Spoilers for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier below
Marvel’s “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” premiered on March 19 on Disney+. The show takes place six months after the events of “Avengers: Endgame” and focuses on Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) as they navigate their lives in a post-Snap world.
Sam has kept the mantle of The Falcon and despite not working as an Avenger currently, continues to fight crime by doing contracts for the military. He has given up the shield given to him by Steve Rogers at the end of “Avengers: Endgame” and donated it to the Smithsonian, as he didn’t feel ready to be Captain America. When he’s not on a mission, he visits his family in Louisiana to help his sister Sarah with her sons. Sarah is struggling and debating selling the family boat, which Sam does not want to do.
Meanwhile, Bucky is living in New York after receiving a conditional pardon and is keeping to himself. Part of his pardon mandates that he must see a therapist and attempt to make amends for what he’s done by turning in those he helped and seeking forgiveness from those he wronged. Bucky has made friends with an elderly man called Yori Nakajima (Ken Takamoto). Bucky murdered Yori’s son when he was still under the control of HYDRA, but hasn’t found a way to tell him yet.
In the meantime, the government has decided that the world needs Captain America, and taps former soldier John Walker (Wyatt Russell) to take on the role. Bucky and Sam find out through a press conference that a new Captain America has been tapped. However, before they can deal with that, a new terrorist cell known as the Flagsmashers appears, led by Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman).
They believe that the world was better off during the Snap, and want to restore it to that state without the missing people. Reluctantly, Bucky and Sam must team up in an uneasy partnership to attempt to take them down.
After breaking Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) out of jail, the three set off for Madripoor in an attempt to chase down a lead that Zemo has. Bucky must once again assume the role of the Winter Soldier as the three go undercover to find out what’s really going on. They meet up with Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), who unfortunately was never pardoned for her role in the events of “Captain America: Civil War” and has been on the run ever since.
She now lives in Madripoor, working as an art dealer amongst other things. Their journey in Madripoor draws the attention of the Powerbroker, who wants Karli and the other Super-Soldiers back.
The group moves on to Latvia, where Karli and her group are preparing for a funeral. Ayo (Florence Kasumba) and the Dora Milaje (Janeshia Adams-Ginyard and Zola Williams) show up, demanding that Bucky turn Zemo over to them, as he is responsible for the death of their king, T’Chaka. Walker and his partner, Lemar Hoskins aka Battlestar (Clé Bennet) show up and only make things worse, as Walker ends up taking the Super-Serum.
At the end of the series, we finally get the true new Captain America, as Sam Wilson finally takes up the mantle and dons a brand new suit, courtesy of Bucky calling in a favor to Wakanda. The reveal felt like a true cinematic moment and was perfectly done.
It’s no secret that the key to Marvel’s success with movies and shows is the chemistry of their actors, and Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie have plenty of chemistry on-screen. Part of this comes from the fact that the two are friends in real life. It doesn’t hurt that they’ve been working together for several years over the course of the Avengers movies.
Their ability to play off each other and give a performance that feels natural aids in the ‘buddy-cop’ feel of the show. Individually, their performances stand out, bringing the characters to a new level.
Stan excels at bringing Bucky’s struggle with himself to life, showing the inner turmoil he is facing as he tries to find himself in a world that he doesn’t recognize. Stan manages to combine every different facet of Bucky, from the ’40s happy-go-lucky guy, to the former soldier, to the ex-assassin and combine them into a beautiful blend.
Mackie embraces the life that Sam now faces, as a former paratrooper and now Avenger, Sam faces challenges that many of the others don’t – he’s not just a victim of the Snap, he’s a black man in a world that is reeling from a catastrophic event, and a world that’s still racist. In an early scene, when Sam and his sister go to the bank, it’s explained to them that the ‘rules changed’ due to the Snap, but there are heavy undertones of racism clear in the scene.
Usually, I am not one for the weekly serial episode especially when it comes to a streaming service. I like the idea of being able to watch the story from start to finish at my leisure and not have to wait for a new episode. However, with this show, I found myself excited for the next episode, and passing the time in between with other Marvel movies. The series was thrilling enough on its own that the weekly release felt right.
Turning “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” into a TV series versus a movie allows for a deeper exploration of the characters, and gives the show a fuller, more fleshed out feeling. Each episode is roughly an hour in length, making it the second longest Disney+ Marvel production so far, with ‘Wandavision‘ coming in at only 50 minutes longer.
All episodes of “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” are available to view on Disney+.
Jeri Hensley
Creative Director