WandaVision may have gone down a storm with critics, and briefly reigned as the highest-rated project in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Rotten Tomatoes, but there were more than a few fans calling out the first two episodes for being boring. After 23 consecutive big budget action blockbusters, the franchise’s first Disney Plus exclusive series was unlike anything we’d seen before, and the jarring tonal shifts and bizarre setup admittedly look a little getting used to.
Luckily, those patiently waiting for the MCU to return to more familiar turf don’t have too long to go until The Falcon and the Winter Soldier debuts, with the premiere set to drop on March 19th. The latest trailer, meanwhile, which you can see above, doubles down on what was hinted at in the first promo, which is essentially the buddy movie formula being transplanted to a superhero TV show.
There’s going to be scale, spectacle, set pieces and no shortage of witty barbs being traded between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, although the finer points of the story are still being kept under wraps. Anthony Mackie has done a great job continually casting doubt on Sam finally inheriting the mantle of Captain America on a permanent basis, but a lot of people clearly aren’t buying it.
As the MCU continues to get bigger, the stakes must keep getting raised, and while The Falcon and the Winter Soldier doesn’t hinge on the title heroes trying to save the entire universe, it nonetheless looks like the sort of high-octane action thriller that almost always guarantees great television, this time with the benefit of being set in the world’s most popular and successful franchise for good measure.