Marvel Stars Explain How Avengers: Endgame Compares To The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

With WandaVision having just concluded its nine-episode run, Marvel Studios is shifting their full focus to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

While the last Marvel Disney+ series showcased a new turn for the studio in a weird and wonderful sitcom style, the next show will serve as a more traditional production, told over six "mini movie" installments.

The significant majority of screen time for both Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes has been spent as side characters; however, the two will finally take the spotlight this month as the leads of their own series.

The upcoming star-spangled series promises all the action expected from a Marvel project, but given the switch to a series format, most would assume the production would be vastly different from a blockbuster MCU film. 

FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER ISN'T SO DIFFERENT FROM AVENGERS: ENDGAME

In an interview with Total Film magazine via Taskmaster Vic, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier leads Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan have discussed how the series compares to their last MCU appearance, Avengers: Endgame. 

The actors were asked if they “think audiences will be able to enjoy the full impact of the show on phones or TV?” To which Stan responded, promising “it won't feel any different than when you're watching Avengers: Endgame,” given Marvel's blockbusters are normally viewed on household devices after theater release anyway:

“Think about how people watch Avengers: Endgame once it comes out in iTunes. There's so many ways to see things — on your phone, on your laptop, on Apple TV. When you're watching this it won't feel any different than when you're watching Avengers: Endgame basically.”

Falcon actor Anthony Mackie went on to explain how the series has changed the classic superhero formula, noting it “works really well in your home as it would work on the big screen”: 

“Marvel's always been in-depth and focused on story and the action is just a byproduct of the story. So with this, what they've been able to do and what I've really enjoyed seeing on my television is the fact that they didn't play down the grandiose aspect of the Marvel Universe. They didn't play down the physical action aspect of it. They just put it in a way to where it works really well in your home as it would work on the big screen.”

Despite not having every familiar face from their past MCU appearances, both actors emphasized that the “energy is still the same,” going on to explain how Marvel filming works when asked if they missed Endgame's high energy:

“No — the energy is still the same. The great thing that Marvel has been able to do is create a continuity, and that's why the universe works so well project to project, and you get to follow movie to movie and feel the same experience movie to movie — because there is that continuity from craft services all the way up to directors and producers. These are people we've spent the better part of seven and 10 years with so the feeling is the same, the tone is the same, the ability to craft our performances and show up is the same because if you look at Endgame or Infinity War or Civil War, all of us weren't on set together at the same time. It's always two or three actors, or one or two actors and a director doing it. At no point in time was there 700,000 people on set, and we were all, you know, running to fight.”

SAME PROCESS, DIFFERENT RESULT

Given the scale of a film like Avengers: Endgame, it's easy to forget that as it was filmed, only a few actors were involved at a time. While blockbuster team-up films include huge numbers of actors for very limited screen time, the character-driven Disney+ shows will instead see their leads be a consistent presence on set.

Beyond the Endgame-like energy, this patriotic program promises to bring theater-quality frames. WandaVision — especially in its series finale — showed off amazing visuals and magical action scenes on the same level that would be seen in a big-screen film. However, the high resolution and quality of modern technology in homes, especially with the growth of 4K, means the action can be enjoyed almost as well as in a theater.

The nature of these Disney+ MCU stories being told across episodic television means that the narratives can only be effectively told over the long runtime, as the character arcs couldn't be as effectively explored in a two-hour movie. While fans can look forward to all the traditional Marvel action they've come to expect, it will still feature the deeper character study elements that made WandaVision so great. 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will debut its first episode exclusively on Disney+ on March 19.