EXT. SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM – NATIONAL MALL– DAY
The plaza in front of the museum is overflowing with people. Flags wave. News drones buzz flash as reporters push toward the barricades. There's a strange blend of hope and fear in the air.
A temporary stage is set above the steps where Sam once gave up the shield. A large banner unfurls behind the podium:
"A New Captain Rises"
The MUSEUM DIRECTOR steps up to the mic, voice steady, expression proud.
MUSEUM DIRECTOR:
"We may never stop remembering Steve Rogers. Nor should we. But today we stop mourning. Because the devil has struck home, and the world needs its symbol again.
Mark this date…Today, Captain America comes home."
Thunderous applause. Chants of "Captain! Captain!"
From the shadows behind the stage, JOHN WALKER steps forward in the new stars and stripes uniform, cleaner and colder than Steve's ever was. He takes the mic.
JOHN WALKER:
"What's up, America."
(the crowd quiets)
"Let me make one thing clear I'm not Steve Rogers. No one is.
But this shield this mantle was passed to I swear to you, I will carry it… with blood, with bone, and with whatever it takes.
I won't let this country fall again."
He lifts the shield to roaring cheers.
INT. COMMAND BRIEFING ROOM – LATER
Dimly lit. Cold. Tactical monitors display footage of the Winter Soldier attack at the casino. Multiple paused frames. A shaky civilian recording. Grainy. Still… haunting.
Government operatives, Sharon Carter, and high-ranking military officers sit around the table.
JOHN WALKER, now in full uniform, stands at attention.
COMMANDER:
"Target is James Buchanan Barnes. Previously pardoned now reclassified as a threat to national security."
SHARON: (coldly, arms folded)
"You're sure it was him?"
COMMANDER:
"Public footage. Victim's wounds. Same pattern. Same method."
A tense silence.
WALKER(grim):
"Do I bring him in?"
COMMANDER:
"No. Orders are clear."
(Beat)
COMMANDER(sharply):
"Kill. On. Sight."
Walker's jaw tightens. He nods once, turns away and exits.
A final glance from Sharon. Something in her eyes doubt. Or memory.
Fade to black.
INT. BASE 2 – DEEP UNDERGROUND LAB – NIGHT
A dimly lit, sterile lab. Glowing pods hum with quiet intensity. The air is thick with the smell of ozone and cold metal. Advanced tech sprawls across the room, with half-constructed machines and screens flickering with distorted data.
Gravik stands before a massive terminal, arms crossed, watching the screens intently. His sharp eyes never leave the pod on the right, which holds a human subject suspended in some kind of stasis. The second pod, across the room, is empty, its display reading: "Ready for Subject 2"
INTELLIGENTSIA (now Mira D'Rann, an intelligent Skrull scientist):
A slender, intelligent Skrull with piercing green eyes, Mira looks almost calculatingly serene as she flips a switch. A light hum reverberates through the room.
MIRA(calm, controlled):
"Gravik, I want you to see this. Our new breakthrough."
She gestures to the pod with the human. The holographic screen flickers to life, showing detailed schematics of a Skrull lying down inside. A chip is placed in the neck, and connected electromagnetic tendrils link the subject's head to the interface pod.
MIRA(excited):
"Until now, we've only been able to shapeshift naturally change our appearance. But this…"
"This is different. This pod doesn't just give us their form. It gives us everything their memories, their behavioral patterns, the way they think, move, even how they speak. Everything that makes them who they are."
She swipes her hand across the air, and new schematics of the process appear:
A circuitry diagram runs alongside a floating human brain model, mapping out neural tech looks almost
alien, blending biological matter with cybernetic interfaces.
MIRA(determined):
"We place them in a deep sleep, sedating them. Then, one of us lies in the pod, shifts into their form, and connects with the neural interface. The chip in our neck gives us instant feedback, guiding us how they would respond in any given situation. Their mannerisms, their thoughts, their instincts, all programmed into our behavior."
Her hand hovers over the activation switch. Energy crackles in the air.
GRAVIK(smirking, intrigued):
"Darling, you've always been impressive."
(He steps forward, glancing at the pod.)"So, let's see it in action."
Mira hesitates, fingers hovering over the controls.
MIRA(concerned):
"We may need more trials before testing it on someone significant."
Gravik turns sharply, his eyes narrowing, irritation flaring beneath his calm demeanor.
GRAVIK(stepping closer, low growl):
"Need more trials? Are you telling me that after all we've done, after all the time we've spent testing, perfecting you still need more?"
He pauses, stepping in front of her, eyes cold as he speaks, his voice tinged with menace.
GRAVIK(with restrained anger):
"You're already using it on an Avenger he's unconscious in the next room for years. No one suspects you. Not even the Avengers."
(He steps away, voice low but intense.)"And yet you're questioning the final step? There's no time for hesitation, Mira."
Mira looks at him, a slight twitch of fear crossing her face as she nods.
MIRA(reluctantly):
"I understand. But… we need to be cautious. The technology is volatile, and the human psyche– "
GRAVIK(interrupting, cold and sharp):
"The only thing volatile here is your doubt. The time for caution has passed."
Suddenly, the door to the adjacent room opens. Winter Soldier enters but it's not him. A Skrull in his form, with the same mechanical arm and dark hair, walks in with deliberate calmness. He's completely transformed, looking like a perfect copy of Bucky Barnes. Only the coldness in his eyes betrays the truth.
GRAVIK(turning to him, satisfied):
"See? With your invention, I can cut out the tedious training phase."
(He motions to the Skrull posing as Bucky.)"I spent years training someone like him. Zorok trained to mimic the Winter Soldier's movements. To think like him. Walk like him. It was…tedious."
(He grins, slapping the Skrull on the shoulder.)"But now, I can skip all that. We can be faster, stronger, and smarter in just few hours."
Zorok, the Skrull, turns slowly toward Gravik, his face cold and expressionless.
Zorok(grinning faintly):
"We can do it all, Master."
Gravik places a hand on the Skrull's shoulder, looking at Mira directly in the eyes.
GRAVIK(steely resolve):
"I don't want to be a tyrant. I don't want war, I want the world to see us. We'll prove we're no less. We'll show them they can't dominate us anymore."
(His voice softens.)"Humans may be dangerous, but I'm the better strategist. I know how to play this game."
While speaking to Mira, his smile remains calm, but there's an underlying darkness. He isn't just planning to "prove" the Skrulls are better he's trying to control them all, manipulate the cause, and twist the narrative so that he becomes their savior.
His real motivation lies not just in proving the Skrulls are superior but in taking control of worlds. He's playing both sides: his devotion to the Skrulls is a mask for his thirst for power. He will do anything to seize it, even at the cost of his own people's integrity. He doesn't care about equality; he cares about dominance
INT. BASE 2 – HALL OF UNITY – NIGHT
Dozens of Skrulls gather in a dimly lit stone and metal chamber. It feels like a cross between a war room and a chapel. Walls are etched with markings the coordinates of lost Skrull worlds each one scorched with symbols of destruction.
A massive holographic projection screen illuminates the center of the room. On it, an old videoplays: Skrull ships fleeing, being blasted out of the sky by Kree warships. Cries. Flames. Silence.
Gravik stands before the crowd not on a podium, but just a step above them eye level, as if one of them. His tone is calm. Confident. Calculated.
GRAVIK(quietly):
"We were soft. Once."
He pauses, letting the silence crawl through the room.
GRAVIK:
"We trusted the Kree. We believed in diplomacy. And what did that give us?"
He gestures to the screen behind him as another feed rolls: a Skrull child weeping over a collapsed dome, fire reflected in her wet eyes.
GRAVIK(building):
"It gave us ashes. Dead families. Planets turned to rubble while we ran and hid like rats."
GRAVIK(lowering his voice, dangerously calm):
"But here we are. Hiding again. Clinging to the scraps of a planet that doesn't want us."
The crowd murmurs. Tension thickens.
GRAVIK:
"They will turn on us. Talos knows it. He's seen it. That's why he's spending his years playing lapdog to Fury. To the humans. To the ones who will eventually crush us."
A murmur of protest from one of the Skrulls.
YOUNG SKRULL:
"Talos kept us alive "
Gravik walks toward him, unthreatening, but with absolute control.
GRAVIK(softly):
"Talos kept you hidden. Safe, yes. But at what cost?"
"You farm while they arm."
"You study while they spy."
"You dream of peace while they build weapons to erase you with the push of a button."
Another hologram activates. It's Earth's defense satellite network, paired with classified S.W.O.R.D. documents.
GRAVIK(raising his voice just enough):
"You think they don't know we exist? You think they're not planning?"
The crowd is fully silent now.
GRAVIK:
"They tolerate us… only because we are fractured. Powerless. Unknown."
"But the moment we rise even in self-defense they will retaliate."
(a beat)"Talos wants you to stay low. To keep serving the humans. To remain unseen even after decades."
GRAVIK(dead calm):
"That's not survival. That's slavery dressed in politeness."
He slowly turns away, walking back toward the center.
GRAVIK(with quiet steel):
"So if anyone believes Talos is still acting for our people… I urge you to ask him one question: Where does his loyalty truly lie?"
A hush. The crowd looks shaken not enraged, but uncertain. That's more dangerous.
GRAVIK(lower, only to his top commanders now):
"Talos's time is over. We can't afford sentiment anymore."
"You find him. Quietly. No noise. No public death. Just… end the chapter."
A female Skrull nods.
COMMANDER:
"And if his daughter is with him?"
Gravik's face hardens for a moment… then softens with practiced empathy.
GRAVIK(coldly):
"Then teach her what betrayal feels like."
INT. GOVT COMMAND POST – NIGHT
A mobile ops center, buzzing with encrypted radios, digital maps, and men in tactical gear.
JOHN WALKER, suited upas the new Captain America, stands over a table surrounded by agents. He taps a screen where Sam Wilson's profile glows with red urgency.
WALKER(firm):
"We're not waiting. I want him briefed or brought in. He knows Barnes. If he's protecting him, we'll find out soon enough."
(to an agent)"Send Carter. She's the only one he might listen to."
Sharon Carter, suited in black field gear, silently watches. She didn't speak. She nods once, turns, and exits the tent.
EXT. LOUSIANA– NIGHT
A black SUV pulls up near Sam Wilson's modest lakeside home. The crickets hum. Porchlights are on.
Sharon steps out quietly.
SAM'S HOUSE – CONTINUOUS
SAM WILSON is inside, casually flipping through TV channels, clearly waiting for something. He glances up as a knock hits the door.
He open sit. Sharon steps in, calm but tense.
SHARON:
"They've issued orders."
(beat)"Kill on sight. Barnes."
Sam closes the door behind her. His expression darkens.
SAM:
"They think it's Bucky."
SHARON:
"They're not asking questions, Sam. Walker's running the show. This is happening."
SAM(quietly):
"It's not him."
SHARON:
"You sure?"
SAM(nods):
"I know how Bucky moves. That wasn't him. Too sharp. Too composed."
"Even when brainwashed, he wasn't surgical like that. That was some one copying him."
SHARON(pacing):
"Walker wants results. He doesn't care about nuance."
SAM:
"I'm not giving him anything. And I'm not about to walk into some show trial."
SHARON:
"So what? I go back and say you said no?"
SAM(firm):
"Go back and say nothing. Or stay."
"Help me get to Bucky before Walker kills an innocent man on camera."
SHARON:
"Do you even know where to start?"
Sam walks over to a file on the table prints of security footage, a satellite map, and a flagged gesture in the assassin's movement.
SAM:
"That gesture the assassin made two fingers under the jaw it's old HYDRA code. No way Bucky uses that anymore."
SHARON:
"So someone trained under the same program?"
SAM:
"Or trained to be him. If we trace who tampered with the original footage... we follow the tech, we find the fake."
SHARON(softly, weighing her options):
"You know, going off-grid like this we become targets too."
SAM(nods):
"Then we better move fast."
Sharon looks at him. Quiet, calculating. She finally removes her earpiece and drops it in a glass of water.
SHARON:
"Then let's find the truth before they rewrite it."
CUT TO:A map marked with red flags the beginning of their chase.
The dark SUV speeds down a backroad, headlights cutting through fog. Inside, Sam and Sharon sit in tense silence. Sharon flips open a sleek device connected to the dashboard, fingers moving fast as she overrides onboard systems.
Sam:
"What're you doing?"
Sharon(focused):
"Disabling trackers. This thing's got three sat-link, GPS, and a black box hidden in the chassis. All gone."
She yanks out a small encrypted chip and tosses it out the window.
Sam(dryly):
"Remind me not to carpool with you again."
Sharon(without looking):
"Back when the Avengers broke apart, I was off the grid. Alone. Before I vanished, Maria Hill gave me one final order erase all remnants of SHIELD's internal files. Burn the skeleton clean."
She exhales, eyes still on the road.
Sharon(continuing):
"There was one hideout in Prague. Supposed to wipe the last of the data. But I didn't."
Sam(quietly suspicious):
"You kept it? Why?"
Sharon:
"For my own purposes."
Sam:
" 'Purposes.' That's not helping."
She glances at him now, just briefly dead serious.
Sharon:
"This world has the power to turn anyone into a puppet. Unless you learn to cut the strings first."
Sam:
"So what... you're holding the strings now?"
Sharon:
"No. Just making sure no one else does."
A pause. Sam watches her more carefully now.
Sharon(continuing):
"The backup drive included SHIELD's deepest cover files locations, embedded agents, sleeper contacts. And one buried tag: Hill's final fallback coordinates. A remote safehouse she never meant to be found... unless everything fell apart."
Sam(nodding):
"Well, it just did."
They drive in silence for a beat as the scene fades to black, the SUV vanishing into the night.
Location: Wadi Rum Desert, Jordan – Just before dusk
The SUV, coated in red desert dust, crawls across the windswept emptiness. For weeks, Sam and Sharon have traveled off-grid changing cars, sleeping in abandoned safehouses, disabling trackers, moving only at night, speaking only in coded bursts.
Their faces are tired. Scarves pulled tight against blowing sand. The GPS is off. The last stretch was done using hand-drawn coordinates from a decade-old SHIELD archive.
They stop.
Before them: a narrow canyon, cracked open between jagged sandstone cliffs. The fading sun casts long shadows the wind carries no sound. No footprints. No life.
SAM(stepping out, scanning):
"You sure she lives here?"
SHARON(checking a scratched-up map):"
Yes. If she's still alive…"
(beat)
"…then she already knows we're here."
They enter the canyon pass, winding deeper into the natural labyrinth. Every corner feels like it's watching them. Eventually, they reach a rock face with a narrow vertical slit a cave, barely visible from outside.
They squeeze in, the cave walls closing around them.
SAM(flicking on a flashlight):
"Nice place. If you're a lizard."
Suddenly a sharp click-click behind cold, unmistakable sound of a
slide being racked on a pistol.
They freeze.
SAM(tense):
"…Hill?"
In a flash two blades whip past their ears, pinning their hoods to the rock wall with deadly accuracy.
Out steps Maria Hill from the shadows desert gear wrapped tightly, eyes clear and sharp, gun trained on them with zero hesitation.
HILL(flat, dangerous):
"If either of you moves another inch, you'll be dead before your foot hits the floor. Only reason you're breathing is that I recognized your posture half a canyon away."
(beat)"Now. Both of you. Take that knife and cut your palm. Deep enough for the blood to flow."
SHARON(in disbelief):
"Wh ?"
HILL(interrupting):
"No questions."
SAM(hands slightly raised):
"Since when did you start auditioning for Doctor Strange, huh?"
Maria doesn't even blink. She pulls the hammer on her sidearm with a deadly clack.
SAM(instantly):
"Okay. Okay…"
They each take the blade one of Hill's and make shallow cuts in their palms. Blood beads up. They hold them out in silence.
Hill exhales almost imperceptibly. Her eyes soften. The tension drains just a little. She holsters the gun.
HILL(quiet, with a flicker of trust):
"So it's really you. Good to see you again."
SAM(wry):
"That's one hell of a welcome mat."
HILL(walking past them, tone sharpening again):
"We're past handshakes and smiles, Wilson. Something's crawling behind our backs. Something that's not human."
SHARON(following her):
"What do you mean?"
Maria doesn't stop walking.
HILL(grim):
"You'll see. But first I need you both to understand: if we're talking Skrulls… then no one can be trusted."
The three disappear deeper into the cave the last light swallowed by stone and silence.