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Sam Wilson Reading Order, The Falcon and Captain America

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Sam Wilson is The Falcon

When Rick Jones stepped down as Captain America’s sidekick, a new partner was on the horizon. In Captain America #117, released in September 1969, writer Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan introduced Sam Wilson as he worked to rally people against the Red Skull’s forces. Wilson’s meeting with Steve Rogers inspired him to adopt the mantle of the Falcon and create a distinctive green costume. Together, they won their fight against their common enemy, and Sam quickly became Captain America’s trusted partner.

Sam Wilson became Marvel’s first African American superhero. His origins were retconned over the years—from a Harlem social worker to a thug whose life was transformed by the Cosmic Cube. He was also briefly portrayed as a mutant, though this was later revised. Sam’s most significant evolution over the decades was headlining his own title, not as Falcon but as Captain America.

Sam Wilson has fought alongside Captain America, the Avengers, the Defenders, S.H.I.E.L.D., the Winter Soldier, and more. He shares a telepathic bond with his bird, Redwing, and later discovered he can also control other birds and see through their eyes. With his mechanical wings granting him the ability to fly, Sam was also trained in hand-to-hand combat by Steve Rogers himself—and he’s well-versed in using Captain America’s shield.

Samuel Thomas Wilson also became a major figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the past decades, making his first appearance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a skilled combatant and tactician who became a close friend of Stever Rogers and even being recruited by him to join the Avengers. Played by Anthony Mackie, the character is making his comeback on the big screen wielding the shield in Captain America: Brave New World (2025)!

In the meantine, it’s the perfect occasion to explore his comic book history, from his first appearance as the Falcon to his debut as Captain America and beyond! Check out our Sam Wilson Comics reading order for a comprehensive guide to the many stories featuring Marvel’s winged warrior!

Where to start reading Sam Wilson Comics?

Let’s start by pointing out that Marvel Comics will release in 2025 two trade paperbacks meant to promote the future movie featuring Sam as Cap!

To learn more about Sam, but before exploring the full reading order, take a moment to discover our selection of comic books perfect for beginners featuring the winged warrior!

Sam Wilson as The Falcon, A Recommended Reading List

  • The Coming of…the Falcon (Captain America (1968) #117-119) — You don’t have to start from the beginning, but this marks an excellent starting point for the Falcon! Making his debut in Captain America #117, the Falcon assists Cap in his battle against Red Skull in this now-classic arc by Stan Lee and Gene Colan.
  • Secret Empire (Captain America and Falcon #169 – #176) — Not to be confused with the later event, this arc by Steve Englehart, Mike Friedrich, and Sal Buscema follows the Secret Empire’s plot to discredit Captain America. This is where the Black Panther upgrades Falcon’s suit with artificial wings.
  • Madbomb (Captain America and Falcon #193-200) — Jack Kirby brings Captain America and the Falcon face-to-face with a powerful menace that threatens the entire nation!
  • Falcon #1-4 — This is Sam Wilson’s first solo series from the creative duo of Jim Owsley and Paul Smith in which he’s initially suggested to be a mutant—a detail retconned in later years.
  • Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty (1998) #8-9 — Long before officially becoming Captain America, Sam Wilson temporarily takes on the role to defend the ideals the costume represents. By Mark Waid and Doug Braithwaite.
  • Captain America and the Falcon (2004) #1-14 — In this series by Christopher Priest, the Falcon shares equal billing and time with Captain America, exploring both characters in depth.

Sam Wilson as Captain America, Your Starting Point!

With Sam Wilson now wielding the shield as Captain America in the MCU, you might want to jump straight into this chapter of his story—and we’ve got you covered! Sam’s time as Captain America is relatively recent, making it easy to explore. He first took on the mantle in Captain America Vol. 7 #25, at the conclusion of Rick Remender’s run. His debut series as Captain America was written by Nick Spencer and is collected in:

Sam Wilson Comics Reading Order:

Note: The most important comics featuring Sam are indicated in bold.

Sam Wilson is The Falcon, Captain America’s partner

As mentioned earlier, Sam Wilson was introduced during Stan Lee and Gene Colan’s run in a brief storyline in Captain America #117–119. The duo soon brought him back in issue #126. Falcon officially became Captain America’s partner and co-star in issue #134, leading to the series being retitled Captain America and the Falcon until issue #222.

For simplicity, this listing focuses on the Epic Collection. For information on other editions (trades, omnibuses), be sure to check out our Complete Captain America Guide.

In Captain America #231 (collected in Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 13), Sam Wilson thanks Captain America for everything but states that he wants to “fly” solo. This didn’t last long, as Cap asked him to join the Avengers—the team needed to diversify its roaster. Sam remained with the team for a brief period, from issues #184 to #194, collected in:

Sam Wilson, the guest-starring Falcon

Sam Wilson made his return in Captain America #272 (collected in Captain America Epic Collection: Monsters and Men), where he decided to pursue a career in politics. However, his past soon caught up with him, derailing his plans, as revealed in Captain America #284. This led to the first Falcon miniseries by writer Jim Owsley and artist Paul Smith, which implied he has mutant origins.

Following this, Sam Wilson made occasional appearances in Captain America (we learned the results of the election in issue #290) as a guest star. He also teamed up with other Marvel heroes, including Power Man and Iron Fist.

What follows is a selection of books that collect a substantial portion of Sam Wilson’s adventures. While he appeared in other Marvel comics as a guest star, those appearances aren’t collected in a straightforward manner.

With Captain America #408, Sam Wilson returns as a regular character in the comic series for a brief period:

The Marvel Universe was changed with the Onslaught Saga (see the full reading order for more details.) Following the apparent deaths of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and Doctor Doom, Marvel asked the founders of Image Comics to relaunch their heroes. This led to the Heroes Reborn era. During this period, Sam Wilson as the Falcon played a key role in Captain America’s story within the pocket universe where all the heroes were sent. Naturally, he was also part of their return journey.

  • Heroes Reborn: Captain America
    Collects Captain America vol. 2 #1–12; “Fantastic Four” (1996) #12, “Avengers” (1996) #12, “Iron Man” (1996) #12, “Material From Heroes Reborn” (1996) #1/2.
  • Heroes Reborn: The Return
    Collects Heroes Reborn: The Return #1-4; Heroes Reborn: Doomsday, Ashema, Masters Of Evil, Rebel, Remnants, Young Allies And Doom.

After that, Sam Wilson’s appearances became more sporadic. He replaces Steve Rogers as Captain America during Marc Waid’s run and returned for a few issues during Dan Jurgens’ tenure. All of those issues are collected in:

Sam Wilson, From the Avengers to the Civil War

Sam Wilson rejoined The Avengers comics during Geoff Johns and Chuck Austen’s run on the title. Initially, he was a regular, but toward the end of the run, his role diminished as he teamed up again with Captain America and shared the spotlight in the Captain America and the Falcon series written by Christopher Priest. This was just before Brian Michael Bendis took over and “Disassembled” the Avengers.

As you may know, Bendis’ era in The Avengers comics was defined by a series of major events. After Disassembled came House of M, where Sam Wilson wasn’t a major player but did appear in a few issues. His presence grew significantly during Civil War, where he played a more active role.

Sam Wilson, Falcon to two Captains

As you may know, Captain America “died” at the end of Civil War, but his comic series continued. The stories shifted focus to Falcon, Winter Soldier, and Black Widow during this time. This was part of Ed Brubaker’s acclaimed run—see the reading order for more details about the overarching story and collected editions.

Sam Wilson, once again an Avenger

This part is more optional for Sam Wilson, though it represents a pivotal time for the Avengers. The Marvel Now! era kicked off with Jonathan Hickman taking the reins of the team, delivering one of the most significant runs in the history of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. For more details, check out our Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers Reading Order!

  • Avengers by Jonathan Hickman Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects Avengers (2012) #1-23, New Avengers (2013) #1-12, Free Comic Book Day 2013: Infinity #1, Infinity #1-6, Infinity: Against The Tide Infinite Comic #1-2, Astonishing Tales: Mojoworld #1-6, Material From Shang-Chi: Master Of Kung Fu (2009) #1.

After the Infinity event, Sam Wilson left the main Avengers comic to join Avengers World, while also making appearances in Al Ewing’s Mighty Avengers. These remain optional reading.

Once again, this is optional reading, with Sam Wilson playing a supporting role in a Marvel Comics event, as he joins the team to uncover the truth behind Uatu’s murder during Original Sin.

The events leading to Sam Wilson taking on the mantle of Captain America begin here! Reunited with Captain America after he was trapped for years in Dimension Z, Sam and Cap jump back into action. These events will have a major impact on our winged warrior.

Sam Wilson: Captain America Reading Order

New entry point!  In Captain America Vol. 7 #25, Sam Wilson takes up the mantle of Captain America from Steve Rogers, starting a new era for the hero. With his new partner, Nomad, Sam faces off against a variety of threats, including the fearsome Scarecrow, the mercenary Batroc, and Baron Zemo. As Captain America, Sam also assembles a new team for the Mighty Avengers.

Logo Avengers for the Jonathan Hickman's Avengers Reading OrderAvengers: Standoff! Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and Sam Wilson find themselves in a standoff with high and very personal stakes. And this tense conflict quickly escalates out of control, drawing in several Avengers teams! But it all begins in the small town of Pleasant Hill, an idyllic community with friendly neighbors…and a terrible, dark secret.

  • Avengers: Standoff
    Collects Avengers Standoff: Welcome to Pleasant Hill #1, Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Alpha #1, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2016) #3-4, Uncanny Avengers (2015) #7-8, All-New, All-Different Avengers #7-8, New Avengers (2015) #8-10, Captain America: Sam Wilson #7-8, Illuminati (2015) #6, Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2015) #6, Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega #1.
  • All-New, All-different Avengers Vol. 2: Family Business
    Collects All-New All-Different Avengers #7-12.

After Captain America: Sam Wilson #8, It’s the Civil War II! A new Inhuman emerges, with the ability to profile the future, and the ramifications ripple into every corner of the Marvel Universe. Lines are drawn, bodies fall, and the Marvel Universe will be rocked to its very core. Both Captain America series have tie-ins to this event, though Captain America: Steve Rogers is more essential. Reading the event is optional for Sam Wilson.

  • Captain America: Sam Wilson – The Complete Collection Vol. 2
    Collects Captain America: Sam Wilson (2015) #7-24, Captain America (2017) #25, Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America (2017) #1. 

    • Captain America: Sam Wilson (2015) #9-#13 are Civil War II tie-ins
    • Stop reading at Captain America: Sam Wilson (2015) #21, as the remaining issues of the comic series are tie-ins to Secret Empire (see below!)
  • All-New, All-Different Avengers Vol. 3: Civil War II
    Collects All-New All-Different Avengers #13-15, Annual #1. All the issues are tie-ins to Civil War II.

After the conclusion of Civil War II, the Avengers were relaunched with Sam Wilson as Cap still on the team:

Secret Empire! Captain America is living a lie! The Cosmic Cube has remade him into a secret true believer in the cause of Hydra! Now, Steve Rogers makes Hydra’s ideals a reality—and changes the landscape of the world dramatically! Naturally, Sam Wilson plays a role in this event that leads to the end of this era for Sam.

go to the Secret Empire Reading Order.

  • Secret Empire
    Collects Secret Empire #0-9, Free Comic Book Day 2017 Defenders #1
  • Captain America: Sam Wilson #22-24 and Captain America #25 are part of this event
  • Avengers: Unleashed Vol. 2: Secret Empire
     Collects Avengers #7-11. The Last three issues are ties in to the Secret Empire Event
  • Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America (2017) #1 should be read after Secret Empire!

For more Sam Wilson as Captain America, look below during Marvel’s Fresh Start era!

Sam Wilson: Falcon Again

After the conclusion of Secret Empire, Marvel launched a new initiative aimed at refocusing on its core superheroes. Sam Wilson set aside the shield and returned to the skies as Falcon, taking on a “personal mission to reconnect with the American people and train his new partner, Patriot”. Later, Sam teamed up with the Avengers and participated in several Marvel events and crossovers (these stories are largely optional).

Sam Wilson is A Symbol of Truth as Captain America

Sam Wilson wields the shield again! Alongside Steve Rogers, the two agree that having two Captain America is better than one, starting a new era for the Captain America saga. Sam’s latest chapter takes place in Captain America: Symbol of Truth comic, written by Tochi Onyebuchi with art by R.B. Silva. Later, he joins Captain Marvel’s Avengers team during Jed MacKay’s run on the comic series.

The story continues…soon in Sam Wilson: Captain America!

Did we forget an important issue? Did we make a mistake? Let us know in the comments!

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