‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: How Many Episodes Will the MCU Series Be?

Another Marvel Cinematic Universe entry is headed fans’ way in March 2021. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier promises to be along the lines of standard Marvel movie fare but divided into multiple installments as a Disney+ TV series. What is The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s release date, and how many episodes will it be?

Marvel announced its first MCU series in 2019

Marvel TV shows aren’t new. A slew of interconnected series aired on Netflix featuring heroes like Jessica Jones and Daredevil. Additionally, ABC (owned by Disney, which also owns Marvel) aired shows such as Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter. Other Marvel series on Disney-owned platforms include Freeform’s Cloak and Dagger and Hulu’s Runaways.

But aside from the ABC programs, none of these have included characters from the big screen. That is, until 2019, when Marvel President Kevin Feige announced several upcoming series set to debut on Disney+. The first four of these — WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye — star fan-favorite movie heroes.

What is ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ release date? 

At the Comic-Con panel, Feige shared release “seasons” for each series. First up? The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, release date sometime in Fall 2020. But the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic impeded production on the show, pushing the schedule back. And fortunately, it’s almost here.

The series follows Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson (Falcon) and the Winter Soldier himself, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Fans saw the two actors getting along on-screen in the Captain America films, as well as off-screen during their many press tours together. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier release date is March 23, 2021 (for the first episode).

The first MCU series ‘WandaVision,’ has 9 episodes

Originally, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier preceded WandaVision to the small screen. However, filming for the latter series ended first, and, due to it leading into the upcoming movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Marvel needed to get it out as soon as possible.

WandaVision premiered in January 2021. The series (currently planned as a one-off miniseries) follows the titular heroes, Wanda Maximoff and Vision, as they live a picturesque sitcom life. But all isn’t as it seems. The ninth episode of WandaVision airs on March 5, 2021, concluding Disney+’s first MCU series.

How many episodes will ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ be?

Every TV show is different. But WandaVision’s nine-episode length surprised some as relatively short. Most episodes have been approximately 30 minutes, but the last ones are shaping up to be longer. So when The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s six-episode order was revealed, Feige explained.

“Six hours is what we landed on as the best way to tell our story,” said Feige the 2021 TCAs (via Deadline). “Six hours, whether it’s six episodes, or nine shorter episodes like WandaVision.” In other words, expect The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episodes to run about 60 minutes each for a more movie-like feel.