15 Things Every Non Marvel Fan Will Need To Know Before Watching "The Falcon And The Winter Soldier"

You'll ~marvel~ at how much you learned after reading this!

🚨 Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Captain America: Civil War. 🚨

1. First things first, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will focus on two major characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU): Sam Wilson, or Falcon, and Bucky Barnes, or the Winter Soldier. They are played respectively by Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan.

Marvel Studios/Walt Disney / Via The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Mackie first appeared as Sam Wilson in the 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier and has been a part of six movies within the MCU. Stan first appeared as Bucky in the 2011 movie Captain America: The First Avenger and has starred in seven MCU films.

2. Sam Wilson is a longtime ally of Steve Rogers — aka Captain America, played by Chris Evans — and part of the crime-fighting team the Avengers.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Via Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Throughout his time in the MCU, Sam has been one of Steve's, also known as Captain America, fiercest allies. The pair met while out jogging in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and bonded over their veteran statuses. Sam was quickly recruited by Steve to help him defeat an evil organisation called HYDRA, together with Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, and other members of the Avengers. He later joined the team himself.

3. Sam is a highly trained ex-soldier who can fly using a falcon suit, hence the name Falcon.

Disney+ / Via youtube.com

As a former US Air Force soldier, Sam could fly during his rescue missions using an EXO-7 Falcon flight suit with articulated wings. After agreeing to assist Steve and Natasha in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the trio steal Sam's old suit from its secure military location so that he can join them on their mission.

As well as his flight suit, Sam has Redwing – a weaponised drone that he uses for both surveillance and combat!

4. Bucky Barnes is a WWII soldier who, after plummeting to his apparent death in Captain America: The First Avenger, was found and turned into an unstoppable assassin by HYDRA.

Paramount Pictures/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Via Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: Civil War

James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes grew up in Brooklyn with his best friend Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America. The pair enlisted during the Second World War, wherein Bucky was captured by HYDRA and experimented on by scientists. After he was rescued by Steve, the pair worked together to take out HYDRA's bases; but during one particular mission Bucky fell from a train and was seemingly killed.

But Bucky didn't die thanks to the experimentation that had been done on him; although he did lose his left arm. He was recaptured by HYDRA who put him through the Winter Soldier program, during which he was brainwashed, enhanced physically, and trained to be a killing machine. Significantly, Bucky was given a cybernetic arm to replace the one he lost.

5. Bucky became one of HYDRA’s greatest weapons, the Winter Soldier.

Captain America: Civil War / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Via youtube.com

For 50 years after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky was sent by HYDRA to assassinate anyone who would stand in their way. Though his brainwashing can be activated by the use of code words, Bucky's personality and memories sometimes bubbled to the surface, and so he was put in cryogenic freeze by HYDRA in between missions to stop him realising who he used to be.

During this time, Bucky battled Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and Natasha Romanoff, among others, using everything from his fists to knives, guns, high-tech grenade launchers, and even Captain America's shield!

6. Bucky nearly broke up the Avengers during the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Via Captain America: Civil War

In Civil War, Bucky is activated by a Sokovian terrorist called Helmut Zemo and framed for the murder of King T'Chaka of Wakanda, the father of T’Challa, aka the Black Panther. This event causes the already quarrelling Avengers to split into two factions — one led by Steve Rogers and another led by Tony Stark.

During an ensuing fight between these two factions, T'Challa confronts Bucky before Steve rescues him and they flee. Later, Steve and Bucky have a run-in with Tony Stark where he destroys Bucky's robotic arm.

Realising that he is a danger due to his Winter Soldier programming, Bucky goes into cryo-freeze in Wakanda. He is helped by T’Challa, who eventually realises Bucky was framed, and T’Challa’s sister Shuri, who manages to cure Bucky's brainwashing. He is later presented with an updated cybernetic arm by Shuri.

7. Sam and Bucky have had numerous encounters in the past, some good and some very bad!

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Via Captain America: Civil War

In Winter Soldier, Sam faced Bucky as the brainwashed Winter Soldier and Bucky actually tore off one of Sam's wings and nearly killed him! Later, after realising Bucky was framed by Zemo in Civil War, Sam helps Steve Rogers escape with Bucky during the Avengers' big fight.

The two enemies-turned-allies later work together in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, in which they fight Thanos who wants to kill half of the entire universe's population. Even though they are on the same side at this point, Bucky is often on the receiving end of Sam's (mostly) good-natured banter.

8. Speaking of Thanos, maybe we should explain a little about how in Avengers: Infinity War half of the universe was wiped from existence, and then in Avengers: Endgame, everyone was restored to life.

Avengers: Infinity War / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Via giphy.com

Basically, in Infinity War, a genocidal warlord called Thanos gathered six incredibly powerful Infinity Stones so that he could snap his fingers and wipe out 50% of all living creatures across the known universe. Five years later, in Endgame, everybody was restored to life thanks to the remaining Avengers – these events are known as the "blip".

The "blip" affected many of our beloved Marvel heroes including Bucky and Sam, so it will be interesting to see them talk about their experience coming back to a different world five years later. Although, Bucky is kind of used to that, having been cryogenically frozen multiple times by HYDRA.

9. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series will also address the legacy of Captain America. Steve had been one of the chief Avengers since 2010, but in the recent movie Avengers: Endgame, he handed over his shield (and in so doing his Captain America title) to none other than Sam.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier / Marvel Studios/Walt Disney / Via youtube.com

At the end of Endgame, Steve volunteered to go back in time and return the Infinity Stones to their proper timelines. But instead of returning to the time he left, Steve decided to go back to the 1940s where he could spend the rest of his life with his lost love Peggy Carter.

10. Captain America's title, shield, and legacy are hugely important because the superhero has come to symbolise patriotism, idealism, and always sticking by his principles.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Via Avengers: Age of Ultron

Not only is Captain America the leader of the Avengers, but he is also a wartime hero, created in 1941 to be a patriotic super-soldier. Due to numberless victories over many decades, Cap has become one of the most popular superheroes in the world. He has a strong moral compass and his nearly indestructible shield has become an emblem of strength to all those who recognise the country's defender.

11. So now the question is: who is worthy of becoming the next Captain America – Sam, Bucky, or someone else?

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Marvel Studios/Walt Disney / Via Captain America: Civil War

Obviously the legacy of Captain America must continue, but who will wield the shield? Steve Rogers may have chosen Sam to be his replacement, but waiting in the wings, of course, is Cap's BFF and war comrade Bucky. Who will ultimately own the shield? Sam, Bucky, or a combination of both?

12. The other thing is, Sam and Bucky have always had a kind of love/hate relationship.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier / Marvel Studios/Walt Disney / Via youtube.com

Sam and Bucky don't exactly get along. Despite fighting for the same side in previous MCU films, they've always had a combative relationship. Indeed, as seen in the trailer, they appear to be in some sort of "couples therapy" session working on their animosity towards each other, as a therapist asks Bucky, "Why does Sam aggravate you?"

The pair are, in fact, deeply linked by virtue of their individual friendships with Steve Rogers. But now he's out of the picture, there is no authority figure to control them per se, so it will be interesting to see if these two can actually work together harmoniously.

13. Also joining the series' main cast is former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and past love interest of Steve Rogers, Sharon Carter.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Via Captain America: Civil War

Sharon previously appeared in the movies Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, and is played by Emily VanCamp. Sharon is a highly trained spy and expert marksman with ace combat skills. In Winter Soldier she is sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. to guard Steve; and in Civil War she works for the CIA, wherein she uses her influence to support Steve and Sam when they team up with Bucky, even going so far as to give them back their confiscated shield and falcon suit.

Sharon has a brief dalliance with Steve Rogers in Civil War before he has to go on the run with Bucky and Sam. Later, it is revealed in Avengers: Endgame that Sharon was a victim of the snap but was restored in the blip. Sharon's great-aunt, Peggy Carter, is the woman Steve Rogers went back in time to spend his life with at the end of Endgame.

14. Spanish German actor Daniel Brühl will appear as Zemo, a character who previously appeared in the movie Captain America: Civil War.

Marvel Studios/Walt Disney / Via The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Zemo is a Sokovian colonel-turned-terrorist who is obsessed with defeating the Avengers as retribution for his family's deaths in Sokovia. At the end of Civil War, he is imprisoned by the authorities.

A fan favourite after his first appearance in Civil War, Zemo this time will sport his traditional purple mask from the comics.

15. And lastly, if you really want to get caught up before the series starts, a good place to begin would be with the Captain America films, specifically The First Avenger, The Winter Soldier, and Civil War. All three are available to stream on Disney+ right now!

Paramount Pictures/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Fans have already described this series as if Winter Soldier and Civil War had a baby, so those are definitely two movies you may want to get to know!

Now you're all caught up! Make sure you don't miss a single episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier launching from the 19th of March, and sign up to Disney+ today!

Marvel Studios/Walt Disney