The Falcon: Why is he around?

[goatherder]

I'm not a long time Avengers fan so am wondering why a character like the Falcon who is a human who can fly and communicate with birds (I think) is still around. Surely he's had a long stint as being another of Captain America's side-kick buddies, but does anyone else find him utterly useless? Sorry if I'm harshing any Falcon fan's mellow. Just very confused as to why he's around when the Avengers have a slew of characters who are skilled humans with far more appeal (etc. Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Black Widow, Shang-Chi).

[Greg Anderson]

Give him a creative team that are actually creative and care about the character and I'm sure they'll give him a lot of appeal. The guy is always placed in the background and seems a lot of people won't give him a chance and people wonder why fans don't see the appeal. At the same time, I notice a lot of people loving him in the Ultimate universe when he does appear.

[XPac]

I'm not a long time Avengers fan so am wondering why a character like the Falcon who is a human who can fly and communicate with birds (I think) is still around. Surely he's had a long stint as being another of Captain America's side-kick buddies, but does anyone else find him utterly useless? Sorry if I'm harshing any Falcon fan's mellow. Just very confused as to why he's around when the Avengers have a slew of characters who are skilled humans with far more appeal (etc. Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Black Widow, Shang-Chi).

Utterly useless is a bit harsh.

Certainly he's not the most powerful hero on the block, but it's not like there aren't a lot of characters whose power set is as comparatively minimal (Mockingbird or Black Widow for example).

As far as why he's around... the main reason is because he's fairly close to Steve Rogers, and Steve is essentially Mr. Avengers. Truthfully he's not around the Avengers a lot. He just shows up when Steve asks him. In this instance, Steve asked and low and behold, we've got a Falcon. Honestly I'm not entirely sure Falcon even wants to be an Avenger... he's just doing his buddie Steve a solid.

[PupsOfWar]

Eh. For a lot of that Cap run, they diligently tried to write it as a partnership, not Falcon as sidekick (or even "supporting hero" or backup like Rhodes is for Iron Man).
We think of it as a secondary role now because Falcon's popularity was never sustained, and because the role got ****ed up eventually, but they shared top billing on that book.

As far as why he's still around, status as the first black American superhero definitely has to be honored.

And in terms of usefulness, he's no less useless from a powerset standpoint as any number of street-level characters.
Persona-wise, he makes a good redeemed-himself-from-a-shady-background-using-his-own-merits presence, while it's nice to have someone who's very much urban but isn't as overtly rooted in Blaxploitation as Cage is (not that Cage isn't also cool).

Some of his abilities are without peer as far as scouting and info-gathering go, making him a good asset for a larger, more militarized Avengers team than we've often seen.

[scribbleMind]

Utterly useless? Watch more Hitchcock!

[Kid Kamikaze10]

What you are wondering has been asked by a lot of people. And that says enough about how writers have utilized the character as of late (hell, most of the time).

It's a really sad failing for the first African American hero in mainstream comics.

[NamorsTrident]

Useless is not the correct word.

Under Appreciated ? Maybe. Under Used? Very Much So. Missed Opportunity? More than likely. Untapped Potential? Most Definitely.

The Falcon is a very interesting and useful character when written correctly. The guy was trained and works alongside of one of the greatest fighters in the MU. Not as his sidekick but as his equal. For that reason alone the character should have/be risen to the level of Nightwings current status in the DCU. But due to the time period (and the medium) Falcon was created in he suffered from a lack of an audience.

I too use to think Falcon wasn't worth reading about. But as I began trying out other characters I was unfamiliar with I found that Falcon is one of those great characters who has yet gotten his moment in the sun. If your really interested in discovering why Falcon is a good character or even just a decent one then read Captain America the Falcon, this story not only changed my mind about the character but made me a fan.

[Billy Batson]

Does he ruffle your feathers?

[Hockstatter]

lol, he is really lame.

[marvell2100]

I'm not a long time Avengers fan so am wondering why a character like the Falcon who is a human who can fly and communicate with birds (I think) is still around. Surely he's had a long stint as being another of Captain America's side-kick buddies, but does anyone else find him utterly useless? Sorry if I'm harshing any Falcon fan's mellow. Just very confused as to why he's around when the Avengers have a slew of characters who are skilled humans with far more appeal (etc. Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Black Widow, Shang-Chi).

And there are Avengers who have more skill and appeal than those you just mentioned. Maybe some people like trhe character and want to see him better utilized.

[Stars 'N Stripes]

For the people who think that Falcon is useless, I imagine that we'll get a good show of his awesomeness in the Cap movie sequel for 2014, not to mention he'll have a bigger presence due to being so prominent in the new Avengers Assemble cartoon.

[EuphemismForSex]

Because of Marvel's "diversify the roster" mandate.

I think a lot of people can't take him seriously because he's the bird whisperer, which even in the MU is the bad sort of ridiculous. A lot of people thinks he just glides like a squirrel, too. Rather than fly. I don't blame them. Ultimate Falcon is far better represented power-wise than 616 Falcon, at least as of late.

[T.M. Anthony]

OH HELL TO THE NO!

You are not gonna dis my man Sam Wilson by questioning why he's around!

First of all:

FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN SUPERHERO EVER.

He's a part of history, like a historical landmark you can't be rid of him.

Second, he has a tremendous character arc, from a disgruntled son of two murdered parents turned to crime, to a social worker and super hero helping his community.

Hes fought terrorists and racists of all types throughout the years, and is a respected veteran of the hero community.

And he has a unique power set that allows for surveillance of a non technologically based kind. Couldn't find a enemy base because of an EMP? Sam's got the location, a little birdy told him so.

The only reason people says he sucks is because he has been underutilized and hasn't gotten a good chance to shine. He's right there with the rest of the lower powered contingent, like Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Mockingbird.

He's around because he's important to the grand shame of comics and is waiting for a chance to get the recognition that he deserves. I can't wait till somebody gives him his own "Hawkeye" series

[klinton]

And there are Avengers who have more skill and appeal than those you just mentioned. Maybe some people like trhe character and want to see him better utilized.

Exactly.

Threads like this are a little ignorant. If you don't like him, that's fine. There are those of us who do and are more than thrilled to see him on the Avengers again.

You can't like everyone, nor should you be expected to. Calling down one character or another is more than a little petty though.

Try checking out some stories with Sam and see for yourself what makes him awesome. That will go farther than anything anyone can possibly say in here.

[marvell2100]

Exactly.

Threads like this are a little ignorant. If you don't like him, that's fine. There are those of us who do and are more than thrilled to see him on the Avengers again.

You can't like everyone, nor should you be expected to. Calling down one character or another is more than a little petty though.

Try checking out some stories with Sam and see for yourself what makes him awesome. That will go farther than anything anyone can possibly say in here.

I'm not even sure if the OP is serious or not. Daredevil has sonar/radar and a billy club. Where is his "useless thread"?

But like you said, not all characters will be liked. Better to focus on the ones you do like rather than wonder about the ones you don't.