Just weeks before its release, Marvel has dropped a new trailer for the upcoming The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series.
This comes alongside the confirmation that the show’s first season will only be six episodes instead of the expected 10.
Honor
Titled Honor, the 30-second trailer emphasizes the series’ action.
It showcases Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) taking turns wielding Captain America’s iconic shield.
The pair are seen in Madripoor, an Asian city which in Marvel Comics lore, is home to seedy criminal activity and often used for adventures involving the X-Men.
Also spotted is Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl), the terrorist behind the events of Civil War. Notably, Zemo now wears a purple mask and coat to match his original appearance in the comics.
Another scene has Falcon utilizing not Captain America’s shield but a special fold-out shield of his own in a gunfight. However, Sam is shown slinging the classic shield in a fight.
The trailer repeats a shot of a figure in a Captain America costume that is decidedly not Sam. This may be John Walker (Wyatt Russell) who briefly took on the Captain America name in the comics.
The trailer’s theme emphasizes “honor the legacy” and how The Falcon is meant to follow Steve Rogers’ wish to become the new Captain America.
Lengths
Speaking at the TCA event, MCU chief Kevin Feige confirmed that the length of the series will be six episodes, each running 40-50 minutes rather than the expected nine or 10 half-hour episodes.
In contrast, Wandavision episodes have generally run roughly 30 minutes, although rumors the final two episodes may end up being much longer.
Feige has stated that while there were hopes to make the series longer, it came down to a combination of budget issues and the delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan are spectacular actors which we felt we had to explore their stories and their backstories, or personal stories, enough as Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. So it was always the thought we’d like to learn more about both of them. In the little interactions, they had with each other in Winter Soldier and Civil War … as friends of a mutual best friend in Captain America. We thought we’d have a fun dynamic, if we ever had that opportunity, we’d watch a whole show with the two of them and Disney+ gives us that opportunity…..Six hours is what we landed on as the best way to tell our story. Six hours, whether it’s six episodes or nine shorter episodes like WandaVision. The shows aren’t inexpensive, so the per-episode cost is very high and to get that bar I was talking about.”
While the exact number is unknown, Mackie has stated the budget is “in the hundreds of millions of dollars.” This would have been a key consideration in how many episodes the series could film.
Critics at the TCA were treated to 15 minutes of footage from the show. One scene was The Falcon in a high-flying chase, while another had Bucky in therapy struggling with his dark actions as the Winter Soldier. Reviews for the scenes were very positive, which bodes well for the series.
The MCU legacy
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier adds to the MCU’s growing presence on Disney+.
The Loki series will debut June 11, and production is about to begin on the She-Hulk and Moon Knight series. Filming is also underway for the Hawkeye series with Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld.
There is also the animated “What If?” series. Other announced shows will focus on Ironheart and Ms. Marvel.
This new addition to the MCU is needed, given it’s still unsure whether Black Widow (which was meant to kick off Phase 4 in 2020) will meet its planned May 7 release. Marvel will thus need these shows to keep the MCU interest alive.
Between the trailer and strong reviews, it appears that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is ready to take flight and keep the MCU going strong.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier debuts on Disney+ on March 19.