WandaVision was a disappointment. Instead of Wanda and Vision getting a show of their own, they instead spent most of their time parodying other TV shows... then ended up being nothing more than a prelude to another character's movie. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. The idea of the Marvel shows on Disney+ is that they are feature-film quality projects which have the time to dig deeper into the characters in a way that movies don't have time to do.

Enter The Falcon and The Winter Soldier...

I'm just going to get this out of the way... Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan are absolute gold. Ridiculously talented actors who know how to inhabit their roles and sell their characters. There's not a moment that they're on screen that they're not wowing you... whether it's in terrific action sequences or much quieter moments.

The story revolves around the past charting the future, and how Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes let their pasts hold them back while trying to move forward. And there's also the legacy of Captain America to deal with.

I loved it.

And if you want more of my thoughts on the show, I'll put them in an extended entry...

Needless to say, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Marvel comic book spoilers abound...

   
As we begin, The Falcon is in Tunisia to rescue a kidnapped military guy who is being rushed across the border to Libya... by Batroc, of all people. The action is thrilling...

And has some really cool moments...

Still not quite sure how Falcon controls his mechanical wings. The way they move makes it obvious that they are mentally controlled by Sam, but it's never spelled out. And then there's Redwing, a drone that's packing some serious Stark-level artificial intelligence...

After a successful mission, The Falcon learns about the rise of the "Flag Smashers" who want to live in a world without borders and feel that life was better with half the world's population missing. Yikes.

Back in Washington DC, Sam decides that he can't accept the legacy of Captain America even though Cap selected him to inherit the shield. So he donates the shield to the Smithsonian exhibit we saw in the second Captain America movie. There for the ceremony? War Machine himself... James Rhodes!

Meanwhile... Bucky Barnes is still dealing with trauma from having been brainwashed as a trained killer for nearly 100 years. He's in therapy where he's attempting to make amends for all the things stuck in his head...

He's not entirely successful at it, which seems to be a theme here.

Sam Wilson heads back to his home city of Delacroix in Louisiana... trying to pick up the pieces from having been snapped out of existence for five years by Thanos. This hints at a huge problem for all the people who came back to resume lives that moved on without them. That makes getting a bank loan with his sister to save their father's boat more than a little difficult...

Then, just when things couldn't get worse... Cap's shield is confiscated by the government and a new Captain America is unveiled...

Now that we've recapped events... a few things...

• Batroc doesn't get much more than an appearance, same as he did in the second Captain America movie. I sure hope that we're getting something more exciting out of the character before this is over, because otherwise this was senseless.
• In the comics, "Redwing" is an actual living falcon bird (not a drone) which whom Sam has a telepathic link... a link he eventually uses to communicate with other birds! Obviously, this is a power that I'm happy has been ignored, but it is funny to think about when Sam is talking to his Redwing drone!
• In the comics, The Falcon originally had fabric wings... but when they were destroyed, Black Panther gave Sam "hard light" wings. A part of me has to wonder if Sam will be getting an upgrade in the MCU as well!
• The scenes of Bucky with the father of the man he killed are mostly about things gone unsaid. Sebastian Stan makes it look effortless, but I know better. That this show has been so perfectly honed to his skillset is what makes it so good.
• In the comics "Flagsmasher" is a super-villain, not an organization. Though it's possible the super-powered guy leading them will end up to be the comic book character.
• No Baron Zemo or Agent 13 yet. Looking forward to them!
• In the comics, Cap's replacement, John Walker, was called "Super Patriot" and eventually "U.S. Agent." The character has an interesting history and ended up in different directions... some of them more interesting than others. I guess where he ends up in the MCU will depend on this series. It's almost guaranteed that he won't end up being the new Captain America. At least not for long.

Watching Sam and Bucky's journey though this series is bound to be interesting regardless of where the story goes. They make for the ultimate buddy drama/comedy team, as we've already seen in Civil War, and I'm expecting more of the same.

The big unknown here is what will become of Captain America's legacy.

Will it be Sam Wilson? Will it be Bucky Barnes? Or will it be somebody else entirely?

Welllllll... spoilers from the comics, but...

   
It's looking like it's going to end up being Sam Wilson! Why do I say this? It's because of this guy...

That's Joaquín Torres

In the comics? He becomes the new Falcon!

How cool is that?

So ready for episode 2 to arrive!