Marvel May - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

          Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, we're at the end of Marvel May, so let's discuss The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 

          Released between March and April of 2021 on Disney+, this miniseries picks up with Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Sam has chosen not to accept the mantle of Captain America, as he knew the American government wouldn't accept him as the new Captain America due to his ethnicity. Meanwhile, Bucky Barnes is working to make amends for his past as an assassin for HYDRA, and is upset with Sam for giving up the mantle that Steve Rogers entrusted to him. Meanwhile, a mysterious terrorist group called the Flag Smashers, led by a woman named Karli Morgenthau, crops up and are working to return the world to the way it was during the five years that half the population was wiped from existence because of Thanos. Meanwhile, the US government chooses US Army soldier John Walker to take over the mantle of Captain America, and Walker works with his friend Lemar Hoskins,  who has taken the mantle of Battlestar, but dies in a fight against the Flag Smashers. 

          So Sam and Bucky team up and work together to stop Karli and the Flag Smashers, all while working both with and against Walker, and teaming up with the likes of Helmut Zemo, who is revealed in this series to be a Baron from the Sokovian Royal Family, as well as Sharon Carter, who has been on the run and hiding out in a scummy city called Madripoor since the events of Captain America: Civil War. Meanwhile, Ayo of the Dora Milaje shows up from Wakanda to assist Bucky and bring Zemo to justice for his past crime of killing T'Chaka. After several misadventures across the globe, Zemo is captured by the Dora Milaje and taken to the Raft, while Sam and Bucky recover the shield from Walker, who is stripped of the Captain America mantle by the government. Walker is later approached by the Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who offers him a second chance. 

         So, Sam, equipped with a new suit from the Wakandans, works with Bucky to stop Karli and the Flag Smashers, who have teamed up with Georges Batroc. Walker, equipped with a custom shield, joins the fight as well, and the Flag Smashers are defeated. Sam accepts his new role as Captain America, while Sharon is pardoned and given back her job at the CIA. Unfortunately, Sharon has gone bad, and now intends to pawn off government secrets as the Broker. Meanwhile, Contessa de Fontaine gives Walker a new suit and a new mantle: US Agent. Sam honors a Korean War vet, and member of the Super Soldier program, named Isaiah Bradley by placing a statue of him in the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian. 

        This series felt like an extra-long Marvel Cinematic Universe film cut up into six episodes. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan were both excellent as Sam and Bucky, and the banter between the two was priceless. Wyatt Russell was decent as John Walker, as we're Cle Bennett as Hoskins and Erin Kellyman as Karli. The returns of Emily VanCamp, Daniel Bruhl, and Georges St-Pierre as Sharon, Zemo, and Batroc were excellent, and I enjoyed getting to see more from these characters than were seen in the movies. I also enjoyed the appearances of Don Cheadle as Rhodey and Florence Kasumba as Ayo. But the biggest surprise came from Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa de Fontaine. I really enjoyed the show Seinfeld when I was a kid, and I think it's great to see Elaine from Seinfeld in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

        I also loved the costume design, from John Walker's Captain America outfit, and later his US Agent outfit, as well as the Captain America outfit Sam is given by the Wakandans. Sam's Captain America outfit looked fresh out of the comics, which was really cool. 

       There is also a lot of action in this series, and the aesthetic of the series felt very much like a political thriller, with a lot of unique twists and turns. Unfortunately, the series did fall a bit short when compared to WandaVision, which had a lot of memorable moments and callbacks to classic sitcoms, and thus could be enjoyed by viewers who weren't necessarily Marvel fans. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, however, is for MCU fans through and through. I give it a rating of 4.9/5. Now, what's really exciting about this is that we will be getting a fourth Captain America movie, with Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson in the lead role as Captain America.

       This is Chuck signing off, and thanks for tuning in for Marvel May. It's been a truly hectic month for me, and it's great we've reached the end. Going forward, Marvel May will no longer focus on Marvel films that are part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, film series produced outside of the MCU, like Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire, Blade with Wesley Snipes, Ghost Rider with Nicolas Cage, and Fantastic Four with Ioan Gruffudd and Jessica Alba are all fair game for Marvel May going forward. As for new films and Disney+ series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, those I'll be discussing as they are released. So, future MCU films will be reviewed after I've seen them, and Disney+ MCU series will be reviewed once a season has concluded.

          Anyway, this is Chuck signing off, and join me on Friday as I review the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. 


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