Tag: MCU

‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: Anthony Mackie Talks Sam Wilson’s Hesitance on Becoming Captain America

As the logo of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier teases, the main focus of the upcoming show continues where Sam Wilson’s story last ended in Avengers: Endgame. As we learned in the first trailers, it seems that Sam isn’t quite ready to take on that heavy role. In the press release, our own Charles Murphy got a chance to ask Anthony Mackie about why Sam Wilson is hesitant to take on the shield even after Steve Rogers passed it on to him. He offered a heartfelt answer on the pressure that Sam is facing after holding the iconic Vibranium frisbee.

Sam’s whole thing is: he went on this journey, this Avenger story over six movies with Steve because of his respect and admiration for Steve. When Captain America, he says, when Captain America shows up at your door, you answer in the movie Captain America: Winter Soldier. That being said, it is, you know, it is the pain, the idea of not being able to go on these missions, not going to be able to help his friend. You know, there are still people out there that really appreciate camaraderie and friendship […] Just like everybody else, you don’t want to see Steve Rogers go away. You don’t want to see Captain America go away. Because just like Captain America was your Cap, Captain America was Sam Wilsons Cap. So, you know, that is why he says at the end of Endgame, it feels like, when he is holding the shield, it is someone else’s. It feels like it is yours. He was a fan like everybody else.

hH ends the question with a joke that Sam Wilson’s entire goal was to get a spin-off with Black Widow when she knocked on his door. It was a great way to break the tension after a very heartfelt and introspective answer on why this decision is so difficult for Sam. He spent so many films alongside his friend and now, he is gone. The moment he accepts the shield, he also has to face the fact that his friend has moved on. Of course, others being after the iconic symbol isn’t making that decision any easier and we can’t wait to see how they approach it once it premieres on March 19th.

March 14, 2021
Anthony Mackie Teases That ‘The Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Will Explore Sam Wilson’s Backstory

Throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we are introduced to a long-list of characters. Sadly, we don’t always get to explore the characters’ history before they join the franchise. When Sam Wilson was introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we only briefly hear about his time in the military. Luckily, as this franchise continues to expand we also get a new perspective on different characters. Luckily, it looks like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will do exactly that, as we will get to find out more about Sam’s past before he became the iconic winged Avenger.

It’s always a surprise when the minds get-together and the information trickle down to you. When I first read the script, I was really happy and acknowledged the fact, that he was from Louisiana.

Anthony Mackie also briefly mentioned that he wanted to eat crawfish on camera to pay tribute to Wilson’s family history from Louisiana, but it sadly wasn’t possible. He also briefly talks about how this changes the characters’ comic history.

The idea of Sam Wilson, he’s always evolved in the world of the Marvel comic books and now he’s evolved in the Marvel cinematic universe. Because if you remember when Sam Wilson started out he was a huslter, from Harlem, and then as African American culture evolved, Stan Lee evolved him in the comic book into different incarnations. So I’m excited for everyone to see the new and improved Sam Wilson

Still, it is great that the upcoming series will take a deeper look at these character’s history. It may also be used as a contrast to Bucky, who has no one left. All he had left in the modern age was Steve, so he might get accepted into a new world, as his relationship with Sam evolves by getting to know him better throughout the series’ runtime. It certainly opens up a lot of interesting character moments that would not get the spotlight in a feature film.

March 14, 2021
Anthony Mackie Wants to Spend Time in ‘Blade’s World

Marvel Studios is about t expand in many different ways. They finally started their new venture into Disney+ with WandaVision and the upcoming The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. There is also the exploration of a darker side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Moon Knight and Blade. Especially the latter opens up a whole new avenue for the franchise. In the latest press event for the second Disney+ show, Falcon’s Anthony Mackie was asked what future project he is most excited about, and he then revealed that he wants to be involved with

I would really like to, Kevin, spend some time in Blade world.

Anthony Mackie and Mahershala Ali would make for a fantastic duo in the MCU, which could be the focus of a future project. They wouldn’t introduce the vampire hunter without any plans for a crossover. I do love how he points out to Kevin Feige what he wants to happen. It’s going to be interesting how Blade’s world will get introduced into the MCU. We haven’t seen anything related to vampires yet, so they could be a rather new introduction t this world. In the comics, vampires were created through the Darkhold, so they could focus strongly on the magical connection. It wouldn’t be surprising for an Avenger to get involved once they start noticing more attacks. So, it is only a question of time before they start getting heavily involved in the more supernatural world of the MCU.

March 14, 2021
Kevin Feige Talks Potential Future Seasons for ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ and ‘WandaVision’

The press rounds have started for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Marvel Studios’ next venture in Disney+ will take a closer look at the dynamic between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, who will carry on the legacy set by Steve Rogers’ run as Captain America. Now, they face an uncertain future with many more adventures ahead of them. One of the questions was on the possibility of the series getting a second season, which the showrunner is open for, and how that would look with the MCU’s connected universe. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige may have teased their general approach:

[…] People expect it to be like what people know before. Where is Season 2? Where is Season 1? We really did apprach it like we do the mvies, we better do this great or we won’t get to do another one. If we are able to do another one, there are certailny ideas. The slight difference, of course, as you all heard me say, and I think is becoming clear with WandaVision, that they will really go back and forth between Disney+ Series and Marvel Studios features. So, where characters show up and how, will sometimes be a in a direct season two, sometimes in a feature and then an additianl season.

We know that Wanda is going to have a bigger role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but the question is open to how they approach her story afterward. They could revisit the WandaVision series in a new format, or even retitle it completely t fit a new narrative. The introduction of Secret Invasion proves that we might see more event titles as mini-series rather than focusing on these series continuously releasing a new season each year. Disney+ does offer that flexibility that will keep these shows from getting repetitive.

March 14, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Director Kari Skogland on How the Pandemic Impacted ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’

Production on Marvel Studios next Disney Plus streaming series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, was about halfway complete when things abruptly came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When production resumed on the project under the ironically named Pandemic Productions company, the cast and crew had to adjust on the fly to an entirely new set of circumstances. I asked director Kari Skogland how the pandemic impacted the project and to find a silver lining in what was a scary and surprising time.
Charles Murphy: “You guys had quite a bit of work done when the pandemic shut things down. What’s something good that came out of that downtime on this project?”
Kari Skogland: “For us, it was actually quite positive because we were able to, first of all, we had an amazing team. Everybody was very willing to pivot as necessary. So there was no panic as a result we just got on with it. Once the sort of surprise of it all, perhaps we all sniffed it coming? I guess I don’t know. But nonetheless, it was still a surprise. Once we sort of got over that, it was very much…we just sort of picked up and kept going because there is always work to be done-cause we were midway. So the positive side to it was when we were able to gear back up we were really targeted. We knew exactly what we were shooting. We knew where the series was and where it needed to go. I think we were able to use the time very wisely to make all kinds of decisions that we wouldn’t have had time to make otherwise. The best and most positive thing was that the team responded incredibly well, actors, everybody included, we all just got on with it.”

More than once during the shutdown, I heard how Marvel Studios was using the time they wouldn’t otherwise have well and wisely. Having more time to think, discuss and evaluate their projects provided a rare opportunity to strengthen what were some already great projects. As Skogland said, the shutdown gave them time to really reflect on things and make decisions without being up against deadlines. As you’ll see when The Falcon and The Winter Soldier debuts next week, the downtime was time well spent.

March 13, 2021
‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Director Kari Skogland Open to a Second Season

We are only a week away before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will release on Disney+. The series will follow-up on Avengers: Endgame‘s ending, as Sam Wilson comes to accept the shield passed on to him by Steve Rogers. Now, he and Bucky will become unlikely allies as they face a new foe. It is uncertain how the story will lead into the future of the franchise, but it looks like director Kari Skogland might have enough plans for a second season. In an interview with The Direct, she revealed that there might be more stories to explore with this dynamic duo:

I can’t even answer that because I would say there’s nothing I didn’t get to do in this one, and yet there’s so much more to do. So, let’s hope that there is a season two. I have no idea whether there will be or not, but I do know there’s always more stories to explore and more characters to have go down the rabbit hole with.

So far, none of the announced Disney+ shows have a confirmed second season. WandaVision just ended a few weeks ago, but there hasn’t been a word on the series getting an additional season. The advantage of Marvel Studios’ approach allows them to continue these stories at a later date. Wanda’s story seems to lead directly into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. So, once that story gets resolved, they can continue her tale in a future sequel. They also aren’t restricted to keeping specific names. So, they could create a new show inspired by Vision Quest that continues these story threads. It will be interesting to see what their approach will be in the future.

Source: The Direct

March 12, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Director Kari Skogland on the Most Important Questions ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Will Answer

In an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier director Kari Skogland discusses what drew her to the project, the key questions this series will address and how developing how the nature of the project allowed the characters to live and breathe without the usual time constraints.

Charles Murphy: “The episode has big action but it also has some beautiful and chilling character moments. The leads are hurting for different reasons and we finally have time to explore them more deeply. Did the opportunity to help define these characters make the project more attractive?”

Kari Skogland: “I don’t know about more attractive. No matter what I was excited. The central idea of it where Sam was handed the shield and what was that going to be and what is that what’s that the exploration of will he or won’t he take on what’s this is going to be for a Black man to carry the shield? What is Captain America’s relevance? Is there a Captain America that makes any sense anymore? All of those questions I thought were very topically important to not just discuss but to go on a real exploration in a deep dive sort of way.”

Needless to say the legacy of Steve Rogers and the weight of carrying his shield and taking up the mantle are major themes in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. When he was handed the shield in Avengers: Endgame, Sam told Steve it felt like it belonged to someone else. The fact that we’re getting a series titled The Falcon and The Winter Soldier tells us he hasn’t resolved those feeling just yet.

Skogland continued on to explain how the structure of the show allowed for her to find the moments in which the characters could live and breathe and struggle, which they do beautifully in the first episode.

KS: “There was that on the one level and on the other level was the nature and the depth of these characters that we were able to in a 6-hour space compared to…I call it the meal vs. the snack. 6 hours is the meal and the feature is now the snack. And there’s plenty of room for snacks but I love the meals because you don’t feel like you’ve got these time constraints where you’re trying to jam too much into too short a space and the characters can live and breathe. And you’re also not sweating the “I better wind this up” too quickly. You’re able to let it gestate and let us worry for the character or be with the character. I really looked for performance opportunities and found from the get go it was going to be a challenge for the actors to find those moments and the table was set for them to do their great work and they did.”

And the actors really did great work delivering on the promise of this extended opportunity to develop their characters, something you’ll all have a chance to see when the first episode streams one week from today!

March 12, 2021
New ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Clips Showcase Bucky and Sam’s Frenemies Dynamic

Early reviews are beginning to drop for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and it’s exciting to see the positive reactions pouring out. Today Marvel also dropped a couple of new clips from the Disney+ series, which shows the friendly, yet combative relationship between the two leads.

The first clip entitled “What’s the Plan?” clearly showcases that the two just don’t get along. The staring contest and Bucky’s protest over Sam calling him “Buck” make that point very clear. Bucky and Sam are going to have to build trust and friendship if they’re going to succeed in their mission and survive their series.

The second clip is titled “The Big Three” and is easily my favorite. As a huge Hobbit fan, I loved the reference, and the thought of young Bucky buying the J.R.R. Tolkien classic back in 1937. It makes you wonder if he perhaps let his buddy Steve borrow it to read after. That is just too perfect for me. Also, I’m loving Old-Man-gatekeeper-fan Bucky telling Sam he read it when it first came out. Tolkien burn, Sam!

The fun back and forth dynamic mixes well with the tension and distrust that Bucky probably feels after so many years of being used as a killing machine. When you combine that with Sam’s slightly annoying charm, as he attempts to befriend the Winter Soldier and bring him under his wing (pardon the pun), we have a very promising dynamic. It will be interesting to see how their relationship grows throughout the next Disney+ series by Marvel Studios.

March 12, 2021
Report: ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Episodes to Run 45 to 55

A new article from the New York Times on the upcoming Disney+ Marvel Studios series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, reports that the series of 6 episodes will all be 45 to 55 minutes in length.

“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” consisting of six 45-to-55-minute episodes to be rolled out weekly, offers timely explorations into the nature of patriotism and extremism and the values of inclusivity, diversity and representation, set in a world striving for stability after a global catastrophe.
NY Times

This is in some contrast with recent quotes from series star Anthony Mackie and Kevin Feige, with Mackie comparing the series to a 6 to 8-hour movie, and Feige correcting that slightly with a “not quite 8 hours.” One assumes the New York Times should have good sources, but as someone who wants as much of the new adventures of Bucky and Sam as possible, I hope it’s a bit more.

Source: NY Times, ScifiNow+

March 12, 2021
‘WandaVision’: White Vision’s Quest in the MCU

The much-anticipated finale of WandaVision provided us with a deep dive into Wanda’s grief. It was beautifully brought full circle to acceptance in her final scene with her Hex-created Vision. There have been some criticisms of the finale, which unfortunately did seem to suffer from cuts in plotlines for certain characters. That seemed to be mainly due to the production trying to finish up during a global pandemic while sticking to its premiere date on Disney+. However, I would like to tackle one criticism in regards to the White Vision’s behavior, which I will respectfully disagree with.

I don’t agree that it was wrong to have the White Vision just up and leave, and not join Wanda’s battle against Agatha Harkness. The main reason I feel it was the right choice, is that it was really Wanda’s battle to win or lose, not anyone else’s. WandaVision was centered around Wanda’s grief and her mourning. It was about how she handles or mishandles it, and so having someone swoop in to win the battle for her, or demand that she let those people go, or defeat her so that the people of Westview are freed, would have taken away from the overarching theme that the real “big bad” in this story was the profound grief she was feeling.

To “win” this very personal battle, especially in light of what she had done wrong as she’d processed her grief, it was incredibly important that Wanda herself decided to let this fantasy world go and at least try to move on with her life. A promise that she could have the kids or Vision with her in the end, would have undercut the bravery and strength it took for her to do the right thing finally. All this so she can let those people go.

As for White Vision’s sudden exit, it made sense to me that this cold and unemotional android would leave. Even if he consists of Vision’s original parts, he is not the Vision who we came to know and love during the WandaVision series. Yet he isn’t the Vision that we met in Avengers: Age of Ultron either. A sudden influx of memories from his life before Thanos led to an interesting change in his eye color. It went from a cold emotionless blue to the much warmer and human tint that reflected Paul Bettany‘s eyes rather than that of a machine. Even if memories and emotions transferred from the Hex Vision to his synthezoid psyche, it would certainly be a lot of “data” to process, even for him.

So, he took off, bursting through the glass of the library instead of phasing. It’s possible that the director just really liked the explosive and dramatic visual effects of this exit and that’s why. However, I think it’s also very plausible that Vision was distracted by these newly discovered memories and emotions – especially if you remember how the Vision has been distracted by thoughts of Wanda before, such as in Civil War, and Infinity War. My assumption when I watched the scene the first time is that White Vision simply needed to go somewhere to figure all of this out. Keep in mind, this exit and his status being unknown, leaves him in a really interesting place, full of potential for character exploration in the future. Here’s hoping this quote from the Hex Vision’s final scene is a hint that there is much more to come from Vision in whatever form.

I have been a voice with no body, a body but not human, and now a memory made real. Who knows what I may be next?

March 11, 2021