The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is set to embark on Sam and Bucky’s adventures after Steve Rogers, playing Captain America, decided to pass on his legacy to Sam, playing the Falcon. It makes perfect sense as to why Sam and Bucky are joining hands, considering they have a long history with Steve Rogers, and these two best friends to Steve Rogers are set to take the torch that is passed on by Steve. Marvel has put out toys and promotional content to offer a tease regarding the characters’ costumes. But what has been recently released is an actual look to their suit, which means their official look has now been put out on the table. The two characters are finally stepping out of Steve Roger’s shadow and will help usher in a new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney+. Mackie and Stan were originally scheduled to be the stars of the first MCU Disney+ series, but COVID-19 forced some delays.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will pick up with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) as they reluctantly team up once more for a new mission. Both characters are in a strange place at the start of the series, with Bucky searching for a way forward now that he’s free of Hydra’s mind control. As for Sam, he’s still grappling with the responsibility of becoming Captain America. The closing moments of the film revealed Steve, after returning all the Infinity Stones to the past, returned to the 1940s so he could live out a peaceful life with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). An elderly Steve reappeared in the present day and handed over his Cap shield to Sam, thus laying the stage for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Steve’s advanced age, plus a throwaway joke in Spider-Man: Far From Home, left fans wondering if he lived for much longer.
After all this time, audiences will finally get their answer. As part of Empire’s recent feature on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (via natalia), Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed the series will reveal Old Steve’s fate. It just might not be what people are expecting. “Yes. In a roundabout way,” Feige said. He added that, while Steve being alive is a “fair presumption,” it is “not necessarily the case.” Feige’s comments from elsewhere in the piece hint Steve might not be among the living anymore. He described Sam and Bucky as “two best friends of a mutual friend who’s not there anymore.” This, of course, puts the frenemies in a difficult position, since the person binding them together is apparently isn’t there. One could argue this just means Steve is living on his own away from Sam and Bucky, but it doesn’t quite appear to be the case.
Beyond Zemo and the Flag-Smashers, Sam and Bucky will also presumably contend with John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who becomes a kind of successor to Captain America after Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) retired in Avengers: Endgame. We still do not know much of the storyline as it is kept under the wraps, with the trailers keeping John Walker mostly hidden, but not completely as there are still some nods to it, including Sam standing in front of a banner honoring Steve.
It could also be said that the world believes Steve to be gone while his friends know he simply went to the past and got old. There are several theories about Steve and his fate, but only one will prove to be correct. It’s unclear how far into The Falcon and the Winter Soldier it will be revealed, but it might have to be early on if only to answer what might be the biggest question on people’s minds. It all begins later this week.
In the Disney+ series, we will see not only Falcon and Winter Soldier be the candidates for holding Captain America’s mantle, but will also feature the debut of a US Agent, being played by Wyatt Russell. Fans have only gotten a glimpse of Russells’ US Agent look in the first trailer for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. But the photos from sets and videos show the US Agent delivering embarrassing beatdowns to his opponents. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities — and their patience — in Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
