The latest Marvel Studios creation will be arriving on Disney Plus very soon! To amp up the release of the upcoming “buddy show,” The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the stars and creators of the series attended a virtual premiere event.
This event was open to all Marvel fans and streamed to the Entertainment Weekly website, social media pages, and official Marvel ones. Hosting the event was EW’s social director Chanelle Berlin Johnson and Marvel podcast host, Angelique Roche.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier launch party featured the actors behind the show’s title characters, Anthony Mackie, who plays Sam Wilson/Falcon, and Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier.
Also making an appearance were actors Emily VanCamp (returning as Sharon Carter), Daniel Bruhl (returning as Baron Zemo), and Wyatt Russell (plays John Walker). Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, executive producer Nate Moore, and co-executive producer Zoie Nagelhout were also in attendance.
Show creators give insight into what to expect
The launch event took place at an Air Force Base in California and had an audience of socially distant members from the Space and Missile Systems Center.
While the two hosts appeared on opposite sides of the stage, the special guests appeared virtually on a large screen.
Feige, Moore, and Nagelhout were the first to field the questions. They said the series was created to give a cinematic feel and is packed with many high-action sequences.
When Feige was asked how this upcoming series will take fans by surprise, he shared, “What’s fun about the MCU is what’s fun about Marvel comics — surprise is right at the heart of everything Marvel has been doing for years and everything we’re trying to do with the movies.”
He added, “And now, with these Disney Plus series, they are meant to unfold as a week-to-week adventure where you’re not quite sure what’s going to happen each episode, and each episode taking you, I hope, to a surprising and unexpected place.”
They certainly achieved that level of surprise with the twists and turns thrown the audience’s way during the weekly premiere of WandaVision episodes.
It’ll be exciting to see how that same energy and suspense will be transferred to a series that’s more aligned with this new storyline.
Before the creators left to make room for the cast, they were asked to share what they’re most excited to explore in the new series. Executive producer Nate Moore began and shared that he’s most excited to dig more into Sam Wilson’s past.
Moore expressed, “When we met him in Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers just plunked him off the streets but there’s so much more to that character that we didn’t get to explore in the films that we finally get to now.”
Co-executive producer Nagelhout went next and echoed similar sentiments.
She explained that she is excited about the opportunity given to “redefine characters,” citing characters like Bucky Barnes and Sharon Carter, whose past and futures have yet to be spelled out.
Lastly, Feige shared he’s most excited about the “size and scope of the action of the series.” He compared it to the previous movies Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.
Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie arrive
The show’s title actors were the first of the cast to appear at the launch event. Mackie and Stan continued their friendly and high-energy dynamics with Stan saying that “working with Anthony is sort of like getting into a car without a brake.”
He went into more details and shared, “that’s sort of the energy of the characters.”
After being asked about Sam Wilson’s new story arc, Mackie shared that the series will pick-up post-blip, and “Sam is really worried about how he fits back into society after being gone for five years.”
The two took a few pre-recorded fan questions before being joined by their co-stars Emily VanCamp, Daniel Bruhl, and Wyatt Russell. For Russell, this was a stand-out moment as the new series will mark his Marvel debut.
When asked about his reaction to getting cast in the show, Russell expressed comments similar to what newcomer Teyonah Parris shared in Assemble: Making of Wandavision.
Russell said, “It was awesome, cool, and ‘Who am I playing?’”
Host Roche tried to dig a little deeper by asking him what he’s allowed to share with fans about his new character, but Russell wasn’t confident about what to say.
He said, “It was a blast filming with everybody, and they’re great people.”
They’re clearly a humorous bunch. In a later question, the cast went back and forth over who is the funniest on-set. While Stan wanted to point towards Mackie, Mackie credited Bruhl and said he could “laugh at him all day.”
The launch party was a major success and it avoided the hiccups seen during the WandaVision event — thankfully, there was no crashing this time. It also had the benefit of being able to take place partially in-person.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will premiere March 19 on Disney Plus.