Hot on the heels of the mind-bending success of WandaVision comes the odd couple-styled action-adventure of Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier follows Sam Wilson after he was handed the mantle of Captain America and Bucky Barnes as they team up to fight the Flag-Smashers and Helmut Zemo.

Despite the seemingly straightforward premise of the series, there’s a lot more going on under the radar that promises to elevate this story.

THE SOKOVIA ACCORDS

Sharon Carter aka Agent 13 (played by Emily VanCamp) will also be appearing in the series. She has been on the run ever since her action in Captain America: Civil War.

It would appear that the Sokovia Accords have been reinstated after the events of Avengers: Endgame (maybe in response to WandaVision) and Sharon’s violation of the Accords in Civil War are still valid.

This would throw in an extra wrinkle for our heroes since Sam Wilson stood with Steve Rogers in opposition of the Accords and Bucky Barnes’ activities as the Winter Soldier caused Zemo to attack the UN meeting to ratify the Accords.

Unfortunately, that’s just one problem

THE US AGENT

In the series, the US government will pass the mantle of Captain America to their personally chosen pick, and…it seems he might be a problem.

John F. Walker (played by Wyatt Russell) is the moniker of a Marvel Comics character who was created to specifically replace Captain America when Steve Rogers was battling the politics around the mantle.

In the series, he is set to be more militaristic than Captain America with a stronger emphasis on upholding American values…even more than Steve did.

Given how Sam Wilson received the shield from the man himself and Bucky’s history with Hydra, John Walker is, more likely than not, going to have an adversarial relationship with the pair even as they take on the headlining villains.

WAR MACHINE

James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka War Machine (played by Don Cheadle) also has a part to play in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier but his involvement is unclear.

War Machine was a military veteran before taking on the heroic armor and was one of the original signatories of the Sokovia Accords. Given that history, he might be forced into a confrontation with his fellow Avengers to uphold the rule of law.

There is also a chance that, having witnessed the destruction wrought by Thanos after the Avengers had separated and the sacrifices that were made to restore the lives lost, Rhodes may be an ally to the titular heroes.

Or he could be just appearing in a smaller role like the Falcon did in Ant-Man.

Only time will tell how his story unfolds.

CONCLUSION

Early reactions to the pilot episode have been positive so far, increasing the hype that this another win for Marvel. Given everything going in the public eye and hidden behind the scenes, we can only hope that the promise lives up to the anticipation that has built up.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiers on the 19th of March 2021.