By Jessica Collins
On March 19, the first episode of Marvel Studio’s new mini-series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” called “New World Order,” premiered on Disney+. This is the second mini-series to air on Disney+, after the hit “WandaVision.”
This series follows the events of “the Blip,” approximately six months after. This episode follows Sam Wilson, also known as “The Falcon,” and Bucky Barnes, formerly known as “The Winter Soldier,” separately as of right now.
“It’s a clever change of pace for the direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” fan Andrew Parslow said.
The episode starts with Wilson working with the United States Air Force and is fighting against terrorist Georges Batroc, played by MMA star Georges St. Pierre, who reprised his role from “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014). This also introduces us to the character of Joaquin Torres, played by Danny Ramirez, a first lieutenant of the Air Force, and Wilson’s friend. He is also the main investigator of the “Flag-Smashers,” a terrorist group that we will see more of over the next five episodes.
Wilson has a hard time accepting the mantle of “Captain America,” since in “Endgame,” the original Cap, Steve Rodgers, played by Chris Evans, passed the iconic shield onto The Falcon. The show also introduces us to his sister, and other family members, giving us a deeper look into his life than we’ve seen before.
We also shift to Bucky, who is seen trying to “make amends” from his past actions as he was under mind control as The Winter Soldier. Specifically, he tries to apologize for killing a young tourist named RJ and attempts to make amends with Yori, his father, who has not had an explanation for RJ’s death, but Barnes cannot bring himself to do it. We also see Barnes in his government-mandated therapy and see how he is dealing with his PTSD.
“You get to see what really holds down Sam and Bucky and how they cope with personal demons,” Parslow said. “Bucky and his PTSD and Sam with his struggle of accepting the mantle of ‘Captain America.’”
We also got to see the “new” Captain America, introduced by the government as a symbol of hope. In the credits, this was seen to be John Walker, played by Wyatt Russell. John Walker is also known as U.S. Agent in the comics, but also as Super-Patriot and Captain America at points in the comics.
Overall, fans are excited to see what is next for the series and how it will affect the MCU and its future. While there probably won’t be nearly as many theories and cliffhangers as “WandaVision,” because we aren’t (as of writing this) dealing with a multiverse and magical characters. It will be interesting to see how Marvel Studios connects this series to the future of the MCU.
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