The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: U.S. Capitol Riots Mirror Events In Marvel Show, Says Star

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will premiere on Disney+ next week, and it's already clear the series will be taking a much more grounded and realistic approach when compared to the recently-wrapped MCU Disney+ series WandaVision.

The creative team on the upcoming series has already stated that the show will dive into real-life issues such as racism, and now, some more clarity on that aspect of the project has come to light.

LIFE VERSUS ART IN THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

In a recent interview with The New York Times, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier director Kari Skogland explained that the show will tackle “not just topical issues but hard-to-talk about issues." She pointed to the classic Captain America comic books as a comparison and inspiration for the kinds of topical issues that will be featured in the series:

“They came from a postwar, antifascist space and were talking about the morals and ethics that were prevalent at the time. They’ve never shied away from that.”

Winter Soldier actor Sebastian Stan also commented on the topical nature of the series, mentioning how real-life events "mirrored things that are happening in the show:"

“Watching the things that were happening to the Capitol were incredibly disturbing... and they were also particularly disturbing for us because in some way they mirrored things that are happening in the show. You can’t do a show like this and not talk about those things."

A TIMELY PROJECT FOR THE MCU

As Skogland said, the Captain America franchise has always dealt with topical issues, from when it began during World War II to its transition onto the big screen with MCU movies starring the character tackling stories that had parallels with modern-day politics.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is shaping up to have similar parallels to the world's current reality in multiple ways, not only with the political unrest but also with the fact that the characters are dealing with coming out of a traumatic event that has affected the entire world in the form of the Blip.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still going on, but with vaccines beginning to roll out in many countries, the world will likely soon have to deal with the aftermath of the crisis, similar to what The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will explore in its own world.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premieres on Disney+ March 19.