Disney Plus and Marvel Studios are bringing us a brand new television series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier beginning on March 19th. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan are reprising their roles as Sam Wilson “The Falcon” and Bucky Barnes “The Winter Soldier” from the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. They will be teaming up on an epic mini-series adventure that takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Here we will catch you up on everything you need to know before watching the new series.
Where we met Falcon and Winter Soldier
Let’s start with Bucky as we met him first. In Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), we are introduced to Bucky Barnes as the best friend of Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans). Bucky is captured by the enemy during World War I, and Steve Rogers, who has become Captain America, goes in to rescue him along with everyone else who was taken prisoner. As the movie goes on, Bucky and Captain America fight side-by-side, and we think we lose Bucky off the side of a mountain during a battle. His iconic quote, “I’m with you ’til the end of the line” ringing in our ears as we mourn what we thought was Bucky’s death.
Fast forward to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). This is where we meet Sam Wilson. Steve Rogers was pulled out of the ice into the modern-day and is trying to cope with that trauma. We see him running laps, passing another man who is also running laps.
Sam Wilson is a retired Air Force man who leads group therapy for those who have post-traumatic stress disorder. He has left the military life behind, or so he thought. Steve Rogers finds out about the infamous “Winter Soldier” wreaking havoc and turns to Sam for help. Come to find out, Wilson was never a pilot – he used an EXO-7 Falcon flight suit that allowed him to maneuver quickly through the air and onto the ground. Hence the coined hero name “The Falcon.” Once Rogers and Wilson team up, they come face-to-mask with the “Winter Soldier.” To Rogers’ dismay, it’s Bucky. Of course, Bucky has been brainwashed and does not remember who he was before being tortured and experimented on. Wilson and Rogers have very different views on how to stop this dangerous, weapon of a man. Ultimately, we know that Bucky now knows as “The Winter Soldier,” gets away and begins to question who he is and how he came to be.
Then, in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Rogers attempts to bring Bucky in on his own but fails in the process. Wilson ends up on the “Team Captain America” side of the Civil War between the Avengers. Once they find Bucky, they are able to work with him. Wilson makes it very clear that he is not Bucky’s biggest fan. There is a comedic moment when the two of them are left in the car during a meet-up between Rogers and agent Sharon Carter. At this moment, you can cut the tension with a knife. Later, the two are being chased by Spider-Man, they fall and hit the ground hard, and Wilson tells Bucky, “I hate you.”
By the end of this film, Bucky finds refuge in Wakanda. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier once again fight side-by-side during Avengers: Infinity War. The last time we see them is the end of Avengers: Endgame as an elderly Steve Rogers hands his shield to Wilson.
Comic book reads
At this time, we do not know how much of the comic book world the series will be based on. Unlike “WandaVision” where fans could pinpoint comic book runs the series pulled from, this is a little different. While the Falcon and the Winter Soldier appeared in a plethora of comic books, they do not appear to have their own runs. If you are interested in getting to know these characters a bit more outside of the MCU, then this article from CBR will help with that. There are 10 Winter Soldier comics that they recommend reading to go alongside the Disney Plus series.
“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”
“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” has the potential to be an epic series. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan have incredible chemistry on-screen. The trailers alone show that Wilson and Barnes will be getting on each other’s last nerve consistently, which could make for great comedic and intense moments. These two men are very different people. It’s unfortunate that we only get six episodes since these are characters we want to see more of. Within those six episodes, we will see Emily VanCamp and Daniel Brühl reprising their roles as Sharon Carter and Zemo from Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. Does the return of Sharon Carter mean that S.H.I.E.L.D., the agency that she worked for, will be involved in this series? Will Zemo try to get his hands on Bucky the way he tried during Captain America: Civil War? “Mr. Barnes, why does Sam aggravate you?” This is asked by what we think is a therapist in the opening of the official trailer. I think this question is what we all want to know the answer to, and this series will answer it in its entirety.
Disney released a few featurettes, small clips to get us excited, about the series. Here, we have Sam telling Bucky that they always fight “The Big Three.” According to Sam, they always fight androids, aliens, and wizards. Bucky mentions that he read The Hobbit in 1937, so he is familiar with wizards and Gandalf. Excuse me, Bucky? Your age is showing. The banter between Sam and Bucky is quick, witty, and really fun. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan truly enjoy each other and what they do, and it shows in incredible ways on the screen based on the clips we got from Disney.
The series is directed by Kari Skogland with Malcolm Spellman as the head writer. The first episode will air exclusively on Disney Plus on March 19th.
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