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2021 was a big year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as after a year-long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the franchise came roaring back with a slew of new entries. Phase 4 of the MCU did not begin with a film, but the MCU’s first proper foray into television series withWandaVision, which, unlike previous series likeAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,Daredevil, orThe Runaways, promised to connect to the MCU films more. While series likeLoki,What If…?, andHawkeyeshortly followed,The Falcon and the Winter Soldiermight have been the biggest.
Focusing on Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan),The Falcon and the Winter Soldiertook Captain America’s two best friends out of the shadow of Steve Rogers and put them front and center. The series earned positive reviews from critics and audiences, with the premiere episode reportedly being watched by 1.7 million households. Yet in the four years sinceThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Marvel Studios hasn’t announced Season 2. Instead, they’ve spun the characters off into films and moved forward with other Disney+ series likeMoon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Echo,andAgatha All Along.
With Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes now front and center in two of the MCU’s three films in 2025, fans will likely rewatchThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierin preparation and likely wonder, will the series return for more? Here are some theories of what the future might have in store forThe Falcon and the Winter Soldieron Disney+ and the larger MCU.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Most Likely No Season 2
Right up front, the idea ofThe Falcon and the Winter SoldierSeason 2 seems off the table. The series was greenlit and made as a miniseries. So far, this has been Marvel Studios' primary mode of operation since it began making television series. The only MCU Disney+ series to get second season orders have beenLokiandWhat If…?withDaredevil: Born Againalready being confirmed for season 2. It was recently confirmed that Jac Schaffer, the creator of bothWandaVisionandAgatha All Along,turned down the chance to do a second season of either show. So, if a series is popular enough, Marvel Studios is clearly interested in continuing it.
Yet even though MCU series rarely do Season 2 (though fans are hoping forMs. Marvel,Moon Knight, andShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawto return), the stories continue in one of two ways. The first is the film continuation likeMs. Marvelleading intoThe Marvels. The other is a spin-off series of the original, likeWandaVisionleading intoAgatha All AlongorHawkeyespinning off intoEcho.The Falcon and the Winter Soldieris opting for the movie version, as the two leads will branch off into two distinct films in 2025:Captain America: Brave New WorldandThunderbolts*.
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2025 Sees ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Get Two Sequels… Just Not on Television
Part of Marvel’s big pitch for developing series for Disney+ was that they would be vital components to future MCU films, like howDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesspicked up afterWandaVision, or how bothWandaVisonandMs. Marvelled up toThe Marvels.Instead ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldiergetting renewed for Season 2, Marvel and Disney have done what they always intended to do and spin Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes off into their films, both scheduled for 2025.Fittingly, the two title characters will have MCU films released back to back from one another:Captain America: Brave New Worldin February 2025 will star Sam Wilson, whileThunderbolts*in May 2025 will feature Bucky Barnes.
The Falcon and Winter Soldierwas a direct lead-in forCaptain America: Brave New World, with the series title card even changing toCaptain America and the Winter Soldierat the end to acknowledge Sam Wilson finally taking on the mantle of Captain America. Captain America: Brave New World, then titledCaptain America 4, was announced the same day the finale ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierpremiered on Disney+.Captain America: Brave New Worldnot only sees Sam Wilson continue his journey as Captain America but also brings back Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres and Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley. Joaquin Torres is Sam’s new wingman, who was later gifted the original Falcon wingsuit and is now the new Falcon in the MCU.
Following the release ofCaptain America: Brave New World,Thunderboltswill pick up Bucky Barnes' storylinefromThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Much has changed for Bucky since the series, now operating as a United States congressman.Thunderboltswill also pick up two significant plotlines fromThe Falcon and Winter Soldier:following up with Wyatt Russell’s John Walker and revealing more about what exactly Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina “Val” Allegra de Fontaine. Walker was the original Captain America replacement handpicked by the United States government before being forced to retire in disgrace after killing a civilian in public.
Val first appeared inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierand recruited Walker after he was let go by the US government, rebranding him as U.S. Agent. Since then, Val has been popping around the MCU in films likeBlack Widow,where she is working with new Black Widow Yelena Belova, who is also part of theThunderboltsroster. She then appeared inBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreveras the new head of the CIA.Val is front and centerin the marketing for theThunderbolts, and since she previously recruited John Walker and Yelena Belova for two separate missions, she is likely responsible for bringing the characters together and seemingly trying to have them killed.
This meansThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierhas two sequels, as the story branches intoCaptain America: Brave New WorldandThunderbolts*.
‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Plot Lines Could Be Resolved in Other MCU Series
WhileThe Falcon and Winter Soldierstorylines will continue inCaptain America: Brave New WorldandThunderbolts*; not every major plot thread teased in the Disney+ series will be resolved, opening the door for other potential stories. The biggest unresolved plotline seems to revolve around the reveal thatSharon Carter is, in fact, The Power Broker. At the end ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Carter receives a full pardon for assisting Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and Sam Wilson escape in Captain America: Civil War. Carter rejoins the CIA and calls a mysterious person with the intention to sell government secrets, resources, and weapons on the black market, having become a ruthless criminal during the Blip.With star Emily VanCamp not confirmed to reprise her role in eitherBrave New WorldorThunderbolts*, this plotline seems to be saved for the planned but delayedWar Machine-led filmArmor Wars.
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In addition to introducing Isiah Bradley,The Falcon and the Winter Soldieralso featured his grandson, Eli Bradley, played by Elijah Richardson.This was one of the MCU’s first big teases at The Young Avengers, as Eli Bradley is a founding member in the comics that goes by the name Patriot. WithThe Marvelsestablishing that Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel would berecruiting a group of young heroes, including Kate Bishop fromHawkeyeand Cassie Lang fromAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania; Eli Bradley’s inclusion feels like a clear setup for his involvement in The Young Avengers.
Marvel Could Continue ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ With The New Falcon and a New Winter Soldier
Now that Sam Wilson has adopted the persona of Captain America and Bucky Barnes is now part of the Thunderbolts, they no longer fit the title ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, that doesn’t mean Marvel couldn’t continue the series with new characters. In fact, much like how Sam Wilson is taking over theCaptain Americafilm franchise,Marvel could let two new characters take overThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Joaquin Torres is already established asthe new MCU Falcon, and much like Sam Wilson,The Falcon and the Winter Soldiercould flesh him out as a character to move beyond being the partner of Captain America and make him a new fan-favorite.
As for the new titular Winter Soldier, that would be a new character.In Marvel Comics, an alternate universe version of Bucky has a granddaughter named Rikki Barnes, who adopted Bucky’s persona. Many Marvel multiverse storylines have maneuvered around to get Rikki Barnes into the main Marvel Comics 616 continuity. However, that is unnecessary to establish her in the MCU, as they could bring her in without any multiverse connection by simply revealing that Rikki Barnes is a long-lost relative of Bucky Barnes.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldierlikely won’t get a Season 2 since the feature films act as the follow-ups. If Marvel did want to keep the brand going, pairing up the established Joaquin Torres Falcon in a project that introduces Rikki Barnes, a descendant of Bucky Barnes, into the MCU seems like a solid pitch for a new series. If it were to happen, expect it in Phase 7 after the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga, as everything is movingfull steam ahead toAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars.
