After initially being set for release in August, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was quietly delayed when it was left off the Disney Plus schedule, although most people were already expecting it to be pushed back after it became one of the first major productions forced to shut down in March as the Coronavirus pandemic swept across the planet.
Unfortunately, the studio have still yet to confirm an official bow for the exclusive streaming series, which has since been leapfrogged by WandaVision as the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s aggressive expansion onto the small screen. And based on Black Widow being shunted by an entire year, we might not end up seeing Sam and Bucky’s next odd couple adventure for a while yet.
Back in simpler times when the MCU’s Phase Four was set to roll out on schedule, though, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was due to hit Disney Plus three months after Scarlett Johansson’s film arrived in theaters. The franchise is designed and released in a specific order, of course, so all of the various plot points tie together, leading to speculation that the show couldn’t premiere until after Natasha Romanoff’s solo debut was launched or it would mess up the continuity.
Now, following the news that Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova is set to return to the MCU in Hawkeye, insider Grace Randolph has seemingly confirmed that the Academy Award nominated actress will also be back for the buddy spy series, something we first told you months ago. It’s unclear what role she might have in the project, though, and even if Black Widow ends up premiering on Disney Plus as has been rumored, we’re still at least five months away from The Falcon and the Winter Solider‘s debut. Meaning we won’t get the answers we seek for a while yet.
