Henry Gyrich recruited Falcon to the Avengers, so that the Avengers could be more 'racially diverse', but Falcon didn't appreciate being the token minority and quit after a couple of missions.ĭuring the 1970s and 80's he was a dedicated social worker in Harlem, New York. Sam took part in the ' Defender for a Day', in which Nighthawk was trying to recruit new members. When Falcon found out that the Red Skull manipulated him and was the one that gave him powers, he joined up with SHIELD. When Falcon helped Black Panther, T'Challa rewarded him by giving him a costume with wings capable of flight. Even his soon-to-be girlfriend, Leila would call the Falcon 'a yellowback', not knowing he was really Sam Wilson. He worked hard to be a hero for the Harlem community, but a certain section of the African-American populace viewed him an an 'Uncle Tom'. Sam even took the identity and costume of Captain America. Major Story Arcs A Hero is Bornīack in America, Steve helped Sam become a superhero and they even teamed together on several occasions. He is comics first mainstream African American hero, with the Black Panther being comics first African hero. He was created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan. Sam Wilson made his first appearance in Captain America #117.

Using the Cosmic Cube, Red Skull gave Sam his telepathic communication with Redwing and created his Snap persona, the Red Skull turned him into the ideal fighter to take on Captain America, but Cap was able to snap Sam out the Skull's control, and together they defeated the Red Skull. On his way to Rio de Janeiro, his plane crashed and he was later found by the Red Skull. Consumed by grief and 'angry at the world' Sam became a respected community volunteer and social worker to try to better his community. Two years later, his mother is shot and killed by a mugger one block from their apartment. The next night, however, Sam's father is killed trying to break up a neighborhood fight. To his surprise, rather than put up a fight, they provide him with books on different religions and comparative theology. When he is 16, Wilson refuses to go to church, believing his deeply religious parents' faith could be wrong. In his teens, however, he encounters racism for the first time which leaves him frustrated, jaded, and disappointed. He takes up training pigeons, and has the largest pigeon coop in Harlem. Sam's childhood started out a happy one during which he finds he has a natural affinity for birds. Sam was his parents' youngest child with older sister named Sarah and older brother named Gideon.

Samuel Thomas Wilson was born in Harlem, New York City to Darlene and Paul Wilson, a prominent minister.

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