‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: 1 Shot From the Trailer Sparks a Heartbreaking ‘Spider-Man’ Callback

Now that WandaVision has shown that the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s television universe can work on the small-screen in ways that previous attempts did not, fans are excited to see where Falcon and the Winter Soldier will take them in March. While fans are excited for many reasons, many are excited the titular pair exist outside of Captain America’s storyline. However, some fans are worried that it may fall into the same traps.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s release was delayed

Falcon and The Winter Soldier, played by Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, have, up until now, been mostly seen through Captain America’s point of view. After all, Sam, who was just out jogging when he first ran into Steve Rogers, never signed up for this. On the other side, the Winter Soldier was Rogers’ old war friend, Bucky, during World War II. Like Rogers, he eventually became a supersoldier, too.

Since then, Falcon has fought by Rogers’ side, while Bucky has been the hero, the villain, and the harbinger of a civil war. Neither has fleshed out as a character despite several appearances. However, when the series finally premieres in March, as suggested by Games Radar, fans will finally get to see the two thrive after their final meet-up with an elderly Rogers in Endgame. With Falcon boasting the shield and Bucky on his own, the series hopes to capture the same magic that WandaVision has among its audiences. 

Mentors are all over the MCU

The MCU is now about dozens of characters from all walks of life. From science experiments gone awry to Norse gods and wealthy people in suits, there’s a little bit of something for everyone. However, nearly every character in the universe has some sort of mentor they are living under. For Thor, it was his father, Odin. For Gamora, it was Thanos. For Captain America, it was his officers in the military, Nick Fury, the other Avengers, and, in many ways, Peggy Carter. 

The best example of this relationship within the universe, however, is through Iron Man and Spider-Man. Tony Stark began his superhero career with some help in a makeshift prison. Still, he’s mainly on his own during the first Iron Man movie. However, when he defeated his enemies, and the credits started to roll, he met Nick Fury, and the MCU was officially a go.

However, despite some help and mentorship from Fury, Stark continued to operate as a lone wolf until he met Peter Parker in Civil War. This meeting kicked off a friendship that defined him for the rest of his life. While Stark served as a laudable mentor, however, many fans saw it as a detriment to Parker’s arc. Stark designed the suits and told him where to go until he died in Endgame. Furthermore, in Far From Home, which took place after Stark’s death, his shadow still covered Parker’s story in the immediate aftermath of the last event. 

Falcon and the Winter Soldier might not be directly related to Spider-Man despite the shared universe in which their paths have crossed. Still, many fans wonder if the Spider-Man dynamic will either hurt or help the titular characters escape Captain America’s shadow in ways that Spider-Man is yet to do.

Will Bucky and Sam learn from Peter Parker? 

Fans on Reddit are excited to see where the journey is going to lead them. However, they also want to see the characters thrive away from Captain America and the Avengers. In a trailer shown during the Super Bowl, Falcon is shown with Captain America’s picture gazing over his shoulder via a billboard or advertisement. This alludes to a situation that mirrors Parkers. 

As one Reddit fan humorously pointed out, it shines a light on the fluke way Sam met Steve and shows the absurdity of where it’s gotten him. “And to think,” the user wrote, “Once upon [a time] Sam was like, ‘I’ll go jogging today,’ and then he meets Captain America. Then Cap needs counseling, so he comes by, and Sam thinks, ‘Hey, I get to help a living legend.’ A few days later, Cap and Black Widow show up at his window and, ‘Wow, guess I’m saving the world from a secret conspiracy, I was gonna make breakfast.’ And so on and so on, until he’s stabbing space rhinos in a battle to save literally everything. Dude was just trying to get some cardio and impress a receptionist.”

However, while this was mostly a joke, another fan pointed out how the series can help the pair escape from their friend’s shadow. Steve Rogers was still alive at the end of Endgame but appeared to be an older man without the powers they knew him for. Now, the pair has to see what they can do without him.

“Like Peter is/was haunted by Tony’s shadow, Sam and Bucky will be with Steve,” the user wrote. “This is why sometimes characters need to move on to let others grow.” Fans can find out precisely what happens when the show premieres in March 2021. Until then, they can only hope that, like the characters inside the MCU, the creators will learn from the past and make it something special.