Since the beginning of 2021, Marvel studios has captured fans with the new television additions to the Marvel universe. In their thrilling new mini series, Marvel had fans heavily anticipating the weekly The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episodes.
After the implied death of Steve Rogers in episode one, the rest of the series focuses on the personal struggles of Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, and Sam Wilson, Falcon, after the blip. It begins with a passing of the Captain America mantle, and the “new” Captain America and Bucky, John Walker and Lamar Hoskins, respectively.
While the T.V. shows can carry the same thematic elements as the movies, they are able to delve deeper into the personal struggles of each character. For example, Bucky Barnes, played by Sebastian Stan, struggles with PTSD as a result of his days as the Winter Soldier. Given his previous identity, Bucky doesn’t have a pristine record and throughout the show attempts to amend those broken relationships.
Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie, also faces a greater issue with the continual fight of racial inequality and giving up the fight regarding the Captain America shield. When he realizes that he has thrown out all the work and struggles black people in America have done and overcome before him, it motivates him to embrace the role of Captain America and continue the fight for racial equality everywhere. Anthony Mackie, in an interview with USA Today, said, “It was the training scene with Bucky, when they were throwing the shield. America struggles with acknowledgement, specifically acknowledgement for Black Americans and their contributions to what this country has become. That was the huge turning point for Sam. It was a cathartic experience, and his ability to release that pain and frustration in that moment turned that character completely on his head and moved him in the direction of accepting the idea of being Captain America.”
As opposed to WandaVision, released just a few months prior, Falcon and the Winter Soldier is structured more closely with a Marvel movie. However, because the show is split into episodes, the writers were able to dive deeper into side stories of these already popular characters which were often cut from movies to save time.
WandaVision was a more character-based story, based around Wanda Maximoff or Scarlet Witch.WandaVision, a sitcom format with very defined episodes, was seen more as a weekly episode tv show. This style, as opposed to the usual look of a Marvel movie, was effective because we got to go deeper into a character with less of a dark undertone.
As Marvel has moved into the world of television, they have also opened up the opportunity to be able to tell stories that in the past haven’t been “movie worthy”. Loki, brother to God of thunder Thor, has side stories and back stories, which many viewers are curious about, as well as Hawkeye who is often not as popularly recognized for a big screen movie. The Marvel cinematic universe is expanding into television and fans are ecstatic to see more of their favorite characters.
From the moment the show starts it is action packed, fast paced, and left me excited for the next episode. It is definitely worth the watch especially for those who love comedy, heartfelt moments, and action shows. In an interview with George Lawrence of the Collider magazine, Sebastian Stan said, “And again, our tone is very different because we were in the tone of the movies, and it’s a much more grounded way. But again, now we’re developing this sort of buddy comedy aspect to these guys. There’s comedy to this Winter Soldier character that never was there before.”
Addison Rohr, Staff Reporter
