Marvel: Every MCU Disney+ show ranked by anticipation
By Mike McNulty
9. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Feige described this series as a “Marvel Studios movie played out over six episodes,” and based on the first trailer, that looks to be an accurate description. The action and special effects certainly look top notch, and the camaraderie and comedic timing between Anthony Mackie’s Falcon and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes is excellent.
It also sees the return of Daniel Brühl as Baron Zemo – arguably one of the better, if also underrated, villains of the MCU. It also will, apparently, tie into the upcoming Black Widow movie, with an appearance by Florence Pugh as the new Black Widow.
However, there’s already several things working against this series’ favor. Compared to some of Disney+’s other MCU offerings, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier looks a little generic. Also, at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Sam inherited the legacy of Captain America with Steve Rogers’ (Chris Evans) blessing. But instead of Sam being the new Cap, the costume and shield have gone to John Walker. a.k.a U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell) because “it’s complicated.” All that accomplishes is delaying the inevitable at best, and cheapening the ending of Endgame at worst.
In that same vein, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier looks like Captain America 4 without Steve Rogers. Granted, there’s legitimate reasons for why Chris Evans retired from the role that put his star on the map. Even so, he’s the reason Cap became a hit with audiences. Without an appearance from him, even as a cameo, audiences may be less interested. Just ask the Jason Bourne movie franchise what happens when you have a Jason Bourne movie without Matt Damon.