Disney Plus’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was slapped with the local equivalent of an R-rating in several international territories, as some of the action sequences were much more brutal and hard hitting than we’d become accustomed to seeing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it was evident which episodes regular John Wick scribe Derek Kolstad had worked on.
A mixture of globetrotting buddy adventure and political thriller with no shortage of social commentary, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes’ spinoff series is arguably the most mature effort we’ve seen from the MCU so far in either film or television. So, it makes sense that we’re now hearing from our sources – the same ones who told us the project was in development long before it was officially confirmed – that Captain America 4 will double down on those themes and be more mature and political than typical Marvel fare.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s lead writer Malcolm Spellman has already teased the continuation of Sam’s arc, and there are certainly enough pieces in play for his solo feature film debut to pick up right where his TV show left off. According to our information, the franchise’s new star-spangled superhero will end up going against the government, and while further details remain unclear for now, the key will be to ensure that it stands apart from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which boasted a very similar narrative throughline.
If we were to guess, Emily VanCamp’s Power Broker could be the catalyst for at least some of Sam’s governmental distrust given that she’s been welcomed back with open arms despite having her own nefarious intentions, although it’ll be a while before we find out for sure, with Captain America 4 not expected to arrive until 2024 at the earliest.
