Marvel Studios will continue to extend the reach of theMarvel Cinematic Universeon Disney+ with additional new series likeWandaVisionthat will further explore characters and storylines established on the big screen, and fans are excitedly waiting for the upcoming release ofThe Falcon And The Winter Soldierseries that will explore the new status quo afterAvengers: Endgame.
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The series reunites Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson with Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes as they deal with the absence of Steve Rogers along with new and returning threats that might have some fans jumping to the comics for more information, so we’ve gathered a collection of comics for fans to read before the first episode ofThe Falcon And The Winter Soldierdrops on Disney+.
10Flag-Smasher And His ULTIMATUM Organization Debuted In Captain America
Erin Kellyman will star as Karla Morgenthau, the leader of an anti-patriotism organization known as the Flag-Smashers inThe Falcon And The Winter Soldier, which reimagines the character similarly known as Flag-Smasher who frequently tangled withCaptain Americaas he attempted to spread his anarchist ideals.
Flag-Smasher first created his own militant organization known as U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M. (Underground Liberated Totally Integrated Mobile Army To Unite Mankind) that first appeared inCaptain America#321 by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary, which may serve as inspiration for the MCU’s Flag-Smashers.
9"The Replacement" Introduced John Walker As The New Captain America
The Falcon And The Winter Soldierwill also introduceanother patriotic hero to the MCUas Wyatt Russell will make his debut as John Walker, the United States Armed Forces' chosen replacement for Steve Rogers who will work alongside Clé Bennett’s Lemar Hoskins/Battlestar in the upcoming series.
Walker first appeared as the Sentinel of Liberty inCaptain America#333’s “The Replacement” by Mark Gruenwald and Tom Morgan following a short-lived career as the similarly-garbed Super-Patriot, though he ultimately gave the title back to Steve Rogers.
8Captain America #354 Reintroduced Walker As The U.S. Agent
John Walker’s time as Captain America ended when he faked his death and began training in a new role for the Commission on Superhuman Activities, which was ultimately revealed inCaptain America#354 as U.S. Agent made his first official debut. The character wore them during his time away from the Captain America identity.
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Russell’s upcoming debut as John Walker could be setting up this next step for the character as the title of Captain America is likely to become a hotly debated issue during the events ofThe Falcon And The Winter Soldier.
7Fallen Son: The Death Of Captain America Asked Who Will Wield The Shield?
The identity and responsibilities of Captain America have been passed on a few times in the comics, though one of the most monumental came after the character’s supposed death in the final moments of theCivil Warstoryline.
Fallen Sonwas a series of one-shots released after Captain America’s death that explored the five stages of grief and included the star-studded and emotionally-gripping funeral of Captain America while also highlighting potential candidates for the shield of Captain America that included heroes likeHawkeye, Falcon, and Winter Soldier, who was Rogers' original choice for the role.
6"The Burden of Dreams" Introduced Bucky As The New Captain America
Bucky’s time as Captain America featured a brand new suit that homagedCaptain America’s classic shield while also updated the costumeto better fit Bucky’s modern style as he began to investigate Captain America’s death and deal with his own past as the manipulated Winter Soldier.
Sam Wilson/Falcon worked alongside Bucky during this storyline to help him get accustomed to his new role, though any direct adaptation of this storyline would likely see the roles reversed given Sam’s claim to the shield.
5The Winter Soldier And Hawkeye Tracked Down Black Widow Sightings In Tales Of Suspense
The classicTales of Suspensecomic series returned in 2018 from Matthew Rosenberg and Travel Foreman and saw Winter Soldier and Hawkeye team up to investigate reports of their fallen teammate Black Widow, who died during theSecret Empireevent.
While Hawkeye will be busy on his own Disney+ series training young Kate Bishop, fans have been theorizing about the potential return of the MCU’s Black Widow following her death inAvengers: Endgame, and if her return does occur onThe Falcon And The Winter Soldier, this comic series could serve as potential adaption material.
4"The Tomorrow Soldier" Featured Sam Wilson’s Debut As The New Captain America
Steve Rogers ill-fated battle with the powerful villain known as The Iron Nail led to his loss of the Super-Soldier serum which resulted in his advanced aging and retirement from therole of Captain America.
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“The Tomorrow Soldier” by Rick Remender and Carlos Pacheco saw Sam Wilson prove himself as a worthy successor to the role of Captain America as he helped stop an invasion from Arnim Zola and his hordes of monsters from Dimension Z that also introduced the adoptive son of Steve Rogers, Ian Zola Rogers/Nomad.
3All-New Captain America Featured A Showdown Between Sam Wilson And Baron Zemo
Sam Wilson debuted asMarvel’s Sentinel of Libertyin Rick Remender and Stuart Immonen’sAll-New Captain Americaas he took on Hydra and its new leader Baron Zemo, who planned to unleash a deadly Inhuman’s blood plague on the world.
One of the biggest announcements to come from the upcomingThe Falcon And The Winter Soldierwas that Daniel Brühl from2016’sCaptain America: Civil Warwill reprise the role of Baron Zemo for the series (complete with comic-accurate mask), and the comic confrontation between Wilson and Zemo could give fans an early look at things to come.
2Sam Wilson Clashed With U.S. Agent Over His New Role During Civil War II
Wyatt Russell’s involvement as John Walker inThe Falcon And The Winter Soldiercould tease the comic matchup between Wilson’s Captain America and Walker in his U.S. Agent identity in the pages of Nick Spencer and Daniel Acuña’sCaptain America: Sam Wilsonduring theCivil War IIevent.
U.S. Agent had been manipulated into an attack on Sam Wilson in a public campaign to #takebacktheshield that was fueled by those unhappy with Sam Wilson’s role as Captain America, which will likely factor into the Disney+ series' storyline.
1Falcon & Winter Soldier Teamed Up To Take Down Hydra
Derek Landy and Federico Vicentini’s recentFalcon & Winter Soldierseries teamed up the titular pair in the comics ahead of their live-action Disney+ series as Sam and Bucky are brought together on an investigation into the new leadership of Hydra before the organization is able to unleash a massive terrorist attack.
Fans of theMCU’s unique take on the relationshipbetween Steve Rogers' best friends that will be further explored onThe Falcon And The Winter Soldierseries will find a lot to love in their comic adventures as well.
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