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Tag: Falcon and Winter Soldier

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’s Malcolm Spellman Reveals How Little We Know about Marvel Studios’ Future Line-Up

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’s Malcolm Spellman Reveals How Little We Know about Marvel Studios’ Future Line-Up

    Our very own Charles Murphy got a chance to sit down and talk with Falcon and Winter Soldier head writer Malcolm Spellman. In a brief moment, they discussed the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the many threads that were left open at the end of the series. Spellman discussed briefly how fans agreeing with Daniel Brühl’s Helmut Zemo make him a popular candidate for more future appearances. Of course, there was also the discussion surrounding He also briefly discussed Sharon’s turn as the Power Broker and how it gives her more time in the spotlight.

    So far, we only know that the fourth entry of Captain America is in development. There are some hints that Sharon’s story might potentially connect to Armor Wars, which you can read our theory in the following link. There was one interesting hint by the head writer that we really have no idea how big the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to become, as he states:

    I was surprised about how few of the upcoming Marvel movies have been announced. […] Fans will start to become more and more clear as these projects get announced.

    It looks like the many films announced for Phase 4 are just the beginning. We are aware of eleven projects with Black Widow kicking off the cinematic side of the franchise in July. If these are only a “few” of the upcoming films we might have content for many years to come. Kevin Feige. is famous for mapping out his projects far in advance, as he revealed in 2018 that he already planned films up until 2025. It’ll be interesting to see if we get some more announcements this year for what may await us beyond 2023.

    Source: ComicBook.com (Films to 2025)

  • Kari Skogland Offers More Details on How the Pandemic Added to ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’s Story

    Kari Skogland Offers More Details on How the Pandemic Added to ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’s Story

    We’ve all been theorizing about how the pandemic may have affected Falcon and the Winter Soldier. After the finale aired for WandaVision, Matt Shakman revealed that they had changed quite a bit and were only able to finish the finale shortly before it aired. They also had to cut down on quite a few stories, such as one involving Ralph Boehner and Monica Rambeau. Now, we wondered the same for Marvel Studios’ second Disney+ show and it looks like their story may have been only slightly affected, as director Kari Skogland revealed in an interview with Collider.

    No. We started shooting in October of 2019 and we had shot about 75 percent [before production shut down]. So we really knew the story we were telling for sure. So when we shut down, we only had about 25 percent left to shoot. So I think the only story changes we made were small character tweaks.

    They highlight a few scenes that got added, such as John Walker and Lamar talking about taking the super-soldier serum. They also added an extra sequence to dive a bit deeper into the motivation of Karli and the Flag-Smashers.

    We had discovered that we really wanted to know Karli a bit more. So I think we added a scene between her and Dovich, where they got to just talk about what it was like to take the serum. I wanted to feel them and their history just a little bit and get a bit more inside how they were thinking and feeling in that moment.

    Skogland does not talk about how their production had been affected. There was noticeable re-use of multiple locations for sequences, which could be part of the 25% that was shot once they returned to production. It is also noteworthy that she confirms that there was no removed pandemic subplot in the interview. Charles Murphy interviewed Skogland where she hinted at how the pandemic affected their production, as they jumped straight back into things once it calmed down. It looks like COVID gave them the chance to add some of the more human moments that made these characters stand out even more. It’ll be interesting if the pandemic may have also affected June’s Loki series.

    Source: Collider via The Direct

  • ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ May Be The Last Time We See The Winter Soldier

    ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ May Be The Last Time We See The Winter Soldier

    The ending of Falcon and the Winter Soldier came with a new name, as Sam Wilson embraced his role as Captain America. However, it seemed that Bucky Barnes may have still stuck to his Winter Soldiers moniker after finally making amends. Well, it seems that the end title might be a bit misleading. The show’s head writer, Malcolm Spellman, revealed in an interview with ComicBook.com that it isn’t representing Bucky’s state of mind, as he was finally to move on from the dark past. They also seem to hint at a new direction for the character:

    I think Bucky enters this thing truly believing he is kind of the Winter Soldier no matter what anyone says. By the end, he has the moment with the old man, but more importantly, nobody has caught this… I’ve been saying it all day. In the scene with the Flag-Smashers in Episode 6, when one of those people gets out of that van and thanks Bucky, that’s his first time being a hero. So by the end of this series, Bucky is emerging as having shed the burden of the Winter Soldier. He has found a new family, ironically, it’s a Black family in Louisiana, you know what I’m saying? And he has tasted being a hero for the first time. And I think he’s now free to become something amazing.

    The way he phrases it may hint at a new direction for Bucky. His title as Winter Soldier could end with this series. In the comics, he carried on with the title even as he became a hero and returned to it after his time as Captain America. Our very own Lizzie Hill theorized that he may be the focus of the potential Nomad project. Sebastian Stan has the star power to lead his own project. So, it would only really be a matter of time before he gets a new project. Now that Hawkeye already got a Disney+ spin-off with Echo and Captain America 4 has been confirmed, we might hopefully get an announcement for a post Winter Soldier story.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • How ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Broke Tired Stereotypes of Buddy Movies

    How ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Broke Tired Stereotypes of Buddy Movies

    Even before the official start of Phase 4 and Marvel’s Disney+ era, it was clear that the studio was taking full advantage of the opportunity provided by the platform to tell stories outside the typical vein of what audiences expect from an MCU movie. The most obvious example was WandaVision’s foray into various old sitcoms, but Loki and What If…? both promise to push that envelope as well.

    If there was one series in this first wave of Disney+ Marvel projects that seemed like it was going to be more of the same, relatively speaking, it was The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Not only was it marketed as a fast-paced, action-heavy, and quippy show akin to the style of movies Marvel is known for making, it went a step further. People were even pointing out that the Super Bowl spot earlier this year made the series look as testosterone-heavy and adrenaline-filled as possible.

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    The other main expectation that people seemed to have going into the series was that the two leads would have a rivalry with each other before becoming friends at the end. This made some sense since the creative team was making it a point to emphasize that Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes were friends with Steve Rogers, but not each other, but fans took it to a meta-level and made it about the shield. Specifically, that the two would both want it and fight over it, even though Avengers: Endgame made it clear it was going to Sam and there was no indication Bucky even wanted it.

    The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Sebastian Stan Reveals Who Wins the Staring Contest

    The kicks, flips, and quips were all there, and the tension between the two main characters was, in fact, largely about the shield being in the right hands. But it wasn’t a matter of who was more worthy to wield it and bask in the public’s glory; it was about recognizing the gravity of its meaning and showing respect to it, and their friend. Sam didn’t feel prepared to take it all on, and Bucky was hurt that Sam gave up the shield because it went against Steve’s wishes.

    The person who did have a desire to be the next Captain America, John Walker, ended up being the antithesis to a lot of what Sam and Bucky said and did during the series. For example, while he initially claimed to feel uncomfortable with all the fanfare surrounding the title, he sure did like to introduce himself with it before providing his actual name.

    Walker was also the one who put an end to Bucky’s therapy sessions. Mental health issues aren’t really a thing in most buddy movies but were a major part of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Both leads have suffered from PTSD for a while, though Sam has more time to figure out healthy ways to deal with it than Bucky. This isn’t treated as a shameful thing they try to hide from each other, but a problem they ultimately work together to solve. While Bucky’s therapy sessions end in Episode 2, he does write a note to Dr. Raynor thanking her for her help in the finale, showing that while Walker likely meant well in ending the sessions, it probably wasn’t for the best overall.

    On a somewhat related note, it was also refreshing to see Bucky and Sam openly admit to each other when they were wrong about something. Pride, especially male pride, tends to be very fragile in media, especially within the action genre (this also goes for real life) so it was great to see the two leads actually talk to each other about topics like race and mental health without visible reluctance. This showed up in other ways as well, like how Sam preferred to talk with Karli Morgenthau about her beliefs and actions instead of rushing into a fight with her and the other Flag-Smashers (while Walker was used to battling against his opponents and liked it that way).

    The Falcon and the Winter Soldier wasn’t just the story of Sam Wilson becoming Captain America, or Bucky Barnes finding his place in the world after becoming free of HYDRA’s brainwashing; it was all about being a good man. It’s what Dr. Erskine said was the reason Steve Rogers was chosen for Project Rebirth all the way back in Captain America: The First Avenger (as opposed to a “perfect soldier”, which John Walker arguably was) and it’s what sets this series apart from other buddy action or comedy movies.

  • ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’: Power Broker All Along

    ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’: Power Broker All Along

    After the freshly minted Captain America and The Winter Soldier, we got many answers we were looking for. It gave us Sam Wilson becoming Captain America. Bucky Barnes finished his list and even checked it twice. On top of it all, we also get introduced to John Walker’s alter-ego US Agent. With that said, we now know that Sharon Carter was the Power Broker all along. Sharon found a way to slip right under our hero’s noses into a pardon. Now, what does this mean for the future? Let’s dive straight in.

     

    Does Falcon And Winter Soldier Theory Prove That Sharon Is A Villain? Kevin Smith Seems Interested - CINEMABLEND

     

    With Sharon having the Rolodex of all government liaisons and contracts, she has access to so much more as the Power Broker. Her phone call with a mysterious stranger hints at her having access to more than she should. It seems likely she’ll appear in the freshly announced Captain America 4, but it also seems very likely she could show up in Armor Wars. Imagine a world where someone steals Tony Stark’s nanotechnology only for it to land in Sharon’s hands. Charles offered a closer look at this concept, which you can check out here. She’s more dangerous than ever. Her phone call may have hinted at a mysterious partner. Could that be the newly-introduced Val?

    She was busy recruiting John Walker into her new team, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that she could have her hands in multiple cookie jars. The Power Broker can have multiple faces. Their reach in Marvel comics was far beyond what one could imagine, as it grew beyond a single individual. Power Broker Inc was established by Curtiss Jackson and Dr. Karl Malus. They had plenty of clients. They supplied John Walker and Lemar Hoskins with their abilities in the comics. They used not only their intellect but their status to control everything.

     

    Who Is Batroc And What He Gave To The Flag-Smashers Explained

     

    We saw Sharon use Batroc to help Karli as a means to her ends. Sharon and Val could be a dynamic duo that none of our heroes even know about. It would be fascinating to see the two of them evolve together. Val could be forming a team that gets supplied by Sharon. Now that’s what you call cutting the check. They eventually could create an app similar to the Hench app in the comics. We’ve seen how well that worked for the Flag Smashers. So, they might just hijack that design for their own nefarious purposes.

    Villains for Hire in a post blip world could be very lucrative. The bad guys have to pay rent too. As important as Sam Wilson’s positive effect on the world was, he may have inadvertently developed his biggest threat. Marvel Studios left enough threads vague through which they can develop in curious directions. Perhaps the fourth entry in the Captain America series also ties together with Armor Wars. It might just be the beginning of this new brand of villainy and what could be the most dangerous threat the Avengers ever faced.

  • ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: Marvel Studios Teases Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Future Role in the MCU

    ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: Marvel Studios Teases Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Future Role in the MCU

    The latest episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier introduced the world to a Marvel legacy character. Julia Louis-Dreyfus entered the scene and introduced the world to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The character has deep ties to the comics as she was a member of SHIELD, Nick Fury’s lover, temporarily Madame Hydra, and so much more.

    Now, with a resumé like that, it is a miracle she hasn’t had a larger role earlier in the series, but it seems her timely appearance to aid John WAlker at his low point may have a darker implication for the future. Marvel released a new interview with the team over at Marvel Studios discussing her addition. Executive producer Nate Moore discusses the parallels between her and Fury, as well as teasing her future.

    Whenever we talked about Valentina, even in the writer’s room, she was sort of a more acerbic, funnier, but darker Nick Fury. Someone who knows her secrets, who’s not afraid to operate in the moral gray area, but maybe who isn’t as inherently altruistic. Having a character like Valentina in the show, and actually in the MCU, is interesting because I think she’ll be making more waves sooner rather than later.

    Of course, if you compare a character to Nick Fury, it leads to a rather interesting parallel. Just like the eye-patch-wearing SHIELD agent, she seems to be recruiting people for something. It looks like the possibility of a Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers team has become a reality. Of course, Moore also hinted that we’ll get a lot more of Valentina shortly. He could be referencing that the character was originally to appear in Black Widow, which may hint at her return in July. There are also the other Disney+ shows that offer Valentina some new potential recruits.

    Source: Marvel

  • ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Surprise Character Was to Debut in ‘Black Widow’

    ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Surprise Character Was to Debut in ‘Black Widow’

    Falcon and the Winter Soldier gave viewers quite a surprise in the latest episode, as Seinfeld actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus made a grand entrance. After John Walker hit a low point, she arrived on the scene introducing the world to the MCU’s debut of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The character might be familiar to long-time fans of the comics. Introduced in Strange Tales #159 by Jim Steranko, Fontaine was a love interest of Nick Fury and a leading member of SHIELD. Dreyfus was actually inspired to take on the role by Veep showrunner, David Mandel as pointed out by her co-star Tony Hale:

    It was Mandel, specifically, who suggested she might play a Marvel villain. Louis-Dreyfus had no choice but to play along saying: “Swinging around on wires and kicking people in the face…shooting fire out of whatever you shoot fire out of. I would dig that.

    In a report by Vanity Fair, it seems that Dreyfus was going to be introduced in Black Widow initially. As we know, the film continuously got postponed and will now release in July. The way she was introduced would hint at her being a villain, which automatically connects to Contessa’s other alter-ego. In the comics, she turned out to be a Russian mole and takes over the mantle of Madame Hydra. Now, that might be why she was chosen to first appear in the Black Widow.

    Vanity Fair does point out it is uncertain if she was potentially edited out of the film with her introduction in Falcon and Winter Soldier. Her appearance and offering Walker a card could be our first set-up for a potential Thunderbolts team-up in the future. She could connect the various projects to form her own team as a counterpoint to Fury’s Avengers Initiative.

    Source: Vanity Fair

  • ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’: How Disney+ Is Changing Marvel’s Storytelling

    ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’: How Disney+ Is Changing Marvel’s Storytelling

    Only two weeks ago, WandaVision kickstarted a new direction for Marvel Studios on Disney+. They are now taking their time to explore those characters that never got a chance to shine on the silver screen. At the same time, it allows these heroes to face the biggest challenges that got sidelined by alien invasions or secret organizations taking over the world. Wanda was making breakfast for dinner while turning an entire city into her physical shape of denial. The tradition continues with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where we get a closer look at the lives that Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes face in a world post-Captain America.

     

    The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Episode 1 Breakdown & Easter Eggs Explained

     

    We get a good look at Sam’s private and superhero life throughout the episode. Even if he saved the entire galaxy, he can’t afford to keep his family’s business alive. The small glimpses we got during Avengers: Age of Ultron are at the forefront of these stories. Disney+ allows them to spread out their tales. Even if the world’s future is at stake, we still get the time to explore times in these superheroes’ lives that seemed secondary. Even if the show is about the legacy left behind by Steve Rogers, it really is about people trying to find their identity in the world. Are we more than what the people believe us to be?

    Bucky is the perfect example. He spent almost 90 years frozen. Only to see the world as a mindless assassin killing innocent lives. Now, he was brought back from that life but is having a hard time coping. Not only does his story work as a parallel to real-world issues with soldier’s PTSD, but it also gives us a moment to explore his time facing that past. He is going to therapy sessions and even tries his luck with a date. His guilt sadly takes over, but we get a brief window into his life.

     

    Bucky, Sam in Couples Therapy in Falcon and Winter Soldier Trailer | The Mary Sue

     

    In a way, Disney+’s offerings mix-up what we usually expect from Marvel. We do miss the spectacle on the silver screen. Yet, it feels like these somber moments of real-life would only really work through these smaller stories. It makes sense that Ms. Marvel or She-Hulk are going to take an episodic direction, as their private and professional life is what defines them. We get to spend some time as they balance their heroic life with their everyday existence. The franchise can echo what the Spider-Man films have tried to balance in a limited runtime. It’ll be interesting to see how the future episodes continue down this path set-up by the premiere episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

  • ‘Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Post-‘Avengers: Endgame’ Timeline Revealed

    ‘Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Post-‘Avengers: Endgame’ Timeline Revealed

    The events of Avengers: Endgame have shaped the Marvel Cinematic Universe in new and interesting ways. We got a small glimpse at the consequences when Spider-Man: Far From Home first aired in 2019. WandaVision continued the tradition by taking place only weeks after the events, as we witnessed Monica Rambeau returns from the Snap. It changed the landscape of the MCU and it looks like Falcon and the Winter Soldier will continue the tradition. In an interview with Collider, it was revealed that the series takes place at least six months after the event that was dubbed the Blip in-universe. Director Kari Skogland confirmed that this was an important part when scripting the show:

    Everything narratively was informed by that event for us. It meant that we’re just past the shock of it. We’re just past the joy of it — because we’re imagining that there would be a lot of joy, in people returning. Now we’re into the reality of it, which is complicated.

    The timeline would set this quite sometime after WandaVision and shortly before Far From Home. It is one of the MCU’s greatest advantages to explore a new kind of world after an event changes everything. Skogland wants to explore this Blipped world and how it is affected politically. Countries had to adapt to half the world vanishing. Head writer Malcolm Spellman also pointed out that this was a big part of how they pitched the show early in the development process. It will be interesting to see how else the events might influence future entries, or if we even get to explore the time period between the Blip and Snap.

    Source: Collider

  • Kevin Feige Plays Coy On Old Man Rogers’ Absence in ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’

    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