In an interview last month, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier boss Malcolm Spellman promised a big surprise cameo in the show's fifth episode, saying "it’s a very, very grounded character" who he'd love to see partnered with Thor. He added that "The personality is so strong."
Since then, fans have pointed to a well-known member of the paparazzi who previously teased a mind-blowing character showing up in the six-part series. Clearly, we're getting something.
After WandaVision disappointed due to the intense fan theories, we're trying not to get too excited, but there are still a handful of likely possibilities we're going to share with you. A few are familiar faces, while the rest are new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They'd all bring a lot to the series, however, and could even set up some key future stories.
We can only hope that Spellman wasn't trolling us the same way Paul Bettany did earlier this year...
7. Ant-Man
The Falcon first crossed paths with Scott Lang when Ant-Man broke into the New Avengers Facility at the behest of Hank Pym. A fight followed (of course), with Scott eventually gaining the upper hand.
Despite that, Sam would later realize that a hero with Ant-Man's ability could be extremely useful to Captain America's team when Earth's Mightiest Heroes were split down the middle by the Sokovia Accords. With that in mind, Sam might not hesitate to reach out to Scott again.
We're not sure why, but if Sonny Burch's mysterious Benefactor is also the Power Broker, that could be a nice bit of connective tissue right there.
Scott is pretty grounded, and he has a strong personality, so Spellman could have been talking about Ant-Man's potential one day being realized by heading into battle alongside some of the MCU's heaviest hitters.
6. Okoye
Episode 3 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier ended on a big cliffhanger when Ayo showed up looking for Zemo for his role in the murder of King T'Chaka.
We'd love nothing more than for the late Chadwick Boseman to have shot a secret cameo role in the series, but if another Wakandan does show up, we're willing to place a bet on it being Okoye.
The leader of the Dora Milaje, if Ayo has gone rogue (or even been sent to find the Baron), you'd best believe Okoyo will have a part to play. During T'Challa's absence, she basically joined the Avengers and represented her home on a global stage; in other words, she's now a key player in the MCU.
This isn't the biggest cameo, but it'd be damn good fun to see her show up to kick butt.
5. General "Thunderbolt" Ross
We know General "Thunderbolt" Ross will appear in Black Widow, but if the teaser trailer was any indication, he's being de-aged for a glimpse into Natasha Romanoff's murky past.
Even so, the popular theory online is that he'll show up in a post-credits stinger to recruit both Taskmaster and Yelena Belova to a team he's putting together: the Thunderbolts.
Ross is no fan of the Avengers and likely respects that Zemo's actions are what led to them being registered and put under government control (even if he doesn't agree with how the villain went about it). He's smart enough to know what someone like Zemo can bring to a team too, though it's equally as likely he'll want to recruit John Walker's U.S. Agent.
As for what Spellman said about seeing this mystery character alongside Thor, that may well have been a cheeky nod to Ross' future as Red Hulk.
4. The Punisher
Marvel Studios once again holds the rights to the characters who made up Netflix's corner of the Marvel Universe, and it's about time they start utilizing them.
Whatever other mistakes those shows made, Marvel Television hit the nail on the head with casting and Jon Bernthal was a perfect Frank Castle. Seeing as Bucky visited some murky corners of the MCU as the Winter Soldier, it's feasible he has some history with The Punisher, but even more likely that the vigilante is also targeting Power Broker.
This unlikely, unexpected team-up would be a pitch-perfect way to reintroduce Frank and could help lay the groundwork for more stories revolving around The Punisher (in a PG-13 setting).
It would be a tremendous shame to leave him on the shelf, and this is as good a place as any to revisit this character's place in the MCU.
3. Jennifer Walters
Last week's episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier saw Bucky pretending to be his old self, and plenty of people in that Madripoor club filmed the former HYDRA assassin beating thugs down at Zemo's behest.
Something tells us that could cause legal trouble for the pardoned World War II veteran, so he could find himself in court.
The aforementioned paparazzi teased this being a female character, and Jennifer Walters makes sense. She-Hulk will premiere on Disney+, so introducing her as a lawyer in this series who helps the superpowered community when she leaps to Bucky's defense would be a nice way to tease that series.
It establishes Jennifer's place in the MCU, and immediately gets fans on board with the lawyer who saves Bucky from jail.
2. Captain America
We know this would be super disappointing, but have to acknowledge that it's a very likely possibility. Like Paul Bettany teased his dream co-star while talking about himself, Spellman could feasibly have been referring to Sam Wilson becoming Captain America.
We're not going to complain if that happens in the penultimate episode, especially if it means we get a finale with Sam as the new Cap.
With Spellman responsible for this next step in The Falcon's journey, it's no wonder he's excited to see this Captain America alongside larger than life characters like Thor and the rest of the Avengers. Leaked toys have shown this suit in all its glory, and we want to see it for more than a few seconds.
Our final suggestion is sure to set tongues wagging, however...
1. Mephisto
Kidding...or are we?