PUBLISHED ONMarch 15, 2021 10:42 AMByBryan LimIt's been over a week since WandaVision ended and our Friday afternoons are no longer the same.
Gone are the days when viewers discuss fan theories around the proverbial water-cooler as the wacky dramedy gets a little cuckoo for cocoa puffs with each episode.
However, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) hype train isn't slowing down anytime soon as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is slated to premiere on Disney+ this Friday (March 19). And if actor Anthony Mackie is to be believed, this show seems poised to fill the Hex-shaped void that WandaVision left in our hearts.
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Speaking to journalists over Zoom at the global press conference for the show earlier today (March 15), Anthony (who plays Sam Wilson/Falcon) expressed his thoughts on his character being one of the oldest surviving Avengers post-Endgame and boldly declared that "our show does not suck".
The 42-year-old said: "Our job was to take the torch and not make a bad show. And I'm very happy to say that Steve Rogers (Captain America) will be proud that our show does not suck... Our show does not suck and we are not the first crappy Marvel project.
"The next show has a problem because if it's bad, they're going to be the first crappy Marvel project in 20 years."
In response, co-star Sebastian Stan (who plays Bucky Barnes/Winter Solider) quipped: "What are you saying about Loki?" — the show about Thor's troubled stepbrother is the next entry in the MCU Disney+ lineup — but we're sure it's just some harmless ribbing.
(Although, the next entry in the MCU is technically supposed to be the Black Widow film which is scheduled to be released on April 29.)
The team behind The Falcon and The Winter Soldier — Kevin Feige (president of Marvel Studios), Kari Skogland (director), and Malcolm Spellman (headwriter) — were also present at the press con to tease what fans can expect from the show and the MCU.
Read on to find out other highlights from the press conference.
With the format of an episodic series, viewers will learn more about familiar characters from the movies and experience their stories. As Kevin put it, people don't really know much about Sam Wilson aside from the fact that he loves to run and is a guy with morals.
Anthony said: "To be able to go back and dive into his backstory, his family, and his surroundings, only better the character for the audience. We're in a place now where we want the audience to know and learn these new characters, especially since Kevin killed Iron Man."
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As for 38-year-old Sebastian, his character Winter Soldier really goes through a challenging period as he now finds himself dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and having to grapple with rediscovering his identity and beliefs.
"We're really finally kind of zooming in on [Bucky's] quest for identity, in terms of accepting his past, and sort of re-educating himself about the world that he's currently in, and the ideals and principles — that he might have lived by and were driven by at one point — that perhaps no longer really serve him the same way," said Sebastian.
He added separately: "As everybody knows, PTSD is not something that you're done with [in an instant]. It's really something that one has to continue to grow with and to become better at dealing with. Obviously, it's a major part of our show and it grounds both of these characters."
A familiar face makes an appearance in the first episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and many eager fans will want to know if we can expect more cameos. Of course, the appearance of Evan Peters as Pietro/Quicksilver in WandaVision comes to mind because it sent viewers into a frenzy.
When asked if there will be more Marvel cameos, Anthony deadpanned: "There are many surprises. Can't say who they all are but they are all very pleasant surprises."
Just because Marvel Studios is transitioning to the Disney+ streaming model to kickstart Phase 4 doesn't mean they're skimping on the big action sequences that we're used to. But don't just expect big explosions, laser beams, and lots of CGI effects.
This time, the team is getting more intimate and physical with their action choreography.
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Sebastian described it as "intense" and "even more evolved", while Anthony said: "The same stunt guys we worked with for the films are the same guys who choreographed and did all our stunts on the show.
"Because of that, the stunts are really amazing... Kari had a great idea [of] taking the weaponry away so it's more hand-to-hand combat, it's more physical."
If both Anthony and Sebastian have their way, perhaps we might see them pop up in future MCU projects — that's if Sebastian can identify his superheroes correctly.
The Romanian-American actor was teased when he couldn't name the superhero that Oscar Isaac has been tapped to play. When asked which new MCU characters they want to share screen time with, Sebastian said: "One character that sounds really cool to me is the character that Oscar Isaac's going to play. Is it Knight... Moon? No. Moon Knight!"
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As for Anthony, he really wants to "spend some time in Blade world" and it's something that he stressed to Kevin during the press conference.
He also joked that he wants a cameo on the upcoming She-Hulk series after he witnessed actress Joy Bryant (whom he mistakenly identified as fellow Marvel star Zoe Saldana) during the filming of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2.
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"I was a huge Tobey Maguire fan and I saw Zoe Saldana and she had one line, and she said 'It's Spider-Man!' I got on the phone with my agent and I was like, 'Damn it, I got to have one line in one of these movies.' So, Kevin, I want to be the Zoe Saldana of She-Hulk," he shared.
It might please fans in Singapore to know that Sebastian remembers his time on our little red dot when he came down for the Captain America Civil War press junket.
He said: "We love Singapore! I feel like we're sort of bummed that we can't be there right now in person. You guys welcomed us so well last time, we had a whole fireworks display on that bridge, and then going in that mall (Marina Bay Sands) and everybody turning up, and I can still hear the sounds of those fans even if I closed my eyes right now.
"So it's a bummer we're not there but the world seems to be crawling back [to normal] and hopefully we'll be there soon."
Leaving the best for the last, we may just have a piece of juicy spoiler, although we can't really be sure.
While talking about the focus of the story for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Kevin said that not everything in the MCU can be "world-shattering" to the point of "smashing the Earth in two and creating two planets".
"The end of this show does split the Earth in two, I forgot. Don't print that, that's a spoiler," he immediately added while shaking his head.
Well, considering that Kevin is a master of keeping secrets, we're going to take that 'spoiler' with a bucket of salt. Besides, we'll know the truth in six episodes.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier premieres on Disney+ this Friday (March 19) and remember to check our website on the same day to find out what we thought of the first episode.
bryanlim@asiaone.com
