The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the latest Marvel series to grace the small screen and, so far, the reception is overwhelmingly positive. After the rapid-fire success of WandaVision , the attention has now shifted to the Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan-led project, with much of the discussion centered around the MCU's new Captain America in the form of John Walker .
Serving as the government's only choice as the next Star-Spangled hero , Walker appears to have earned the trust of the public, but the latest episode confirmed that Sam and Bucky (and the majority of MCU fans) are not on-board with Steve Rogers' replacement . As a result, this led to an intense back and forth between Walker and the titular duo, and evidence suggests that this will likely be resolved through a fight instead of a verbal confrontation .
Walker joins the long list of new characters that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier introduced in the massive Phase 4 slate of the franchise, and it looks like there will be more surprises along the way. A new interview has emerged that could point to another mind-blowing cameo that the show will look to debut in the coming weeks.
AN IMPORTANT PENULTIMATE EPISODE
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier creator Malcolm Spellman sat down with Comicbook.com to talk about the currently-streaming Marvel series, and one of the topics discussed was the producer's favorite episode.
Without diving into deep details, Spellman shared that the fifth episode of the series is the one that he's most excited for everybody to see, admitting that viewers are “going to cry” when it airs:
“Hands down, five, it just gets real. And five, you're going to cry.”
In a separate interview with Rotten Tomatoes , as reported by Comicbook , Spellman once again pointed out the importance of the fifth installment of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier .
When asked about his dream Marvel pairings, the head scribe revealed that there is a character who Spellman regards as the “episode five character” that he would love to see side by side with Thor, describing the individual as someone who has a “strong" personality:
“There are characters in our series who I would love to see partnered with like - it’s a very, very grounded character — partnered with one of the big world-shakers like Thor or someone like that... The personality is so strong, it's the episode five character. I’d love to see that character with Thor.”
WILL ANOTHER AVENGER SHOW UP?
Spellman's latest tease could essentially start numerous fan theories on who will show up in the penultimate episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier . Interestingly, this isn't the first time that a fifth installment included a big cameo, since WandaVision did it first by showcasing Evan Peters' fake Quicksilver.
Given that James Rhodes already showed up, the possibilities are endless in terms of the guest star that the head scribe is hyping up. Spellman's description of the character as “very grounded” and has a “strong” personality could mean that this individual has powers, but it remains to be seen if this person is either a hero or a villain.
Based on what's been revealed so far, Sam and Bucky are expected to have a global adventure in the series, meaning that they can encounter any character that could fit the description that Spellman gave in the interview. Considering that the titular pair will head to Madripoor at some point in the series, there is a good chance that they will meet this mysterious individual during that mission.
Madripoor is home to a lot of dangerous individuals, and the fictional island could feature noteworthy villains like Madame Hydra and even X-Men characters like Wolverine and Psylocke. While this is pure speculation at this point, it's reasonable to assume that Spellman's mystery character will come from the island nation.
Meanwhile, the creator's tease that the fifth episode is a tear-jerker installment could hint that this might be the part where Sam takes Captain America's shield for good, thus leading to an emotional moment that would be similar to the last scene of Avengers: Endgame . In a way, this makes narrative sense since it paves the way for a game-changing finale where Sam shows the world that he is the real Star-Spangled Avenger after all.
All in all, the remaining episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will no doubt be a must-see, and it will be interesting to find out how it all unfolds.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is now streaming on Disney+.
