TV SERIES · 2021–2021 · USA
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
- Created by
- Malcolm Spellman
- Network
- Disney+
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 6
- Studio
- Marvel Studios
36 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame”, the Falcon, Sam Wilson and the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities, and their patience.
Summary: TMDB
19 Facts From the Making of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
- #001
By September 2018, Marvel Studios was developing several limited series for Disney+, the streaming service of its parent company Disney, to focus on supporting characters from Marvel Cinematic Universe films who had not headlined their own films.
- #002
The actors who played these characters in the films were expected to return for the limited series, which were planned to run six to eight episodes each with a budget described as rivaling a major studio production.
- #003
Unlike previous Marvel Cinematic Universe television series produced by Marvel Television, these limited series were to be produced by Marvel Studios.
- #004
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was believed to be taking a hands-on role in developing each series, focusing on story continuity with the films and handling the actors reprising their film roles.
- #005
Malcolm Spellman was among several writers invited to pitch a series centered on Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson / Falcon and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. He was hired to write the limited series by the end of October 2018.
- #006
Marvel Studios wanted to explore Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes further after the audience response to their dynamic in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016). The studio intended the series to follow a "buddy two-hander" format.
- #007
Malcolm Spellman's pitch for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier centered on race and identity, drawing on buddy films such as 48 Hrs., The Defiant Ones, Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour that addressed racial issues. He developed the pitch with Marvel Studios executive Nate Moore, who advocated for Spellman's approach.
- #008
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was announced in April 2019. It was the first television series developed by Marvel Studios.
- #009
Malcolm Spellman said Marvel Studios treated The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as a six-hour film, describing the process as "a bit of a learning curve" for the studio.
- #010
Michael Kastelein, Derek Kolstad, Dalan Musson and Josef Sawyer joined Malcolm Spellman as writers on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Derek Kolstad came aboard in July 2019.
- #011
Derek Kolstad said he would bring "a wink and a nod" to the world building and character development style of his John Wick film franchise when writing for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
- #012
Derek Kolstad found it interesting to move secondary characters from the films into primary roles for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and said characters from earlier MCU films are layered into the series and shift its storytelling in new ways.
- #013
Before Malcolm Spellman was hired on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, some early elements of the series had already been decided, including roles for Helmut Zemo, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and Sharon Carter. Sharon Carter becomes the Power Broker, a turn inspired by a 1990s Captain America comic in which Carter was exiled from S.H.I.E.L.D. and became "super salty".
- #016
Malcolm Spellman said he wanted to "go home" with the characters and let the actors show their skills rather than simply focus on action, and described the spirit and conflict of the title characters as what remained consistent from his initial pitch to the final series.
- #025
Malcolm Spellman developed The Falcon and the Winter Soldier from his general knowledge of Marvel Comics and the MCU, together with that of Moore and Nagelhout, instead of adapting specific comic books. Spellman cited Truth: Red, White & Black (2003) as a major influence on the series.
- #026
Moore disliked Truth: Red, White & Black but liked the ideas it raised, and felt Spellman integrated its story elements into The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in a smart way.
- #027
Feige was initially nervous about adapting Truth because he doubted the series could do justice to the comic and its main character, Isaiah Bradley, if they were only a small part of it, but he changed his mind once he saw how central Isaiah was to the series' themes.
- #028
After Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox returned the film rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four to Marvel Studios, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was able to include elements from those properties, including the location Madripoor. Ahead of the premiere, Spellman said he knew of three Marvel Studios projects that would tie in to the series.
- #029
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was officially announced in April 2019, with confirmation that Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan would reprise their roles as Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes.
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