The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Are The Flag Smashers Really That Evil?

When it comes to good or evil in Marvel movies, it’s often difficult to judge from a viewer’s standpoint. 

 

That’s what makes the characters so compelling– we empathise with all their decisions and it’s never black or white. Situations are often painted in a shade of muddy grey where everyone is doing the best they can with the cards dealt with them. 

 

But for this particular Marvel series, we are introduced to the Flag Smashers lead by Karli Morgenthau played by English actress, Erin Kellyman. 

 

 

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The Flag Smashers were introduced to us as a threat who execute bank-heist flash mobs and commit general violence to the citizen folk. But as we get to know them, we learn that their motives are simply to unite everyone in the world without prejudice. In fact, they even come across as anti-heroes activists carrying out humanitarian works.

 

Their crimes, which include stealing and robbing the rich? Well, their motive is only to feed the starving people at a Latvian refugee camp!

 

 

We even see a scene of Karli weeping over a hospitalised, bed-ridden Donya Madani who had fallen ill due to the less-than-inhabitable conditions of the refugee camp. 

 

How can we blame Karli’s rage and desire for a collective world, when she and her people were thrown out and discarded into the streets as soon as the wealthier civilians came back from the ‘blip’? 

 

During a conversation with a fellow Flag Smasher, Karli opens up about her dreams of becoming a teacher. Can we really call this character evil??? 

 

Nevertheless, Marvel has a penchant for throwing twists and turns in character plots, so it’s not the right time to draw a full conclusion just yet (especially since we are only halfway through the series). 

 

Until then, stay tuned!

 

*Cover image via The Indian Express