“And that’s the show in a nutshell: a buddy comedy thrown in the middle of a high-stakes international thriller,” Sebastian Stan, who plays Winter Soldier in the highly-anticipated Disney Plus Hotstar Marvel Original series The Falcon and the Winter Solider, told the Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview.

Stan has put it so simply here, but there is a lot more behind this buddy-comedy façade that the two characters have put on — primarily, their friend, confidant and America’s superhero, Captain America, hanging up his boots. Avengers: Endgame strongly hinted that it would be Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson who would be taking the legacy forward from Chris Evans’ portrayal of the iconic character. But how are Bucky and Sam dealing with their grief, and with this huge shared responsibility?

In a recent cover interview with the Entertainment Weekly, the pair got talking about their crackling chemistry and what is in store for the fans with regard to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series.

As it turns out, it was their off-screen chemistry — the more introverted and reserved Sebastian and the fun, outdoorsy Mackie — that made everyone around them believe they would work well in a show together. And if the clips of the new MCU series is anything to go by, the makers were right.

On Tuesday, the makers released another one-minute video, giving us a glimpse into the kind of story we can expect from the show. In the new teaser, we see Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan going at each other in their usual fun, playful banter-like manner before they resume their ‘work.’

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has a big responsibility on its shoulders, and so does these two stars — of setting up the world in which our favourite superheroes now live in post the bittersweet end of Avengers: Endgame. This stepping stone is especially important for Mackie’s character, who now has to take on the mantle of being the next, and possibly a new version of Captain America — one that looks different of course, but also has a drastically different personality from Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. Sam Wilson likes to talk, and have fun while working, unlike the more reserved and apparently, more ‘mature’ Steve. So, what does this new hero of America will look and feel like?

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier writer Malcolm Spellman has an answer, “The idea of creating a series that features an African American superhero, and how he responded to that [moment], sparked a million ideas. It’s the thought ‘of exploring a decidedly Black, decidedly American hero in the current climate.’” And with the recent climate regarding race and the resumption of the Black Lives Matter movement, the show has a deeper meaning for its audience.

“It (the show) is very honest and forthright and very unapologetic about dealing with the truth of what it means to be American, Captain America, Black Captain America — and if that’s even a thing. I think picking up from where we left off at the end of Endgame, the show progresses extremely well by asking those questions and really explaining why Sam said the shield feels like it belongs to someone else,” Anthony Mackie added.

Well, whatever be the case, we are certainly in for a new kind of Marvel ‘small-screen’ ride.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will premiere on March 19 on Disney Plus Hotstar.