Last Updated: March 15, 2021
Here’s everything we know about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV show, which is now the second of several Marvel TV shows coming to Disney+. The Falcon & Winter Soldier series will be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4, which runs through 2022 and includes six feature films in addition to the Marvel TV series.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series was first reported in October 2018, and confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 during Marvel’s presentation in Hall H. The series focuses on the continuing adventures of Steve Rogers’ closest friends and allies, Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, and Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. Winter Soldier. It will pick up after the events of Avengers: Endgame, where Sam and Bucky were resurrected after they were lost in Thanos’ snap, proceeding to help other Avengers take down Thanos and his army. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will have six hour-long episodes and, as far as we know, run for only one season.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be the first time in the MCU that Sam and Bucky have formally teamed up on their own to take on a big bad. What can we expect from their forthcoming TV series? Here’s what we know about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier so far.
Anthony Mackie And Sebastian Stan Return
Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan will reprise their roles as the Falcon and Winter Soldier, respectively, for this six-episode series. Their involvement was confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. Mackie has been a part of the MCU since 2014, when he made his first appearance as Sam Wilson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And after fighting alongside Captain America in that film against HYDRA, he continued to support Steve Rogers in his future endeavors, despite the fact that sometimes it put him on opposite ends of the law. Since Winter Soldier, Sam joined Steve in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, and then again in Avengers: Endgame.
Stan, meanwhile, has been a part of the MCU for nearly 10 years, first appearing in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger as Steve Rogers’ childhood friend Bucky Barnes. Of course, he was lost in that film and was later reactivated as the Winter Soldier in The Winter Soldier. Steve worked to break Bucky of his brainwashing and force him to remember his past and their shared history. It wasn’t until Civil War when Bucky was able to truly break free of his brainwashing and become an ally to Steve and the team. From there on out, Bucky, as the Winter Soldier, was an ally to the Avengers - in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. And now, both of these characters are ready for the next step in their superhero careers.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Showrunner
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier creative team is led by showrunner Malcolm Spellman. Spellman will serve as the showrunner and writer on all six hour-long episodes. Although he has no pre-existing ties to the MCU, Spellman’s past credits include several winners, making him an excellent choice to take on both roles in this Marvel TV series. Previously, Spellman served as a producer and writer on the Fox series Empire. He also wrote the 2010 comedy Our Family Wedding, starring America Ferrera and Forest Whitaker.
In addition to Spellman, Kari Skogland will direct all six episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Her previous credits include directing episodes of Vikings, Penny Dreadful, Fear the Walking Dead, House of Cards, The Americans, and The Walking Dead. Skogland was confirmed as the series director back in May, officially making her one of the few female directors Marvel Studios has hired to tackle an MCU title. However, her hiring is part of what seems to be a conscientious push to diversify the MCU directors roster in Phase 4. In addition to Skogland, Cate Shortland was hired to direct Black Widow and Chloe Zhao will direct Eternals.
Baron Zemo Is Back
Baron Helmut Zemo is back for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Zemo (Daniel Brühl) “hacked” into Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con 2019 presentation to say hello to studio head Kevin Feige, series stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, and the entirety of Hall H. Looking directly into the camera, Zemo ominously remarked, “I simply wanted to say hello to some old friends. Gentlemen, I’ll be seeing you very soon.” Zemo ended his message by previewing his comics-accurate purple mask, a first for the MCU version of the character.
Zemo is a villain in Marvel comics. The son of a Nazi scientist, Zemo has always been focused on tearing apart the Avengers and killing them. In the MCU, Zemo’s backstory was changed slightly, turning him into a survivor of the Battle of Sokovia but having lost his entire family. Bent on revenge, Zemo was a driving force in Captain America: Civil War. He engineered a series of catastrophic events, including the bombing of a United Nations conference which killed T’Challa’s father, while making Bucky the scapegoat. Zemo’s plan worked in turning Iron Man and Captain America into enemies in Civil War, as Cap staunchly defended and protected his oldest friend. Zemo tried to take his own life after seeing his plan succeed but Black Panther prevented this, bringing him to the C.I.A. instead. When The Falcon and the Winter Soldier opens, Zemo will still be in prison. From the sound of his SDCC 2019 message, though, he won’t be there for long and will likely be teaming up with some new bad guys.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Story Details
Story details for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier so far mainly focus on Sam and Bucky taking on the newly returned Baron Zemo, who will no doubt pose a major threat. Like other Marvel TV series for Disney+, the series will be set after Avengers: Endgame in 2023. Sam and Bucky will likely have to deal with returning back to their lives after being lost in the snap in Avengers: Infinity War and subsequently resurrected five years later. Sam will also have to face the responsibility of being handed Captain America’s shield, and the reality that the U.S. government has other plans for that role.
As for Bucky, he was put on the path of becoming the White Wolf in Infinity War, meaning he will finally put his Winter Soldier past behind him. Sadly, Chris Evans has confirmed he won’t make a cameo as Steve Rogers on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series. Finally, in addition to Baron Zemo returning, one-time Captain America love interest Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) is also coming back, while comic book villain US Agent (Wyatt Russell) enters the mix as well, as the government’s chosen replacement for Steve Rogers. However, Isaiah Bradley, the original Black Captain America, will also figure into the plot, reportedly influencing Sam’s desire to assume the Captain America mantle. Carl Lumbly, Desmond Chiam and Miki Ishikawa have also been cast in mystery roles. What’s more, Rhodey, a.k.a. War Machine (Don Cheadle) will be appearing at some point in the six-episode series, though how large of a role he will play is unclear. Fans can expect mercenary Georges Batroc, who was in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, to show up as well.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Release Date
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was originally slated for fall 2020, but the decision was eventually made to bump the show forward slightly to August 2020. However, that date was not set in stone and Marvel then shifted the series once more. Instead of debuting ahead of the other Marvel Disney+ TV shows, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will come after WandaVision and is set for release on Friday, March 19, 2021. Filming commenced in fall 2019, and despite some setbacks due to earthquakes, things remained on track. That was until the Coronavirus pandemic forced production to halt in March 2020. Filming didn’t pick back up again until months later.
Despite premiering after WandaVision, the MCU’s timeline shouldn’t be affected since the two shows are not directly connected. What’s more, Falcon and the Winter Soldier will also be set in the post-Endgame world, though further out in time than the three weeks following Thanos’ snap in WandaVision. After The Falcon and the Winter Soldier comes Loki in June 2021, Loki in late spring 2021, What If…? in summer 2021, and Hawkeye at some point in 2022. Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, and Secret Invasion are also on the docket, but don’t have any firm release dates yet.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Trailer
During the 2020 Super Bowl, Disney+ released a combo trailer for some of its upcoming Marvel Studios series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier among them. The footage is scattered throughout the video, but it features Sam Wilson chucking Captain America’s vibranium shield with ease Additionally, Bucky is shown holding Baron Zemo at gunpoint, although it seems unlikely he pulls the trigger. There has been far more footage released since the Super Bowl last year (which now feels like a different time altogether). The final trailer, which fans can watch above, reveals more of Sam throwing the shield, more of Bucky and Sam’s camaraderie, and a whole lot of action-packed sequences in store.
Next: How Avengers: Endgame Sets Up ALL Confirmed Disney+ Shows
