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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is an American television miniseries created by Malcolm Spellman for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Sam Wilson / Falcon and Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. It is the second television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise and taking place after the events of the film Avengers: Endgame (2019). Spellman served as head writer with Kari Skogland directing.
It premiered on March 19, 2021, and ran for six episodes until April 23. It is part of Phase Four of the MCU.
Plot[]
Following the events of mh:greatestmovies:Avengers: Endgame, Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities... and their patience
Why Falcon Is Worthy To Use Captain America's Shield[]
- Great acting from Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/The Falcon), Sebastian Stan (James "Bucky" Barnes/Winter Soldier), Daniel Brühl (Baron Helmut Zemo) and especially Wyatt Russell (John Walker).
- Several characters from the films return, such as Baron Helmut Zemo, Sharon Carter, Batroc, James "Rhodey" Rhodes and Ayo.
- Epic action scenes, such as the opening scene of the first episode "New World Order", the chase in Munich in "The Star Spangled Man", Walker's fight with the Dora Milaje in "The Whole World is Watching", and the battle at the GRC Meeting Hall in "One World, One People".
- Like WandaVision, it has more connections to the MCU than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil, Cloak and Dagger or Runaways.
- Sam and Bucky themselves are a fantastic duo with great chemistry, and they're given some great story arcs, such as Bucky trying to redeem himself from his past as the Winter Soldier.
- Karli Morgenthau/Flag Smasher is an interesting antagonist.
- Zemo's dancing in the Madripoor nightclub is hilarious and instantly went viral, to which Disney released an official one-hour-long extended cut.
- Isaiah Bradley's backstory on how he was involuntarily injected with the super soldier serum and imprisoned for thirty years for just saving his fellow soldiers is really tragic.
- It adds a more realistic setting to the MCU by delving into real life issues like racism and manages to not feel like SJW pandering by taking the time to focus on them like Isaiah's story, Sam getting harassed by the police, and Sam's speech in the finale “One World, One People”, and unlike mh:greatestmovies:Spider-Man: Far From Home, it shows the difficulty of people readjusting to life after the Blip when Sam couldn't get a loan from the bank when he was inactive for five years due to being blipped.
- The series shows what happened to Sharon Carter after Civil War, showing how her actions in that movie changed her into a cynical, ruthless, and distrusting mob boss.
- Quotes like:
- "A sorcerer is a wizard without a hat."
- "It's in every action movie!"
Bad Qualities[]
- Walker's cockiness can get unbearable at times, though this could be on purpose to set up how he is unfit to hold the mantle of Captain America.
- Although interesting antagonists, the show doesn't really explain the Flag Smashers' plan to set the world back to how it was after "The Snap" all that well. What doesn't help is that while Karli Morgenthau is an interesting character, Erin Kellyman does provide a somewhat weak performance.
- There's an incredibly disturbing scene in "The Whole World is Watching" where Walker goes berserk after taking a massive dose of the Super-Soldier Serum and decapitates a Flag Smasher with Captain America's shield (thankfully, the actual decapitation is off-screen).
- The fact that some of the source material for the show is Captain America No More by Mark Gruenwald and doesn't feature Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, who was a huge part of that storyline is a big missed opportunity
- The reveal that Sharon is the Power Broker is a bit predictable.
- The finale, while not bad, still warrants a lot of room for improvement.
Reception[]
The series received positive reviews, with critics highlighting the actors' chemistry and the series' social commentary but criticizing its pacing. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 87% approval rating with an average rating of 7.35/10, based on 330 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Packed with blockbuster action and deft character beats, Falcon and the Winter Soldier proves itself worthy of Captain America's legacy with its globetrotting intrigue, mature social commentary, and the sparky rapport between stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 74 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".