After WandaVision, Marvel Studios has just unveiled their new series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Created by Malcolm Spellman, Falcon and the Winter Soldier focuses on the new adventures of Falcon, still played by Anthony Mackie, and Bucky, still played by Sebastian Stan. The first episode was released this Friday on Disney +. And unsurprisingly, it's overall convincing.
Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Return to the MCU
Unlike WandaVision which took the Marvel Universe to other horizons, Falcon and the Winter Soldier is an extremely classic product of the MCU. Malcolm Spellman has not wridden his head too much, and offers a first episode totally anchored in the usual recipe of the MCU: jokes, a plot that slowly falls into place, and impressive action sequences. Falcon and the Winter Soldier continues to use Captain America's legacy, both in writing and directing. Malcolm Spellman uses a photograph, a staging, which is very reminiscent of the work of the Russo brothers on Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. A clever approach to create a real identity to the show, and place it in a form of logical continuity. 
Similarly, the symbolism of the American hero is everywhere. Captain's legacy is felt at all times, whether through the two protagonists, but also more broadly in the overall plot. An idea that finds its climax at the very end of the episode, where the US government decides to find a new Captain America in the person of Agent US. Rather than choosing Sam Wilson, politicians set their sights on a new character, who will be easier to control. A hero well known to comic book readers, played here by Wyatt Russell.
An uneven double plot
For the moment, the two characters have not yet crossed paths again. Malcolm Spellman decides to develop two isolated plots, one for each protagonist. A way to learn more about these two heroes, who have so far remained secondary characters in the MCU. With this first episode, the showrunner wants to enter the depths of the daily life of his two heroes: their family life, their problems (psychological for Bucky and economic for Sam), and the return to normal after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The screenwriter separates the duo to better define the stakes and the dramatic springs. So inevitably, who says two plots, says a story more exciting than the other. In this case, that of Bucky is much better paced and especially more interesting than that of Falcon. Malcolm Spellman returns to James Barnes' past to oppose him to his inner demons, his regrets, his rehabilitation. Interesting subjects that are rather well treated and that thicken the character. Here he is in an inner struggle, forced to live with the horrors he has done. Never has Bucky been as deep in the MCU as in this first episode. 
Unfortunately, the plot of Falcon is less impactful. Sam Wilson returns to his sister while the screenwriter mires him in a frankly unconvincing debt story. The idea is to humanize the character, to remember that if they are superheroes, they are also normal human beings who have problems as normal citizens. But did we really want to see Falcon's financial problems? There remains the conclusion that opens on another dynamic, that of rejection, that of injustice, of a Falcon abandoned for an unpublished Captain America , chosen privately, by the authorities in place. This plot promises more interest than the economic peregrinations of the Wilson family. https://youtu.be/X_mSpyPVVzk It's generally successful Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It is a pure product of the MCU that offers an interesting development of its two heroes, and especially perfectly controlled action scenes. Even if this first episode remains a little timid, there is good potential.
