Tag: Disney Plus

Sam Wilson: The Story So Far

As WandaVision has concluded, we quickly transition to this week’s premiere of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier series on Disney+. There’s no time like the present to catch up with the characters that we’ve come to know and love (or even hate). The upcoming series has an extensive cast returning and continuing their stories in the series. Today, we’ll explore the history of the only MCU character who probably gets a neck spasm because he’s always looking to his left, Sam Wilson. It’s time to catch up to the Falcon’s story.

Sam Wilson’s MCU journey begins right at the outset of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Sam meets Steve Rogers as they’re both going through a jog in Washington, D.C., which leads to the iconic “on your left” line. They become fast friends as Sam empathizes with Steve’s history as a soldier, as Sam himself was a veteran of the United States Air Force Pararescueman. He served tours in overseas military actions, and he was selected to test a prototype military wingsuit with his friend Riley, who tragically perished during combat. Later, as Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff are on the run from Hydra, Sam lends his help along with the suit. He then decides to join Cap on his mission to find his old friend.

In Avengers Age Of Ultron, Sam returns in a brief cameo as he attends an Avengers party in celebration of retrieving Loki’s scepter from Hydra. They briefly discuss the search of Barnes. It isn’t until the end that he officially joins the superhero team. He does make a brief appearance in Ant-Man, where he fights Scott Long. By the end of the film, we find out through Luis that Sam is looking for Scott.

We next see him in action alongside the other Avengers, as they are taking down Crossbones. After tragedy strikes and the Sokovia Accords are set into motion, Wilson joins Rogers’s firm stance against them. Once Bucky is suspected of bombing and killing T’Chaka, they track him down as multiple confrontations ensue. Eventually, all three of them get arrested along with the Black Panther, T’Challa. Even after Zemo releases Sam doesn’t trust Bucky but continues showing loyalty to Steve. Sam suggests to Steve that he should recruit Scott Lang to help them out. Wilson takes part in the battle at the Berlin airport. After the fight, he ends up getting arrested. When Tony Stark arrives at the Raft to find out Rogers’s whereabouts, he reluctantly tells him their location.

After Steve breaks out his friends, we see them return in Avengers: Infinity War. Wilson is part of the group that rescues Wanda Maximoff and Vision from Thanos’ children. They return to the Avengers base for the first time in two years, where they finally get to reunite with James Rhodes. Next, he ends up in Wakanda, where he takes part in the battle against Thanos’ army. Even as he does his best, Thanos snaps his fingers, and he gets dusted alongside the rest of them. He doesn’t return until Avengers: Endgame. After dropping an iconic line, Falcon joins the rematch with the Mad Titan. He attends Tony’s funeral and is there when Rogers brings the Infinity Stones back to when they got them.

That isn’t the end of his story so far, as he meets an older version of Steve, who lived out his life with Peggy Carter. With it, he passes on the torch of Captain America to his good friend. We’re left with Sam Wilson holding the shield as his story continues when The Falcon and The Winter Soldier premieres on March 19th on Disney+.

March 18, 2021
REVIEW: ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Is a Return to Form For Marvel Studios

Heavy is the hand that bears the shield.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier wastes no time in centralizing the idea of legacy and the burden it brings; that Steve Rogers and his shield are impossible to live up to. Within the show’s first minute, we already know the burden Sam Wilson feels by simply holding the physical symbol of Cap’s legacy. Even for Bucky Barnes, it’s an issue of legacy. Compared to Steve’s, Bucky’s legacy on the world is as harrowing as it comes. His sins as the Winter Soldier continually creep up on Bucky in his nightmares and it’s up to him on how he makes up for his legacy.

The world hasn’t moved on from the Blip. In fact, the Blip has complicated things in unexpected ways. Instead of fixing the world back to what it was before the Snap, the Blip has only upended the status-quo of the last 5 years of the MCU. Perspectives have changed; an organization called the Flag Smashers wants a pre-Blip status quo for the world. One without borders or governments. Down to the minutiae, laws have changed: Sam Wilson can’t get a loan for his sister because everything went under for 5 years. Fans who’ve been yearning to see the true effects of the snap will be happy to watch this show.

This episode has yet to introduce the full ensemble. Zemo and Sharon Carter are nowhere to be found in this episode so it’s mostly relegated to just the titular duo. However, we do get to meet a new sidekick in the form of Joaquin Torres, played by Danny Ramirez. Comic fans will recognize Torres as Sam Wilson’s successor to the Falcon mantle in the comics . Torres, an intelligence officer in the MCU, is Falcon’s man-in-the-chair. Ramirez plays him with a Hardy Boys-charm that a lot of fans will like.

The episode’s strengths are in these character-heavy moments and it’s up to Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan to bring life into these moments that could be otherwise dull if mishandled poorly but man, do these two bring it. The beauty of these long-form stories is that they allow so much room for depth for each character. In this first episode alone, we see sides of Sam and Bucky that we’ve never seen before. Whether it’s Sam going to Louisiana to reconnect with family or Bucky having lunch with a friend, it’s all character gold. Just like how Wandavision humanized Vision by having him go on social calls with the neighborhood watch, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier brilliantly gives us lovable human moments with these titular characters. Who knew superheroes in their downtime could be so great to watch?

I’ve always felt that Stan always had the short end of the string when it came to sharing the screen with Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie at the same time and understandably so. Evans’ presence alone lights up a scene with his stoic gravitas while Mackie oozes charisma and charm. It’s almost inevitable to get upstaged by those two. Stan, for the most part, never got to do much in the shadow of the larger stories of the MCU and the intrinsic likability of his scene partners.

So as far as first episode performances go, I think Sebastian Stan gives a more noteworthy performance here. He brings a freshened sense of excitement to the role, despite inhabiting it for a decade now. Stan finally gets to have fun with the character and gives him range. There are inevitable moments of darkness for Bucky but also surprising moments of happiness and Stan deftly shifts between the two.

And of course, you have the action. Raving about Marvel Studios’ action feels trite so I’ll keep it to a minimum. Right from the get-go, they serve up an action sequence that’s on par with the helicarrier third act of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. There’s an awe-inspiring cinematic precision as to how they’ve managed to pull this off on television.

Henry Jackman’s score here really stood out for me and can only expect to be blown away in upcoming episodes. As a huge fan of what Jackman did for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, hearing him revisit some of his motifs from those two films but in a new context is chilling. If he brings back more themes from the last two Cap films, I’ll be beyond happy.

Without going much into spoilers, there are parts of this episode that feel clunky. There are premises and beats that don’t feel as polished as the rest of the episode’s high-quality aspects. Some moments have a bit of tonal whiplash wherein the subtext is meant to be serious and somber but the execution makes it seem unintentionally comedic. I have a lot of questions about Bucky’s road to redemption, which in concept is super intriguing, but in execution feels safe at the moment. Granted, there are 5 episodes left that could change these nitpicks of mine but as it currently stands, the episode flaws made it feel like a mixed bag as soon as I finished watching.

Overall, this show is gonna be one hell of a ride and the first episode is clearly just a taste of it. In retrospect, WandaVision being the first out of the gate feels very beneficial for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. After all the discussion WandaVision‘s mystery box generated, the outrage it garnered from its twists and turns, and heartwarming emotions that it elicited from fans, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier feels like the ideal follow-up. It’s a safe return to form in many ways but it’s also one that fans might need after all the Mephisto craziness. This is Marvel returning to what it does best: fist-pumping entertainment with a dose of depth.

March 18, 2021
‘Black Widow’: Disney CEO Bob Chapek Plays Coy on a Potential Disney+ Release

We are already in the second half of March. Black Widow is supposed to release the latest at the beginning of May internationally. There is still no sign of a new poster or trailer that would signify it is still aiming for that release date. It was only a few days ago that some BTS pictures made their way online. It was the first real sign of life from the film that was delayed by an entire year. Disney also stated during their Annual Meeting of Shareholders that they are still sticking to a theatrical release. Well, in a recent interview with Bloomberg Television, Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek seems to have backpedaled a bit on that comment.

Our situation and our conditions change. Just a few weeks ago, theaters in New York and Los Angeles weren’t even open. Now, all of a sudden they’re open, so we’re waiting to see how prospective theatergoers respond to these reopenings. We’re going to remain flexible. We’ll make the call probably at the last minute in terms of how these films come to market, whether it’s Black Widow or any other title.

Now, the interesting thing to note is that Chapek seems to be slowly opening up to a possible Disney+ release. He remains strong on his belief in the theatrical window, but also seems to hint at the dynamic market redefining their current approach.

We think it’s important for building our franchises. At the same time, we don’t think it’s the only way to do it. … We’ll see what happens over the next couple of months. So much is changing, it’s such a dynamic environment. It’s really hard to predict what’s going to happen with consumer behavior in the next month as it comes to re-emergence back into the world of normal. We’ll be watching the call carefully and make the call when we have to.

It looks like the chances of a Disney+ release are on the tables to some capacity. Disney cannot drag out the film’s release, as it already has been postponed by an entire year. They also have Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings releasing in July followed by Eternals in November. If they truly make a “last-minute” decision, they will have to start advertising it soon to hit that May release date.

Source:

March 17, 2021
Mindy Kaling Joins Disney+ ‘Monsters at Work’ as it Eyes July Release Date

Disney+ has been a resounding success, constantly adding new content from within Disney’s umbrella of ownership and offering new life to franchises of the past. One company that’s found a home at Disney+ is Pixar, a staple in the animation world. Many new and original projects got announced during the streaming service’s debut presentation. One of which was an original animated series, Monsters at Work. The series would see the return of Mike and Sully. The monster duo from Pixar’s 2001 film, Monsters, Inc., will return to their daily lives in the titular company.

The series takes place after the original film. It will follow the newcomer, Tylor Tuskmon, as he lands a job at Monsters, Inc. fresh out of college. Tuskmon had always dreamed of being a Scarer, but, upon arrival, discovers that the company has since shifted to collecting children’s laughter. The change came from when Mike and Sully discovered that it’s ten times more powerful. After a long wait, we finally get our first look at the new monster designs:

Things are about to get (scary) funny. Mindy Kaling is joining the #MonstersAtWork cast as Val Little, and Bonnie Hunt will be reprising her role as Ms. Flint. Start streaming the Original Series July 2 on #DisneyPlus. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/kOP1NpxJny

— Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) March 17, 2021

We got our first looks at the characters in the upcoming series via the Disney+ Twitter account. The series will officially premiere on July 2nd. The voice cast features the return of John Goodman and Billy Crystal as Sully and Mike. It will also see Bonnie Hunt reprise her role as Ms. Flint. The series added multiple newcomers with Mindy Kaling joining the cast as Val Little, Alanna Ubach as Cutter, Lucas Neff voicing Duncan, Henry Winkler voicing Fritz, and Ben Feldman voicing Tylor.

Source: D23, Twitter

March 17, 2021
Bucky Barnes: The Story So Far

James Buchanan Barnes is no stranger to a fight. He’s about to embark on another one in the upcoming The Falcon and The Winter Soldier series premiering this week on Disney+. Let’s take a look back at his complicated and sometimes horrid history within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers grow up together as best friends. he was always there to help the weaker Rogers when it came t handling bullies. During a double date, Bucky reveals that he’s enlisting in the army. While fighting in the 107th infantry, he is captured by Armin Zola unaware of Steve’s transformation into Captain America. When he found out about his friends’ torture, he heads out to help him, where he uncovered strange experiments were being done to him. In a mission to capture the German scientist, Barnes gets caught in the ambush and plummets to his presumed death.

It isn’t until Captain America, the Winter Soldier that we are introduced to the Winter Soldier. Bucky survived the fall from the train but lost his left arm in the process. He was found by the Soviet Union and HYDRA, who experimented on him. They gave him superhuman strength and a cybernetic arm. Over the next fifty years, he was their number one assassin, eliminating anyone who posed a threat. Steve confronts him and can reawaken Bucky’s consciousness. He went into hiding ever since until he was framed for the bombing of the UN in Vienna two years later.

He becomes the catalyst of Captain America: Civil War, as Zemo uses him to get his hands on the whereabouts of proto-Super Soldiers in Siberia. He used a secret code implanted into Bucky’s mind that activates his murderous side. It turns out, the wild goose chase with the Avengers was all to unveil secret footage of him killing Stark’s parents to rip the Avengers apart from the inside. Stark attempts his life, where he teams up with Rogers to stop him. In fear of the programming within his mind, he has frozen again in Wakanda so that no one can manipulate him again.

After taking some time to recover, Bucky joins the group of former Avengers to aid them in a battle against Thano’s army in Avengers: Infinity War. He battles alongside Steve and Rocket Raccoon, who tries to buy his new Wakandan arm. Unfortunately, Thanos achieves his goal of gaining all of the stones and snaps half of all life out of existence. Bucky happens to be one of the people who fade from existence. It isn’t until five years later that Bucky is resurrected and participates in the final battle against Thanos. After the war has finally been won, he says farewell to his old friend in a somber moment before allowing Sam Wilson to take

How does Bucky live in a world without Captain America? More importantly, can he? Will his time as the Winter Soldier continues to haunt him? These questions and more will be answered as The Falcon And The Winter Soldier commences on March 19th on Disney+

March 17, 2021
REPORT: ‘Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Adds Production Designer Todd Cherniawsky

Disney+ is only starting its expansion into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a galaxy far, far away. While the MCU is dominating the streaming service right now, there is quite a bit more of Star Wars just around the corner. In May, we will get the Star Wars: The Clone Wars spin-off, The Bat Batch. The Book of Boba Fett is also in production before they jump on the third season of the series that started Disney+, The Mandalorian. Of course, many other series are in some form of development. We are anxiously awaiting the return of Ewan McGregor in an upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. It will tell the story of what happened after the events of Revenge of the Sith. There hasn’t been a lot of updates on the series, but that is changing now.

Discussing Film has exclusively learned that production designer Todd Cherniawsky has joined the series. He has worked with Lucasfilm before. He was the supervising art director for The Last Jedi. He even got nominated at the Art Director’s Guild for his work. He has also worked in another galaxy, as he is also involved with various Star Trek: Discovery and Picard.

He is joining cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung, who just finished up Sony’s live-action adaptation of Uncharted. Some might recognize his work on the Korean films Oldboy and The Handmaiden. Their filmography is a promising showcase of what we can expect from the series. Cherniawsky‘s work on Star Trek could also tease some beautiful alien planets that Obi-Wan will explore in his upcoming quest. It’ll be interesting to see what stories await the Jedi.

Source: DiscussingFilm

March 16, 2021
Disney+ Adding Genndy Tartakovsky’s ‘Star Wars: Clone Wars’ in April

It looks like Disney+ is about to add some Star Wars history in April. All our eyes are on the release of Falcon and the Winter Soldier that will continue into the next month, but some other big additions are heading our way. There has been a bit of a draught in Star Wars content. We’ve been waiting for more since the release of last year’s The Mandalorian. Well, it looks like Disney has plans to make up for the wait until Star Wars: The Bad Batch releases in May. They are finally releasing the original Star Wars: Clone Wars from 2003 on the service alongside the Ewok series and films.

April 2nd will be a big day for Star Wars historians, as they will add the original two seasons of the animated series, Star Wars: Ewoks. It also includes the film 1984’s Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and its sequel, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. It is crazy to think that Disney is adding these pieces of George Lucas’s legacy, which many may have forgotten over time. They are even releasing The Story of the Faithful Wookiee, which is an animated short that was part of the original Holiday Special. Mando’s iconic gun was inspired by a brief sequence featuring Boba Fett in this special.

Now, I am very excited to see the return of the original Clone Wars series. It got developed by Genndy Tartakovsky, who many might know for his work on Samurai Jack and Primal. It ran for three seasons with 25 episodes and originally aired on Cartoon Network. It seems that they are using the structure used fr the DVDs, where the third season, as part of “Volume 2”. It wasn’t deemed canon when Walt Disney took over the franchise. However, there have been references to some moments. It is still great to see them expand the library and embrace the history of the franchise.

Source: Decider

March 16, 2021
Kevin Feige Plays Coy On Old Man Rogers’ Absence in ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’

Ever since the ending of Avengers: Endgame, there has been one question keeping us awake at night. Is Steve Rogers still around? We see an older version of the first Avenger hand over the shield to Sam, which becomes the main focus of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In an interview with Empire, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige played a little coy when asked about Roger’s whereabouts during these events and if the upcoming Disney+ show will also address his absence in its six-episode run:

Yes. In a roundabout way.

Feige really knows how to confirm and de-confirm something in a single sentence. He later continues to point out that “a fair presumption” but “not necessarily the case.” So, it does look like we will get a feeling for what Steve was up to once he got off that bench during the ending of Endgame. He leaves behind a legacy that will be the emotional core of the series, which may work better in his absence. There are also some moments in the trailers, which seem to hint at a funeral service of some kind.

The world also seems to believe he passed away, as seen at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. At the time, they used an image of a young Steve Rogers. There is also the possibility he returned back to the timeline, where Peggy Carter may have outlived her counterpart from the main timeline. It opens up a lot of interesting avenues to explore, especially how the world would react if the Super Soldier just showed up and is aged up by 80 years. It will be interesting to see how The Falcon and the Winter Soldier bridges the cap from that post-credit sequence into the new show.

Source: Empire via Twitter

March 16, 2021
Marvel Studios Should Explore Asgard’s History on Disney+

Some time ago, it got announced that we are getting a Disney+ series focused on Wakanda. It doesn’t have an official title or story, but there is a good possibility it will offer a closer look at the fictional African city. In a way, it opens up a new avenue of storytelling that goes beyond the usual superhero stories. We see this new direction with other Disney+ shows, like Armor Wars and Secret Invasions. They are no longer bound to focusing on a specific characters’ journey. As such, it feels like the perfect time to explore the fictional world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If we start focusing on the MCU’s history, I believe a series based on Thor’s now-destroyed homeworld, Asgard, should be in the works moving forward.

Thor: Ragnarok teased a long history long before Thor was even born. It introduced us to a very different version of Odin, who seemed quite bloodthirsty. Alongside his daughter Hela, he conquered the nine realms. Anthony Hopkins‘ take on the character introduced us to a level-headed man who tried to learn from his past mistakes. We learn about his battle against the Frost Giants, the banishing of Surtur, and the many acts he has done. We even get a glimpse of his father, Bor, in Thor: The Dark World‘s brief flashback. Throughout each entry, we get a small glimpse into the history of Asgard but never the full picture.

After the events of Ragnarok, the mythical planet is no more. In a way, it feels like the franchise is moving further away from its Nordic routes. There are still so many stories and Norse characters from the comics that deserve more attention. Why not explore a young Odin’s time before he becomes the All-Father. Explore his relationship with his father, who did not return from war. We learn of his family, such as his brother Cul Borson. A tense rivalry, echoing that of his sons, would put them at odds as they try to prove themselves facing the Midgard Serpent, Jormungand.

The series can explore the history of the Nine Realms and reveals how fragile their unity was. Odin’s peaceful nature tries to explore the different realms and find a way to unite them through peace. Yet, his father’s legacy has created a strong divide between them all. In his journey, he starts to raise a young wolf cub, who he names Fenris. The same wolf that would eventually be the one he passes on to his daughter. Cul, however, has his own agenda to gain the throne. His actions start to push the Realms further apart. It forces Odin’s hand to become the man in the hidden mural. We know that he would eventually become a good man, but we’ve never got a chance to explore the sacrifices he had to make to take on to rule over the Nine Realms and condemn his brother for his actions. It also starts a terrible habit of Odin’s to banish his family in some way. It is only one of many possible stories that could be told through a Disney+ series focused on Asgard.

March 15, 2021
‘Ironheart’: Dominique Thorne Reveals How She Became Riri Williams

One of Marvel’s newest stars is opening up about her unique casting experience. Dominique Thorne was announced as the MCU’s next iron-clad heroine at Disney’s Investor’s Day last December, with the young actress set to play Riri Williams in Disney+’s Ironheart series. Best known for her role in Barry Jenkins’ critically acclaimed film If Beale Street Could Talk and the recently released Judas and the Black Messiah, Thorne’s casting came as a surprise to many. While some fans may have expected the Ironheart announcement, nobody was quite prepared for a casting to reveal to happen so early in the show’s marketing process. As it turns out, Thorne wasn’t really expecting the announcement so early either. The talented performer opened up to Empire about her audition-free casting process:

I was at home in Delaware and I got a call asking if I would like to play this role. It was the best phone call I could have ever received. I was so shocked, in fact, that there was a considerable lag in the conversation! I was waiting for them to say, like, ‘Oh, we’ll send you the sides’, or, ‘Get your tape over to us.’ But there was none of that. It was just like, ‘Would you like to do this?’ It was probably the most unique experience I’ve ever had because there was no audition at all.

Riri Williams is a relatively new character in the Marvel mythos. She got introduced by Brian Michael Bendis in 2015, the same man who created Miles Morales a few years prior. Williams is a teenage prodigy at MIT, who creates a new version of the Iron Man armor. She later takes up her superhero mantle. She has since appeared in various animated Marvel projects, and it was only a matter of time before she found her way to the MCU. The Ironheart series is currently in pre-production, with no official confirmation of a release date but with casting already in place, one could expect to see Dominique Thorne pop up on their screens sooner rather than later.

Source: Empire

March 15, 2021