WandaVision just raised the bar for the Falcon and winter soldier - maybe too high

WandaVision just raised the bar for the Falcon and winter soldier - maybe too high

For Disney Plus and Marvel Studios, Wander Vision is an undeniable hit, dominating the online conversation every week (which is the closest thing to viewership numbers). But as we look forward to the next Marvel show on Disney Plus, I'm beginning to worry that Wander Vision may have raised my expectations too high.

because what began as a high-concept ode to silver screen television, the series quickly became a highlight of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And since last week, Vision's line "But what is sorrow if love does not endure?" has now become one of the emotional peaks of the entire MCU.

The line is up there with the sunset scene at the end of "Black Panther" and Tony Stark's line to his daughter, "I love you 3,000." But how will Disney Plus and Marvel Studios follow up on this success?

As I wrote in my review and recap of Wander Vision episodes 1 and 2, the series captured audiences early on because it was different. Yes, it now looks and feels like a Disney Marvel movie, but for those experiencing MCU fatigue, the first episode was important.

Wander Vision's utterly comfortable atmosphere, mixed with the creepy unresolved question of what's going on, accomplished one of the best rules of screenwriting. It was to "show" and not tell.

Eight episodes later, we knew what was underneath it all, but in the process we got to know Wanda. Using the template of a situation comedy, we gradually learned how much she wanted a family, but with overtones of sadness throughout, beyond the scenes Elizabeth Olsen was given in the few Avengers films she appeared in, gave her the opportunity to flesh out Wanda Maximoff.

Similarly, the Avengers films did not give Paul Bettany much time to explore the role of Vision. Here, in Westview, Vision was clumsily assimilated into human life, and his android intelligence somehow lacked the knowledge that a stick of chewing gum was about to incapacitate him.

The next Disney Plus show, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," benefited similarly from Wundervision. Captain America" featured the "Winter Soldier," but he did not get as much screen time as the major Avengers characters: in "The Winter Soldier," Sam and Bucky made a few appearances.

My concern with this series is that it looks like a regular Marvel movie. From the trailers, it sticks to two of the MCU's strengths: action and team bickering. This is the formula that made the first "Avengers" a hit, and there is no reason why Marvel can't succeed here as well.

I hope it's not too much to ask that Marvel use these new shows to break new ground. We know that Sam has concerns about U.S. Agents (the U.S. government's chosen successor to Captain America) and we know that Bucky will be in therapy and dealing with his emotions, but how much of either will be explored is yet to be determined.

This is not to say that the odds are stacked against Falcon and Winter Soldier. If this series tackles the issue of race in America, it will beg the question, "Is America ready for a Black Captain America? After all, Sam was given the shield by Steve Rogers at the end of Endgame and is the true heir to his name.

Then there is the Hawkeye series. The leaked story is simple: Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) trains Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to take over the bow and arrow. Again, there will be banter and action, but will it feel fresh?

But the potential brilliance will be in the execution and direction. The story is drawn from Matt Fraction and David Aja's critically acclaimed Hawkeye comic, which features dry wit and a minimalist art style. It's too early to tell if Disney will stay true to these ideas (the latter would surprise me), but if so, I'm looking forward to it.

I am not so pessimistic about the potential of the Disney Plus Loki show scheduled for June 11. From the trailers, there are plenty of signs that this series will be a strange one.

First, you get a hard-boiled "True Detective" vibe from Loki. Then there's even the cop who interrogates him, Mobius M. Mobius (played by Owen Wilson). The clip even suggests that Loki will take to the skies like D.B. Cooper, the famous criminal who once jumped out of a plane to escape custody. This is no ordinary MCU production.

And we get the She-Hulk series with Tatiana Maslany in the title role of hero Jennifer Walters, who is also a lawyer. This is like "Law & Order: MCU," which should be full of laughs and drama. The criminal justice system is likely to be more open-ended, with plenty of story possibilities.

Finally, let's talk about Moon Knight. Moon Knight is arguably one of Marvel's lesser-known heroes, vigilante Mark Spector, played by Oscar Isaacs. This character may or may not get his powers from the ancient Egyptian moon god. The fact that he doesn't know where his powers actually come from may give Isaacs the freedom to become a new kind of Marvel hero.

Marvel Studios' ongoing work since 2008's "Iron Man" has been nothing short of impressive, and "Wander Vision" (and subsequent Marvel shows) have played a pivotal role in the long-term project. While "Black Widow" is scheduled to be released on May 7, 2022 (the release date of which is still in question), Marvel programming on Disney Plus will be the more active arm of the corporate film division for the foreseeable future.

Take, for example, "The Eternals," from "Nomadland" director Chloe Zhao. Zhao's pedigree is strong, and there is reason to expect the film to be an epic project, but one always wonders how much room the director has to color outside the lines given by Marvel Studios. With all of the Marvel films working together as pieces of a larger puzzle, there is always reason to suspect that the next project will be "Age of Ultron" rather than "Thor: Ragnarok."

Speaking of Norse mythology, 2022's "Thor: Love & Thunder" is the biggest sure-fire in Marvel Studios' arsenal (excluding Sony's "Spider-Man: No Return"). It shows that the studio may know how to fill the big shoes left by Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. More projects with the ingenuity and imagination of Wander Vision would go a long way toward keeping us from getting bored and preventing Marvel movie fatigue.

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