The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will dive deep into Sam Wilson's backstory and touch on what it means to be a Black superhero in America.
Anthony Mackie spoke with Disney twenty-three magazine about why the Falcon is such an appealing superhero and how the new show will reveal every facet of his story. "I think a big part of why people like him is that Sam is a regular guy," Mackie said. "He doesn't have superpowers. He doesn't have a super serum. He doesn't have a super anything. He's just a regular guy who found himself in a crazy situation."
"I think people see that, and they enjoy that because they can look at Sam and see themselves in that character," Mackie continued. "Like, we can't be the Incredible Hulk—he's the Incredible Hulk! The Falcon is a regular guy who just happened to meet Captain America and volunteered as a fellow soldier to try and save the world. Sam is always Sam. The way it's written and the way they've been playing it is he's always going to be Sam. The great thing about the series is you get to learn his entire backstory, his life, who he is, and how he became Sam Wilson."
We know that the show will introduce us to Sam's sister, Sarah, thus providing more insight into his personal life. Captain America: The Winter Soldier offered some details on the character's past, but Sam has remained relatively unexplored outside of his relationship to Steve Rogers since then. The series will also pull in events from the real world, not shying away from what it means to be Black in America, especially when you're in the spotlight.
"It's no secret that in 2020, we learned a lot about ourselves as individuals and as a country. Sam brings a lot of that to the table—a lot of those issues and questions as a Black man in America in 2020."
Mackie also briefly touched on how his starring role finally allowed him to have more creative input on the show. He was even able to get a proper script, despite Marvel's notorious secrecy. "This time I actually got a full script, so that was great. That's the biggest perk of being the lead: You actually get to read it and talk to writers about it!"
Directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly and Daniel Brühl. The series premieres March 19 on Disney+.
Source: Disney twenty-three via The Direct