When you have a united cinematic universe consisting of over 25 films and TV shows, the question of what happens when becomes an increasingly important one. Which is why, when watching the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it was great to hear a line of dialogue confirm when the newest Marvel adventure is set.

The Disney+ series, which premieres Friday, March 19, features Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan as the titular heroes, who met as enemies in Captain America: The Winter Soldier but eventually came to work together (begrudgingly) over the subsequent films. As seen in the trailers, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier features that uneasy partnership as Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, per the official synopsis, "team up on a global adventure that tests their abilities — and their patience."

Without getting into specific spoilers for Falcon, in the MCU timeline at least six months have passed since the events of Avengers: Endgame. This means it's been about six months since half of the global population has returned to existence after the five years known as the Blip, and things haven't exactly returned to normal yet.

When Collider spoke with director Kari Skogland about the choice to set it in that specific time period, she said that it was "absolutely critical" to the show. "Everything narratively was informed by that event for us," she said. "It meant that we're just past the shock of it. We're just past the joy of it — because we're imagining that there would be a lot of joy, in people returning. Now we're into the reality of it, which is complicated."

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Image via Disney+

As she explained it, "With half the population Blipped away, you've got different economic circumstances, different border circumstances. Different countries were cooperative, that weren't before. Neighbors are cooperating, who weren't necessarily getting along before. People moved into houses that they didn't own before. Everything changed. Now we're into that moment. We're past the surprise of it and now we're into the realities of it. I think that makes for a very different place in the story, because we can get not only grounded about it, but we can drill into how people respond to that. Some of it's good and some of it's not so good."

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Head writer Malcolm Spellman said that setting the show at this point in the MCU's history was a part of his pitch from very early on in the development process. "Part of it was just about creating an energy that felt modern and timely," he said. "When we started this thing, the blip felt like something that could be harnessed in a way that all the fans would dig it and it would make this series feel relevant.

"Part of the mission statement for this series was that we create heroes of the moment who can lead us into the future. To do that, they have to be dealing with issues that regular people would understand. And I think anyone who's been living through this pandemic can understand how the people in the MCU feel about a global problem where half the population has just reappeared."

Added Spellman, "The thing about a global problem is it can unite you or divide you. We see that push-pull happening in the series. It defines every episode of the series."

To understand just what all that means for Sam and Bucky and friends, watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier when it premieres Friday, March 19 on Disney+, and stay tuned for more from Collider's interviews with Skogland and Spellman.

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