Sam Wilson has had quite a journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anthony Mackie debuted as the character in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier as an ally to Steve Rogers before becoming a full-fledged Avenger by the end of Age of Ultron. He then had supporting roles in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers Inifnity War, and Endgame, before finally getting his own series alongside Bucky Barnes—The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The show culminated in Wilson officially becoming the MCU's new Captain America, and went on to star in his very own film, Captain America: Brave New World. Surprisingly, though, Marvel Studios foreshadowed the character's arrival a whole six years before his debut, in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. The film features a pivotal scene in which Bruce Banner, cornered at Culver University, Hulks out and wrecks through the soldiers in his path.
Following the battle, a news broadcast covers the event, and interviews two college students: Jack McGee and Jim Wilson. For many, the name might not have rung a bell, but in the comics, Jim Wilson was a supporting character in past Hulk comics and, perhaps most importantly, was the nephew of... drumroll, please... Sam Wilson.
His appearance in The Incredible Hulk (played by P.J. Kerr) was a fun Easter egg, particularly as it came during a time when seeing a character as obscure as Falcon in live-action seemed impossible. Surprisingly for such a major reference, the character was retconned 13 years later in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In the Disney+ series, Sam is shown to have two nephews, but they're children, and they're named Cass and A.J.
For a while, The Incredible Hulk seemed like an outsider in the MCU, particularly after Edward Norton was replaced by Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner. However, over the years, the film has become a surprisingly important installment in the franchise, with its events being featured in Easter eggs (like in Ant-Man) or outright serving as the basis for major plot points (like in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Captain America: Brave New World).
With that, it's funny how a reference to someone who's become as pivotal to the MCU as Sam Wilson has was retconned. Admittedly, retconning that particular Easter egg makes sense.The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was the first time audiences really got to delve deep into Sam's character, so it was easier to start fresh with his backstory, as opposed to carrying over baggage from a decade-old film.
Furthermore, as mentioned, when The Incredible Hulk released, superheroes were not the mainstream commodity they are now. They were just starting to find their footing in mainstream entertainment. During its first few films, Marvel Studios packed a lot of different Easter eggs to major Marvel characters and events, but they weren't all necessarily expected to pay off, since the future of the franchise was completely uncertain. Jim Wilson's appearance was likely in that category.
Ultimately, it's not a major deal. Much like the forgotten White Tiger reference in the Jessica Jones series, the Wilson shown in The Incredible Hulk doesn't have to be Captain America's nephew anymore. He was probably just a man named Jim Wilson.
What do you think of The Incredible Hulk's forgotten Sam Wilson Easter egg? Are there any other references in the MCU you liked that didn't pay off later on?