As Marvel Studios embarks on an epic six-chapter buddy-spy thriller, it’s not only seeking to explore the legacy and relevance of Captain America in the 21st Century but what exactly the mantle of the star-spangled man and his shield means to someone like Sam Wilson who had such a symbol thrust upon him at the end of “Avengers: Endgame.” It requires a filmmaker who not only has a proven capability of crafting exhilarating action set-pieces, but also a strong sense of vision and character paired with an astute ability to explore such pressing issues in a way that enlightens and connects with an audience. Fortunately, for Disney+‘s upcoming ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” Marvel couldn’t have picked a more proven and versatile director than Kari Skogland, who directs the entire series.
Set after “Avengers: Endgame,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is centered around Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) as the former tries to live up to the legacy Steve Rogers left for him, and the latter tries to find his place in a world he quite literally disappeared from for five years. In the midst of their personal struggles, they face an anarchist group named the Flag Smashers, a faux-Captain America who tries to join forces with them, and a returning threat in Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl).
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There’s a lot of interesting ideas surrounding Wilson’s characterization; a close friend and ally of America’s golden boy, who suddenly finds himself with the responsibility of carrying the shield while still recognizing the reality of being Black in America and his obligation to lift up his own community. Not only that but now Sam has to contend with losing that which Steve Rogers himself gave him in favor of a white, naive, unqualified stooge who the government deems a “better look” for the country. Using the platform blockbuster filmmaking affords, this kind of subject matter has the potential to invigorate and inspire mass audiences. And with a filmmaker as in tune to the current climate as Skogland, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” might be Marvel’s most important venture yet.
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Skogland enters the MCU with an accomplished body of work that has often confronted social issues head-on. She’s a natural fit for the story head writer Malcolm Spellman and Kevin Feige hope to explore and is certain to give the themes of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” both the attention and care they deserve. For over 25 years, Skogland has been one of television’s most eclectic yet dependable directors, helming episodes of everything from “La Femme Nikita,” “The L Word,” “The Walking Dead,” “Boardwalk Empire,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the latter being one which her skillset is frequently called upon. It’s also a resume booster for her work in “Falcon,” as she’s spent much of her career being a prominent advocate for women in filmmaking using her episodes of “The Handmaid’s Tale” to not only confront audiences with the injustices the characters face, but also to emphasize the series’ scary real-world implications. In fact, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” doesn’t even mark her first time directing the entirety of a limited series. In 2015, she directed every episode of “Sons of Liberty,” a compelling dramatization of the American Revolution. Her experience with the patriotic themes of that project, combined with her history of delivering genre thrills in shows like “The Walking Dead,” and her ability to find a way to spark an important conversation in her work, make her the perfect director for “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”
I had the chance to chat briefly with Skogland about the series, particularly about Sam Wilson and whether or not the Captain America mantle is still something that does more help than harm among the social injustices of today, the role of Emily Van Camp‘s Sharon Carter in the series, and more.
Moving into the realm of franchise filmmaking and blockbusters, I’m curious what you feel the role that platform has in confronting real-world issues and delivering important messages to a broader audience?
Well, what is great about the MCU and Marvel as a brand, they’ve never shied away from the political. There’s always a political conversation going on underneath the fun and the spectacle. And that’s baked into the comics from the origin days. So, I was thrilled to be part of telling this particular story because if at the end of ‘Endgame,’ which had all of its political resonance as well, that was a huge otherworldly spectacle. We are now very real world and grounded. And like the world we’re in at this post-pandemic or pandemic world still, we seem to be echoing so much of the themes that people are facing just day to day. So, we really didn’t shy from some very important conversations.
And I did feel that this was one of the most important pieces of the century because of the conversation we were going to be having about the shield. And Sam picks up that shield and what is it going to be for a Black man to decide whether he wants to be Captain America or not? What is Captain America? Is it relevant? Is the shield relevant as an icon? These are very relevant, current topics as we’ve been going through this last year of tremendous change.
I’d like to say we also took on what is it to be a hero because the origins of what a hero is, based on what the MCU has shown thus far, is the classic soldier warrior. And is that the hero of today or the hero of tomorrow? And I think after 9/11 the hero became a first responder as much as a soldier. And so that conversation is one to have as well. How do you relate to a Captain America that’s born 80 years ago and should we?
And Bucky has to go through his conversation about relevance as well because he, as a guy carrying a suitcase full of baggage with the PTSD of it and the fact that he did some very violent heinous things, how is he going to go forward? What does that look like? And these were very mental health issues. Also seeing our heroes having to cope with day to day I think is just brand new.
So, yeah, I’ve been very fortunate not only in my career to tackle some of these subjects but to do it in a world where it’s easier to take and the conversation is full of humor and full of action and full of fun at the same time. What’s the saying? There are vitamins in the ice cream, if you will. It’s just my sweet spot.
There’s an interesting riff here on the idea of superhero-dom being a thankless job. Anthony Mackie being from New Orleans and Louisiana; you incorporated a lot of his own personal backstory into the character as well. So, I’m curious how some of these elements came together in developing these side characters into fully formed headliners.
Well, I think it was a happy accident that he is from Louisiana. But we wanted to speak to a little bit of the Black history alongside and dig into his story, not Anthony’s story but the story of Sam Wilson, in a way that was honest and authentic. Because, yeah, we’ve only seen him with the suit on. We don’t see him. And so to find out who he is, where he lives, and how he has to cope with real-world issues that are also really reflective of this particular moment that we’re in, I think the fans are going to really enjoy getting to know Sam, who’s a very complicated and interesting man. They’re going to get to know him in a way that they haven’t been able to know any of the MCU characters. And the same with Bucky. So, that was a real joy to dig down into, to go down those lanes and figure out who they were.
Both actors [Mackie and Stan] are so collaborative and so thoughtful about not only their roles but how to integrate ideas. The script was always evolving because as we were in a scene it would inform us of another scene. And Anthony has such strong and interesting ideas. He’s very proud of the work and should be and he’s proud of the series because it really did reflect the conversations that we were really trying to tap into.
Sam’s conversation with Rhodey is great because there’s such awesome subtext to the scene, but also, it feels like you’re picking up on a kind of low-key friendship and mentorship that seemed to be blossoming in ‘Infinity War.’ It seems that Rhodey has grown into a big brother role for him.
Well, it was a pivotal scene because there’s Rhodey as an iconic character and a bit of a mentor and he’s asking Sam some hard questions. And Sam has to think about that and is thinking about it anyway. So, it’s meant to be thought-provoking for sure.
Do we get more moments like that between the two of them as the series progresses?
Well, as with all of these conversations, sometimes … How can I put it? They resonate. Everything resonates and that’s the goal.
We don’t see Sharon Carter yet, but could you talk a bit about what you wanted to do with the character of Sharon Carter, who’s largely been relegated to just a background character in the Cap movies?
Yeah! How great was it that we have Emily [Van Camp]? She’s a lovely actress, and she really worked hard at her stunt sequences. She trained for months. And she’s juggling other roles at the same time. So, she is a very hard, hardworking actress. And so we got to do some wonderful stunt sequences together. She’s very bad-ass.
Awesome.
Yeah, so it was a joy to be able to bring her to the fore and dive a bit more deeply into who she is, where she’s been.
The first episode of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is available on Disney+ now.