Are you craving more of the MCU after WandaVision? Well, fortunately, the wait is already over! The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ushers in the next chapter of Phase 4 just two weeks after WandaVision went off the air. Marvel Studios' second live-action MCU series on Disney+ is earning another round of solid reviews, which means you're going to want to make sure you watch the latest episodes and keep up-to-date with all the week-to-week highlights, theories, and discourse.
But don't expect witches, sitcom tropes, or mind-bending pocket realities this time around. As you may have guessed from the title, the series centers on Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes, aka The Winter Soldier, as the two former BFFs of Steve Rogers grapple with the legacy of Captain America, and learn to come to terms with a world without him. Created by Malcolm Spellman, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also sees the return of Daniel Brühl's Zemo and Emily Van Camp's Sharon Carter, along with newcomer Wyatt Russell as John Walker.
And for the first time, Mackie and Stan are bringing their reluctant buddy-cop banter to TV. Though the characters have been built up over the last 10 years of MCU movies, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier won't be screened in theaters. Instead, the series is heading to directly to Disney+ on Friday, March 19. If you're not familiar with streaming service, but need to know what happens to Cap's shield next, not to worry - we've put together a handy guide on how to watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier online and streaming, when new episodes premiere, and what you need to know before the premiere.
Where to Watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier streaming?
No doubt Sam and Bucky will make their way back to the big screen at some point, but for now, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will stream exclusively on Disney+ following the March 19 premiere. Here's the official landing page for the series, in case you want to bookmark it in your browser. But if you don't want to watch the series online, not to worry, you can also access Disney+ on your TV, tablets, and phones via the app, available on mobile devices, Fire TV Stick, Roku, Apple TV, X-Box, and other providers.
Can You Watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Without Disney+?
No. As of now, Marvel Studios' MCU shows will only be available to watch with a Disney+ subscription, including WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. They are not available to rent or purchase through other providers. Back in 2019, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige confirmed to Bloomberg that audiences will now have to keep up with the events of Marvel's Disney+ shows, as well as the theatrical released, to stay current with the complete MCU timeline.
It's always possible that Disney and Marvel will opt for a physical media release down the line, but no plans have been revealed, and considering that The Mandalorian premiered on Disney+ in November 2019 and still has not received a physical release, those plans, if ever, appear to be a long way off.
What Time Does The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Premiere?
New episodes of WandaVision will launch on Disney+ around 12 am PT/ 3 am ET, beginning with the first two episodes on Friday, March 19.
How Long Is The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (And How Many Episodes Are There?)
As of now, TFATWS has only been confirmed for one season, which will have 6 episodes. The first episode will premiere in March, followed by a weekly episode release for the following five episodes through April.
In general, you can expect Marvel's Disney+ shows to run about six hours, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. As Feige recently explained to the Television Critics Association,
"Six hours is what we sort of landed on as, you know, the best way to tell our stories. Six hours — whether it's six episodes, as it is in the case of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, nine shorter episodes, as it is with WandaVision — is just what we landed on early. The shows are not inexpensive. So the per-episode cost is very high to get that bar I was talking about earlier. And, again, so six felt like the appropriate number. At least for now.
Since Falcon and the Winter Soldier is splitting that six hours over six episodes, you can expect a longer runtime compared to WandaVision. However, don't necessarily expect them to run a set hour-a-piece runtime. Feige recently confirmed to us that Marvel will take this approach throughout their streaming series.“Well, we're looking a little differently. We're looking at it as developing them as either six hour-episodes, or nine or 10 half-hour episodes,” said Feige. “So, for instance, WandaVision started that way and Falcon and the Winter Soldier as 30 minutes, but because it's streaming, it's Disney+, and the rules have blurred over the years, yes. Some can be 23 minutes. Some can be much longer than that."
Do I Need to Watch WandaVision Before Falcon and The Winter Soldier?
In short: Definitely not. In the Pre-COVID times, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was meant to premiere before WandaVision as the first live-action MCU series, which means not only do you not need to see WandaVision before TFATWS, you weren't really supposed to. But as Feige recently explained during the Television Critics Association press tour, all of Marvel Studios' films and shows are designed to be an accessible entry point for new audiences.
"We try to make the stories unfold in a way that, if you are following along and have seen what has preceded it, you'll be right up to speed. And more importantly, if you haven't, you'll be up to speed... There will always be different layers of understanding, but as you say, we don't want there to be a barrier to entry."
However, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is, in fact, set after the events of WandaVision. The series is set about six months after the Blip brought back half of all living creatures, which director Kari Skogland recently told us was "absolutely critical" to the design of the show because it gave the world time to get over the immediate emotions of getting their loved ones back and reckon with some of the costs.
"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."
When Is the Falcon and the Winter Soldier Finale?
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's final episode will air on April 23, 2021. New episodes air every Friday after the premiere and you can find the entire release schedule below.
- Episode 1 - Friday, March 19
- Episode 2 - Friday, March 26
- Episode 3 - Friday, April 2
- Episode 4 - Friday, April 9
- Episode 5 - Friday, April 16
- Episode 6 - Friday, April 23