One of the biggest takeaways from the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier wasn’t Sam Wilson willingly giving up Steve Rogers’ shield to a museum only to be stabbed in the back by the government after they went ahead and introduced their own Captain America anyway, but the fact that he’s broke.
Despite saving the world on multiple occasions and being a key member of the Avengers, Sam couldn’t even convince a bank manager to give him and his sister a loan, even though he’s essentially a globally recognized celebrity. It’s not something that’s ever been brought up much during the entire existence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it turns out Earth’s Mightiest Heroes don’t get paid for their efforts.
The team may have been bankrolled and funded by a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist who designed and built all of their technology and gave them a place to live, but Tony Stark’s benevolence didn’t stretch so far as to pay his teammates a salary. Naturally, the internet had thoughts about this, and you can check out some of the reactions below.
https://twitter.com/yayforzig/status/1373087027852423168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1373087027852423168%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmarvel%2Fnews%2Ftony-stark-twitter-trend-didnt-pay-the-avengers%2F
Tony Stark is a libertarian and the Avengers weren't unionized. Of course they weren't paid. Bucky had to go Wakanda for healthcare! https://t.co/Px8q9vYIdN
— No (@_No__) March 19, 2021
This is what Tony Stark paid the Avengers pic.twitter.com/T20iHDbS2w
— X🇵🇸 (@XTheExiled) March 20, 2021
https://twitter.com/putinaspliff/status/1372818474104406018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1372818474104406018%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmarvel%2Fnews%2Ftony-stark-twitter-trend-didnt-pay-the-avengers%2F
The MCU Stans are trying to cancel Tony Stark because he didn't pay the members of the Avengers even though..
1. He wasn't the leader, Cap was
2. He literally gave them all a home in a massive complex at Avengers HQ
3. He designs and builds their tech and weapon's. pic.twitter.com/0L4KND14Hp— That REDACTED Guy (@REDACTEDSpider) March 20, 2021
Sam Wilson was dead for 5 years. Tony Stark died the day Sam Wilson came back to life.
How in the world are Sam’s financial problems caused by Tony?— Jake! 🔜 Matsuricon (@Vaughanilla_) March 20, 2021
https://twitter.com/icedoutomnitrix/status/1372972636377071619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1372972636377071619%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmarvel%2Fnews%2Ftony-stark-twitter-trend-didnt-pay-the-avengers%2F
“Tony Stark should have left Sam and Bucky some money!”
Yeah, I wonder why he didn’t leave Bucky anything… pic.twitter.com/RG8Z8gx4en
— Pat Guy (@ThisPatGuy) March 20, 2021
falcon took part in saving the entire universe from extinction and still gotta deal with discriminatory loan practices. tony stark is burning in hell idc what he did
— dash is watching satc (s6) • they/them (@thedigitaldash_) March 20, 2021
Tony Stark really left the Avengers needing 2 jobs 😭 #FalconAndTheWinterSoldier pic.twitter.com/YjYFfB5ddl
— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) March 20, 2021
When you think about it, if the various members of the team felt that they weren’t being financially compensated well enough, then they could have refused to join the fight unless they were being paid the right amount to make it worth their while, which opens up an entirely different can of worms that the studio would probably rather you didn’t think about too much. In any case, it’s an interesting little tidbit that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier dropped on fans and hopefully we get more like it in the weeks to come.