Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are not really friends or partners – they are more like coworkers – but the dynamic duo is about to embark on their most intimate journey so far. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, opening Friday, March 19 at Disney +, will see the superhero duo look inside while facing a new threat that sends them all over the world.
In the wake of the events of Avengers: Endgame, in which Steve Rogers handed Sam the cap shield, Sam (played by Anthony Mackie) has to decide whether to take on Captain America’s mantle or not. It’s a tough choice to make, one that will make the winged hero question what it means to be a Black superhero in a post-Rogers world eager for someone new to come forward and fill the void.
For lead writer Malcolm Spellman, who also served as executive producer on all six episodes, the Marvel series is an opportunity for fans to get to know the Air Force veteran at a deeper level.
“There is a long legacy of black people that comes from [the same stock as Sam], and that informs your worldview, ”Spellman told TVLine. “When you see these unique scenes that he has facing these villains, and you see him respond in a way that is not typical of a superhero, the audience will now have a deeper understanding of how, because they spent time in their personal life. We steal a lot [Anthony Mackie’s] personal life for Sam. “
The Disney + series will also explore what life is like for Bucky (played by Sebastian Stan), who really doesn’t have his longtime friend to support himself and is struggling with the trauma of being a brainwashed killer forced to kill for decades .
“Bucky appeared with more baggage than any hero in Marvel history, and we took all that baggage and distilled it into a single plot and a single character that he’s dealing with,” explains Spellman. “If he fails, he is the monster he fears to be. And if he succeeds, he is reborn as someone who can truly be worthy of the shield and praise that Steve used to receive, and becomes a hero in his own right. Because in Bucky’s mind, he was never a hero. “
Stan adds that “Bucky will have to come out of his shell and learn to accept the past, move on and get to know the world as it is. Who else could present it better than Sam Wilson? “
Bucky and Sam are polar opposites that don’t get along exactly – Bucky is a somewhat taciturn centenary, while Sam is a man of that time – but they still share some threads in common, such as their friendship with Steve Rogers. According to Mackie, they are also intelligent men with the common sense to keep up with the changing times.
“Both characters, coming from where they came from and being the men they are, realize that the world has changed and evolved,” says Mackie. “Blip has put us in a position where we are no longer accessible to the way of thinking before. That’s what Thanos gave us. Both characters are smart enough to know that the future is different, and they’ve always been progressive enough to see that and move on with [it]. “
Stan expects fans to get to know Falcon and the Winter Soldier much better than they ever could in the captain America and Avengers movies and “spending a day in the life of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes like we’ve never seen … This actually turns out to be much more identifiable than all those epic moments when you met them in the movies”