The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, streaming on Disney + as of March 19, 2021 is the latest addition to the MCU. It reminds me of one of the buddy comedies that were so popular in the 1980s: two people who have seemingly nothing in common go on adventures together, solve mysteries, and become closer than brothers: Tenspeed and Brownshoe, 48 Hours, The Master, Twins, Houston Knights, etc.

The trailer starts (and ends) with them seeing a counselor. Well, let’s face it, most superheroes need a good therapist. We haven’t seen Doc Samson since The Incredible Hulk in 2008. What do the Falcon and the Winter Soldier have in common to bring them together? They’re both veterans, with more than a passing acquaintance with PTSD. Both are/were friends with Steve Rogers, aka Captain America.

From the look of things in this trailer, they’re trying to work together without bothering to cooperate with each other. Baron Zemo wants to get rid of superheroes. How are Falcon and the Winter Soldier supposed to fight hero-exterminators when they can’t agree on who has custody of Cap’s shield? The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is only a mini-series. Can these two become bosom buddies and effective partners in only six episodes?

Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie are reprising their roles from the movies. Angie Han of Mashable said “The new trailer promises explosive action, a jet-setting plot, some very creepy villains, and — best of all — a return of the characters’ odd-couple, best-frenemies dynamic from Captain America: Civil War.”  “Best frenemies” seems a fair description.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige described the mini-series as “a Marvel Studios movie played out over six episodes.” Sort of the way the radio version of Star Wars took six hours to give more detail and depth to a two hour movie.

The Falcom and the Winter Soldier premiers on Disney+ on March 19, 2021.

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