Remember When Captain America Kissed His Niece?

The first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier debuts on Disney+ on Friday taking fans of [...]

The first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier debuts on Disney+ on Friday taking fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe further into the post-Avengers: Endgame world as well as a world after Steve Rogers' time as Captain America with the series following the ongoing adventures of Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). The series will also see the return of Sharon Carter (Emily Van Camp) who hasn't been seen since Captain America: Civil War. Of course, that last appearance ended up being a memorable one thanks to Steve's decision in Avengers: Endgame to live out a life with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell so now, as we get ready for what The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has in store, we're looking back at one of the MCU's talked-about moments: that time Captain America kissed his niece.

First appearing in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sharon Carter was the great-niece of Peggy Carter, founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. and all-around legend. She came into Steve's orbit when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) tasked her to operate undercover as Steve's neighbor to keep an eye on him. While Sharon's role in S.H.I.E.L.D. was revealed when Fury was attacked, her identity as Peggy's niece didn't come out until Peggy's funeral where she delivered a moving eulogy.

Sharon and Steve ended up remaining close, and Sharon gives Steve information about his friend Bucky as well as that the authorities plan to kill the Winter Soldier following the bombing at the ratification of the Sokovia Accords in Vienna. She later provides Steve with his shield as well as Sam's Falcon gear, effectively choosing her side in what will ultimately end up being Civil War. Before she departs, Steve pulls her into a passionate kiss, a kiss that he even acknowledges is "late".

At the time, that kiss was kind of romantic if not a little oddly-timed — it did happen not too long after the death of the love of Steve's life and Sharon's aunt Peggy. However, it only became especially noteworthy when Steve chooses to remain in the past with Peggy in Endgame; a move that effectively made Sharon his great-niece by marriage. Before you get too freaked out (again), though, it's worth remembering that at the time the Infinity Stones, Thanos, the Snap, and even the idea of going back in time was not something that was really in play for most of the characters in the MCU. That kiss, while weird in retrospect, was romantic at the time.

It's also at this point unclear how much Steve's life in the past with Peggy actually impacts the MCU present with the exception of Steve aging and passing on the shield. One of the things that Endgame did establish is that time travel doesn't work the way it does in movies like Back to the Future. Steve going to the past and staying there doesn't impact what's already happened. There are a lot of complex mechanics to that and no shortage of theories, but it will be interesting to see how The Falcon and the Winter Soldier addresses the kiss if it does so at all.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier debuts on Disney+ beginning Friday, March 19th.

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