Editor’s note: This story contains spoilers from “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” finale.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new Captain America.

After weeks of Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) dealing with an international crisis, and delving into a hidden chapter in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the concluding chapter of“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”最后允许有翼的复仇者wield the shield bequeathed to him by the original Cap (Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers) in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” taking on his heroic mantle with it.

Of course, Sam’s journey toward his new role was only one of the pieces in play over the course of the Disney+ series’ six episodes. We also saw Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), a.k.a. the Winter Soldier, struggling to re-enter humanity and coming to terms with the carnage he wrought as a brainwashed cyborg. And, in one of the show’s most controversial introductions, there was the government-selected replacement Captain America, John Walker (played by Wyatt Russell), who invited plenty of scorn from audiences when he quickly discovered it takes more than a shield to make the star-spangled man.

As the second Marvel Studios series on the streaming platform, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” had the unenviable job of not only following up the hugely buzzed-about“WandaVision,”but also carrying the Captain America story forward.

Existing at the intersection of the fictional Marvel universe and the real-world events in its backdrop, some of the show’s best moments were its smaller ones: Sam Wilson seeking the counsel of Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), a Black man who was given the famed super soldier serum and then left with a lifetime of regret; a conversation between Sam and Bucky about the shield’s “complicated legacy” and what it means for a Black man to take it up.

These moments are where“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”excelled, enriching the MCU by striving for complexity in its narrative.

But as the series shone brightest when engaging in cultural commentary within a superhero framework, it also put too many shields in spin to wrap up meaningfully within the time allotted. With Walker’s story, the world-beating Flag Smashers organization (led by Erin Kellyman’s refugee-turned-terrorist Karli Morgenthau) and rogue CIA agent Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) all demanding screen time alongside the title twosome, the final episode felt as if it was cycling through a checklist of must-hit items rather than bringing the story to an earned conclusion.

Sometimes it worked: Sam is the new Cap. Isaiah Bradley came to terms with his troubled past.

Other times it didn’t: The Flag Smashers story came to a screeching halt. Bucky’s PTSD was tied up a bit too quickly. Walker’s redemption arc — going from acclaim to disgrace, and culminating with his transformation into the famed Marvel comics antihero U.S. Agent — felt both too sudden and too arbitrary. Not to say he shouldn’t end up where he does, he just needed one or two more episodes to get there.

And then there’s the finale’s biggest “twist”: Sharon Carter is the mysterious “Power Broker,” who sells superpowers to the highest bidder. The reveal felt so incongruous, considering the character’s history in the “Captain America” movies and what we saw in previous episodes, it’s like the writers landed on Carter after realizing they hadn’t set up any other viable options within the show.

But no story really ends in the MCU, as a mid-credits scene in the finale pushes the narrative toward future nefarious doings from the newly pardoned (and suddenly villainous) Sharon. There’s also the enigmatic Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who gifted Walker his sleek new threads, with an unfurling arc of her own. Whether she’s a baddie or a goodie is still a mystery; her story is set to unfold in theupcoming “Black Widow” film.

After 13 years, we know each of these Marvel projects is a cog in the machine, doing its thing while laying the tracks for the next chapter. This show, however, felt more like a compelling intermission than the main event.

With its final chapter, the newly retitled “Captain America and the Winter Soldier” justified its six-episode journey, but its place in the canon will ultimately depend more on what comes next than what it accomplished on its own.

“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”:Complete series available to stream onDisney+.