The very nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe means that every project is going to be connected to either the past or future slate in some fashion, and maintaining that balance is only going to get trickier now that the Disney Plus exclusive shows are in the mix. Of course, Marvel are under no obligation to provide connective tissue, but fans have come to expect it, to the extent that WandaVision‘s finale left more than a few viewers disappointed after the teases for the future weren’t overt enough for their liking.
Friday’s premiere of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier could turn out to be different, though, given that the footage has promised a return to much more familiar and action-orientated turf after eight weeks exploring the weird and wonderful corners of WestView. Of course, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes’ spinoff was originally supposed to debut last August, and there were even reports that it contained some major connections to Black Widow.
In a new interview, head writer Malcolm Spellman admitted that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier does indeed set up several future MCU projects, although he obviously wouldn’t be drawn on specifics for fear of facing the studio’s wrath.
“We have a future charted for characters post-Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but I don’t want to say much more than that. I can think of three that I’m not allowed to talk about.”
Naturally, Black Widow should be one of them, especially when you consider the rumors that Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova reportedly has a cameo. Don Cheadle’s Rhodey is also expected to appear, so it could be tied to Armor Wars in some fashion. Supervillain team Thunderbolts, meanwhile, have been at the center of much speculation, Hawkeye is another potential candidate, and some other slightly more far-fetched options include Young Avengers, a Sam Wilson Captain America movie or even something to do with Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. Naturally, though, we’ll have to check out The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on a weekly basis to start getting our answers.