Marvel fans were treated this past Sunday with not just a new Black Widow trailer, but also with a teaser for the three upcoming Disney+ exclusive TV series connected to the MCU. The first of these to air will be The Falcon and the Winter Soldier starring Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie in fall 2020.
The official synopsis was also released by Marvel Studios and reads as follows:
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.
Some things fans were already speculating about before the release of the teaser have been confirmed in the few seconds of footage we saw on Sunday.
Is Sam Wilson/Falcon taking over as Captain America?
The teaser opens with Sam practicing throwing the iconic shield Steve Rogers passed on to him at the end of Avengers: Endgame. We see Sam struggling, but we also see him getting back up and throwing it again, which demonstrates the mentality fans associate with the title and character of Captain America.
We do however also see Sam in his Falcon costume without any significant changes like a star symbol or the Captain America colors, suggesting that there might be look back into Sam’s past or that there are still some struggles with actually obtaining the title for him.
Bucky Barnes will face Zemo
Bucky Barnes, with a new look, faces Helmut Zemo (played by Daniel Brühl), whom he first met in Captain America: Civil War. We see Bucky pointing a gun in one shot, but bullets falling in another one, which could suggest that Bucky Barnes is indeed not intending to kill anymore, or that Zemo will play another, maybe even a collaborative role in the show. In the movie, Zemo has a background in the military and intelligence, while in the comics there is a character Baron Zemo (more of a title than a single character) who is often shown with a mask. There have been images of Brühl in a purple mask suggesting a possible allusion to the Baron character, so this will hopefully be a path which will be explored in the show.
U.S. Agent/John Walker introduction
The second time the Captain America shield appears in the teaser, it is not in the hand of Sam Wilson, but seemingly held by someone else. While we never see the character’s face, this ties into the speculation that the show will introduce John Walker (played by Wyatt Russell) also known as U.S. Agent. In one story line in the comics, the government selects Walker as the new Captain, although he visibly struggles with the role. The question after this teaser is whether Sam gives up the shield voluntarily or whether there will be a conflict between Bucky, Sam and the government as far as Steve Rogers’ legacy is concerned.
What the teaser sadly didn’t show is Emily VanCamp’s return as Sharon Carter, but Marvel has already announced that the first full trailer for the show can be expected in June, where we will hopefully see more of her and the other characters. The teaser, however, already has fans all over the world excited to see more of their favorite characters in action and has made us all even more anxious to see what the final result will look like.