare.

The original Super Soldier program was predicated on moral fiber rather than physical strength. Dr. Erskine stressed it throughout Captain America: The First Avenger and Steve understood the importance of it over everything else. The U.S. government didn’t. As earnest as Walker was when he accepted the shield, neither he nor the people who gave it to him heard what Dr. Erskine was telling everyone. Sam doesn’t need to. He’s the good man Erskine spoke of just as much as Steve was, meaning the serum simply doesn’t matter. Sam is Captain America now, whether he knows it or not.

Created by Malcolm Spellman and 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. New episodes debut on Fridays on Disney+.

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