There were a ton of questions about the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the epic conclusion there was Endgame. After such a mythological showdown that marked the culmination of more than a decade of world-building and origin storytelling, how on earth could the MCU continue their dominant run in a way that would both live up to their own lofty standards without taking the stakes too far? to take? to a bizarre or cartoonish level? Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, decided to take a break from the big screen and the fallout for a while Endgame to breathe. Instead, Phase 4 provided the perfect opportunity for the MCU to claim its share of television and streaming.
Before the first Phase 4 movie, Black Widowhit theaters, three shows had already been released on Disney+: WandaVision, Lokiand The falcon and the winter soldier. Each went in a completely different direction from the other and was received with varying levels of approval, though each was equally important to the future of the MCU, with a necessity that Marvel’s previous television ventures lacked. Easily the least well-received show to kick off Phase 4 was The falcon and the winter soldier. WandaVision was hailed outside the gates for ushering in a new era for Marvel, and Loki was welcomed as a slow-burn that paid proper homage to the fan-favorite anti-hero. TFATWSThe reception was much more lukewarm. This is why it was the most underrated series in Phase 4 of MCU.
The series brings the MCU back to Earth
The first season follows Sam Wilson, the Falcon, and Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, as they deal with the fallout immediately following the events of Endgame. First and foremost, Wilson struggles with the idea of taking on the mantle of Captain America, passed on to him by Steve Rogers himself after deciding to stay in the past after returning each of the Infinity Stones to their original timelines. Partly because of the attachment to the shield and the former holder of the name, and also because of his concern that the United States would not be welcome to a Black Captain America, Sam refuses the honor he has been promised, only for the government to order a . less-than-ideal soldier with the cloak instead.
Meanwhile, Bucky tries to right some of the sins he committed as a weaponized and hypnotized Hydra agent. Both must solve these deeper issues while also dealing with the Flag Smashers, a group of radicals who believed the world was better off during the “Blip” – the five years when half of the population Thanos snapped out of didn’t exist – that have secured a recreation of the super soldier serum that gave Rogers his powers and are using it to disrupt the world governments’ efforts to reintegrate the humans the Avengers brought back.
None of these storylines are as terrible as Thanos, Ultron, or even Loki. The Flag Smashers are not an Avengers-level threat. And yet, Sam and Bucky are engaged in a proper battle that demands the best of both of them, individually and as a couple. While global genocide is not at risk, the Flag Smashers do pose a very real threat, while also displaying the traits necessary to make them likeable and understandable villains.
After the slow build up that led to the epic crescendo that was Endgame, the MCU desperately needed a way to keep things interesting without further escalating the stakes. After all, how much more grandiose could they make their villains after Thanosm the Mad Titan who tried to bring balance to the universe to prevent the overpopulation that led to the demise of his own planet? Trying to improve on the Infinity Saga immediately afterwards would be a recipe for disaster that the MCU has cleverly avoided. In this way, The falcon and the winter soldier accomplished a grand task: bridging the MCU into its next era, while honoring the events of it Endgame in a credible and entertaining way. There are no supreme wizards, titans, or infinite stone-enhanced individuals in this story. Rather, it follows two heroes whose layers were worth peeling back with plenty of crushing action to keep the audience well engaged.
Valid criticism of the series
While The falcon and the winter soldier apparently received more condemnation than it deserved – take over this article Forbes, for example – there were some valid critiques on the show. First, the show took on more than it could handle at times. Along with the title characters, the first season also brought back both Baron Zemo and Sharon Carter as key players moving forward, had John Walker (Wyatt Russell) aka U.S. Agent as an additional antagonist/anti-hero on top of the Flag Smashers, and introduced Valentina Allegra (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who is sure to be a huge part of the MCU going forward. That’s a lot of different storylines and personalities to aptly portray in six episodes.
The logjam of characters also did a disservice to some of the more important themes that TFATWS tried to tackle in its brief first season. In particular, Sam’s struggles to be a prominent black superhero and the backlash he can get from donning Captain America’s mantle because of the color of his skin was a story that deserved more time and care. It certainly justified better than the closing monologue that tried to wrap up those untethered threads the show left hanging with a five-minute speech. While Anthony Mackie did a great job delivering a very powerful message, it just felt a bit rushed and a classic case of the writers not showing it instead of saying it.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is definitely underrated
While The falcon and the winter soldier was still well received and especially praised, it still deserves more praise than it has received so far. Of the three shows that preceded Phase 4’s first movie in Black Widow, TFATWS received the lowest critic and audience ratings Rotten tomatoes, with 84 and 83% new reviews respectively. For comparison, WandaVision scored 91% from critics and 88 from viewers. Loki got 92 from experts and 90 from fans.
A simple search for “The falcon and the winter soldieron Twitter will see some pretty mixed reviews. Maybe it was due to Marvel fatigue or people criticizing the show for being “too political,” but it certainly doesn’t seem like the returns are a good reflection of the quality of the series. hopefully the growing hype around the Lightning strikes will revisit fans TFATWS and giving it the flowers it deserves for the season two release.