What we’ve seen so far of Disney+’s next Marvel series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, has wanted to frame itself around Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson’s unlikely partnership, a sort of buddy-cop duo that looks good punching people and jokingly lobbing insults at each other. But the latest trailer for the TV show emphasises the threats they’re up against, physically and existentially.
The “final” trailer — cutting it a bit tight, considering the six-episode series begins this week! — gives us a better look at the Flag Smashers and their mysterious leader, Karli Morgenthau (played by Solo: A Star Wars Story’s Erin Kellyman). In the comics, Flag-Smasher (there have been two to hold the mantle, Karl Morgenthau and Guy Thierrault) was, uh…an anti-nationalist terrorist pushing back against the idea of countries as a concept, particularly American exceptionalism as a foe of Captain America?
So yeah. It’ll be interesting to see what the show does with that idea, especially turning Flag-Smasher into less of a singular identity and more of a movement.
Especially so considering that the other parts of this trailer (outside of all the cool action, including some killer bits of flying from Sam) is more focused on the lingering shadow Captain America’s absence leaves in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not just for America — we know the show will give us the creation of the U.S. Agent by the American government as the state’s official Cap-replacement, played by Wyatt Russell — but for Bucky and Sam, too. Sam in particular wrestles not just with learning how to fling that shield around like a pro, but the idea of living up to a symbol that has some complex legacies tied up in it for him.
We’ll get to see how that plays out when The Falcon and the Winter Soldier kicks off on Disney+ this Friday, March 19.