The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is sure to delve into the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s world of espionage like never before, but that was not always the plan. Before the coronavirus pandemic forced the delay of its release, it was supposed to be Black Widow that first explored this world, but as the MCU pivoted, the production delays forced on Falcon and Winter Soldier may well lead the show to depict a different side of the world of secret government operatives. If the comics are anything to go by, however, the settings of Falcon and Winter Soldier and Black Widow may not be so far apart as Black Widow and the Winter Soldier have far deeper connections than the MCU has yet revealed.
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In adapting Bucky Barnes’ role as the Winter Soldier to the big screen, a lot stayed the same, including his abduction after seeming to die in World War II, his brainwashing and cybernetic enhancement, and his subsequent cryogenic freezing and periodic implementation throughout the 20th century. However, the MCU changed the organization responsible for Bucky’s misdeeds, establishing his connection to HYDRA rather than the Russian government. The Black Widow’s roots, however, remain firmly in the Russian government in both the comics and films.
While this doesn’t change the characters individually much, it changes everything when it comes to how they relate to each other in the comics. Given the Winter Soldier program that trained Bucky and the Black Widow program that trained Natasha were both created by Russia and the Soviet Union, it was easy enough to make a connection between the two redemptive heroes’ origins. Though both of their memories were heavily altered through their programming, in the comics they eventually remember they trained and served together. However, in the MCU the connection would seemingly make little sense.
When the two characters first clash in Captain America: The Winter Soldier they did not seem to have any personal knowledge of one another. However, when dealing with the ever-shifting worlds of espionage, deep-state programs and brainwashing there is always room for change. Even in the comics, there were layers to the characters’ relationship the pair would only uncover, recover and discover as they dug into their mercurial pasts. With Black Widow expected to delve further into Natasha’s past and her training with the Red Room, a possible connection to or cameo from the Winter Soldier would be a perfect way to tie the separate projects together.
We already know HYDRA infiltrated the world’s governments for years, and the secretive Red Room training scores of young women to serve as elite assassins would be a natural place for the organization to have a presence. As Black Widow peels back the layers of the heroine’s past, a training sequence with Bucky would perhaps be one of the coolest flashbacks the movie could show. Plus, with the projects’ release dates flipped around, it’s a scene that could equally prove a natural fit for Falcon and Winter Soldier.
What would be most severely lost in translation, however, is the romance between the two. With Natasha dead following Avengers: Endgame, there would be little hope for the formerly brainwashed assassins finding solace in each other’s arms as they did in the comics. Although with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova possibly setup to inherit the role of Black Widow, there could be hope for an altered version of the romance somewhere in the future.
There are many possibilities for how the MCU could tie Black Widow and the Winter Soldier together, but given their strong connection in the comics, it would be a missed opportunity to fail to connect the characters on-screen.
Directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly and Daniel Brühl. The series premieres March 19 on Disney+.
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