This unasked question is the underlying theme of this successor to the Captain America trilogy of films.

The story picks up chronologically after Avengers:Endgame, to deal with the consequences of the 5 year absence caused by Thanos' "snap" but also includes plot-lines from earlier Captain America movies, specifically "The Winter Soldier" and "Civil War".

Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan make for an unlikely, yet likeable, partnership and the supporting cast all put in great performances. As you'd expect from a Disney funded Marvel show, the production quality is impressive and the whine the scenes teams should be commended for their work.

The story progresses slowly, but organically, with familiar faces returning to confront yet another conspiracy involving super soldiers, taking us to new locations around the world, further expanding the MCU. Unfortunately, the plot suffers from poor writing and (in only 6 episodes) fails to deliver on the initial promise. After an interesting build-up, the show seems to stall before rushing into a premature finale that lacks the drama and tension of the films which preceded it and the final "reveal" feels corny and unearned. There are even some truly cringe-worthy moments. To make matters worse, Bucky is relegated to the role of a sidekick and his partnership with Sam is sidelined.

The writers also felt the need to keep reminding us that the Falcon is black, needlessly and repeatedly drawing attention to his race, making an issue of something which shouldn't be an issue, in a story where it's largely irrelevant.

Chris Evans' portrayal of Steve Rogers was always going to be a hard act to follow, but there were glimpses of his inspirational charisma in some of Mackie's early dialogue, suggesting he could grow into the role. Sadly the story doesn't allow him to do so, but instead forces it onto him, presumably in a misguided attempt at virtue signaling.

Overall, a disappointing continuation of a well loved franchise.