Falcon and the Winter Soldier release date, trailer, cast, plot of the Disney+ show
Here's all you need to know about the action-packed Marvel show.
This article was originally published on May 21, 2019 and will no longer be updated. For all the latest updates on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, check out this article instead.
Heavy is the head that wields the shield. In the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, a new Captain America stands tall in the live-action Marvel series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and streaming on Disney+.
In the series, two of Captain America's most trusted allies — one from his younger days in 1940s Brooklyn, the other from his early days as an Avenger — reluctantly team up to combat a new threat known as the “Flag Smashers.” Along the way, they run into several familiar faces, both friends (Sharon Carter) and enemies (Baron Zemo).
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, two frenemies must work together to defeat a mysterious threat.
Originally slated to premiere August 2020 as the first Marvel series on Disney+, European production on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was delayed in March in observance of early COVID-19 protocols. Eventually, the shutdowns caused Marvel to reshuffle its schedule to release the trippy series WandaVision first and Falcon and the Winter Soldier second.
Here’s everything we know about the Marvel Disney+ series.
When was the release date of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiered on March 19, 2021 on Disney+. The series aired approximately two weeks after the final episode of WandaVision in early March.
Anthony Mackie co-stars in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as Sam Wilson/The Falcon, who is gifted the title of Captain America but struggles to live up to its expectations.
How many episodes did the Disney+ series have?
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier contained six episodes, each approximately an hour long.
What is the plot and story of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, set after 2019's Avengers: Endgame, is about two Marvel superheroes, namesakes Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), as they team up on a globe-trotting thriller to take down an old enemy, Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl).
At the end of Endgame, an aged Steve Rogers gifted his friend Sam Wilson, a.k.a. the Falcon, Captain America's shield. But the U.S. government does not appear to recognize Sam as the new Captain America and instead creates a new hero, U.S. Agent, to take Cap's place. Much of the series details Sam's rise as the new, and true, Captain America.
Here is the official (and rather vague) plot synopsis from Marvel Studios:
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities—and their patience.
Sebastian Stan returns to the MCU in The Falcon and the Winter soldier as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, a former World War II veteran turned Hydra assassin who was rehabilitated in Wakanda.
Who starred in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?
The cast of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier includes several returning Marvel franchise veterans, as well as a few newcomers. The cast of the series is below:
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/The Falcon, a close friend and ally of Captain America who was made an Avenger in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. After 2016's Captain America: Civil War, the Falcon stuck by Captain America as Cap went rogue, where they resurfaced in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. Falcon vanished in "The Blip" but returned at the end of Avengers: Endgame, along with an army to help Captain America defeat Thanos.
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, another close friend of Steve Rogers who Hydra brainwashed after his supposed death in World War II. In 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Bucky returned as a foe of Captain America until he broke free of Hydra's control. In 2016's Captain America: Civil War, Bucky was accidentally at the center of the rift that split the Avengers apart. In that film's post-credits scene, he was revealed to be under custody of Wakanda. He was fully rehabilitated and fought with the Avengers in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
- Daniel Brühl as Baron Helmut Zemo. Retooled from the comics, Baron Zemo was a Sokovian colonel who lost his family to the Avengers' collateral damage in Avengers: Age of Ultron. In Captain America: Civil War, Zemo succeeded in his revenge by tearing the Avengers apart. Now freed from imprisonment, Zemo takes up a new mission.
- Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, the niece of S.H.I.E.L.D. co-founder Peggy Carter. She first appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as an undercover agent monitoring Steve Rogers. She developed a (rather problematic, however minor) romantic relationship with Steve.
- Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, a government-sanctioned replacement for Captain America.
- Erin Kellyman (Solo: A Star Wars Story) as Karli Morgenthau, the leader of the anti-patriotism group known as the "Flag Smashers."
- Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, an Air Force lieutenant who serves as Sam’s support staff while he’s working military jobs.
- Adepero Oduye as Sarah Wilson, Sam’s beleaguered sister who runs the family fishing business in Louisiana.
- Florence Kasumba as Ayo, a member of the Dora Milaje, Wakanda's all-female special forces.
Emily VanCamp returns to the MCU as Sharon Carter in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Other cast members of the show include former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre reprising his role of Batroc from Captain America: The Winter Soldier; Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, one of the original super soldiers whose past has been obscured; Clé Bennett as Lemar Hoskins/Battlestar, Walker’s partner; Desmond Chiam as Dovich, one of the Flag Smashers; and Amy Aquino as Christina Raynor, Bucky’s therapist.
Is there a trailer for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?
Yes, there is! During Super Bowl LV, an official, full trailer for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiered online. You can watch it in the embed below.
In December 2020, during Disney's Investor Day presentation, a "first look" trailer gave MCU fans their first real glimpse at The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
In January 2020, Marvel Studios released a "Big Game" spot for three shows — The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and Loki — back when all three were scheduled to premiere in late 2020/early 2021 until the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the schedule.
Will there be a Season 2 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?
After the finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Marvel shocked fans worldwide when they revealed a fourth Captain America movie is in the works. It’s being worked on by TFATWS showrunner Malcolm Spellman and will assumingly spotlight Sam’s newly-designated role as Cap. Therefore, it’s safe to say that if a Season 2 were ever to happen, it would not occur until after this newly-announced film was released.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is now available to stream on Disney+.
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