The finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finally delivered what MCU action fans have probably been craving for the past few weeks, their appetites sated only by occasional bursts of energised spectacle and superhero fisticuffs. One World, One People for much of its running time delivered the barrage of batterings, explosions, and punch-ups we might have expected from a more traditional costumed crimefighter caper specially made for the TV. While it was all a bit dark, gloomy, and refreshingly tough, it certainly provided the powerhouse physical pay-off we had been hoping for. It managed to largely resolve those totteringly high stakes that have been building up across five weeks for all our major players whilst also squaring off certain character arcs, providing some on-the-nose social commentary and finding new identities and new peace for our often mismatched heroes. There are some elements of narrative compromise here and there, undoubtedly brought about by restrictions imposed by a production interrupted by the arrival of COVID-19 but all in all, One World, One People succeeded admirably in tying up its loose ends and laying the foundations for stories to come elsewhere in this new, extended Marvel Universe.

With the Flag Smashers’ assault on New York – and specifically its gas attack upon the voting meeting of the Global Repatriation Council – in full effect, it takes a very special breed and combination of heroes to enter the fray to prevent disaster. Following the thrilling cliff-hanger to last week’s episode, in flies our latest saviour – the Falcon (Anthony Mackie), rebranded in an impressively comics-accurate costume complete with Falcon wings, hurling a familiar shield in through a window before stepping inside to take on Batroc (Georges St-Pierre) in exhausting physical combat. Only the coldest heart could remain unwarmed as Sam strides into action declaring “I’m Captain America”. We knew it was coming but it’s still a genuine “Hell, yes!” moment. The action that follows is fast, furious, frenetic – but yet again much of it takes place in the dark or in a gloomy environment, and it’s genuinely difficult at times to keep up with who’s doing what to who, where people are and, especially in a spectacular aerial sequence, what the hell is going on at all. Yet it doesn’t seem to matter as we’re carried along by the frantic headrush of it all as the episode kicks ass after ass and still finds time to provide striking character moments, such as John Walker’s realisation, as he re-enters the fray with murder still in mind following the death of Lemar in Episode Four, that the mantle of Captain America that he still clings to means much more than death and vengeance; it’s about doing the right thing and stepping up to the plate at the right time. Tossing aside his feeble dustbin lid shield, he seems to turn a corner and there’s something wonderfully satisfying in seeing him join forces with Sam and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) in their final push against Karli (Erin Kellyman) as her dreams of creating a better world – as we have previously established, by entirely morally dubious means – begin to fall apart. Before Karli meets her fate, though, one of the show’s biggest mysteries has been exposed and, in all honesty to no-one’s real surprise, Sharon Carter (Emily Van Vamp) is revealed to be the mysterious behind-the-scenes manipulator the Power Broker. What’s more surprising and enticing, however, is the fact that she manages to eradicate anyone and everyone who knew her secret and secure herself a pardon from the government before striding off planning further mayhem in a tantalising mid-credits sequence.

When all the carnage and the battle action has calmed down, the series winds up with some beautifully-judged moments of contemplation and redemption. Sam Wilson, now the black Captain America Isaiah Bradley doubted would ever happen and thought should never happen, delivers a stirring if only occasionally clunky speech that seems to encapsulate many of the world’s current ills and reminds us all that we need to find a way to come together to make the planet a better place whatever our beliefs and whatever the colour of our skin. Bucky comes clean about his own past and his involvement in his friend’s son’s death (a moment we might have forgotten from Episode One) and Sam ensures that Isaiah’s place in history will never be forgotten. Perhaps most gratifyingly, however, we see Sam and Bucky properly united, friends at last and, we hope, ready for fresh battles as the credits roll on a potential new series entitled Captain America and the Winter Soldier. With Sharon Carter still at liberty and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) now recruited to the mysterious cause of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Luis-Dreyfus) and clad in the mantle of the US Agent, we wouldn’t bet against Marvel Studios already drawing up contracts and dusting down Cap’s new look.

So yes, Marvel, this powerful, eventful episode fully deserves those five stars we were holding in reserve. We may never know for sure how much the pandemic caused the structure of the series to be re-engineered but the six episodes we’ve seen were big, sprawling, emotional, and exciting, an MCU movie told across the better part of six hours and, in many ways, all the better for it. WandaVision has shown that Marvel can think outside its box and FAWS has shown that they can still be hugely creative working inside it. Let’s pause for breath for a few weeks now and prepare ourselves for the next phase in this extraordinary era of comic book storytelling; Loki is waiting in the wings…