We already knew that Captain America (Chris Evans) was going to be heading to the big screen again after his first solo adventure and his team-up with his super-powered buddies in THE AVENGERS, but there wasn’t much else to go on. Now, only days after Marvel announced that the title for the sequel would be CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, we now have a little bit more information on what we can expect in the sequel. THR is reporting that Anthony Mackie (THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, THE HURT LOCKER) is in final negotiations to play Sam Wilson, Marvel’s first African-American superhero, who guys by the alter-ego The Falcon.
In the original comics, Sam Wilson was a social worker in Harlem who had an empathic link with his falcon whom he named Redwing (and later the ability to see thru not only the eyes of Redwing, but of any nearby birds) and was able to fly due to a flying harness. In the Ultimate Universe, The Falcon is a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a scientist who’s wings are made of nanotechnology (hello IRON MAN 3). I imagine with the Marvel Cinematic Universe having such a large Ultimates influence and the fact that Kevin Feige has said that the Cap sequel will have a large S.H.I.E.L.D. prescence that the film version will most likely resemble the Ultimate version as well.
The title also brings up some more questions that we are sure will be answered in the coming months. If you have not seen the first CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, you may want to skip this next line, but those of us that have seen the movie will know that Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) met what seemed to be his demise by falling from a train that was high up on a mountain, however, as is normal with comics, we did not see his actual death, just the fall. In the comics, Bucky is later found to be alive by the Russians who fix him up and, due to his amnesia, program and train him to be a super assassin.
Well, with the new title for the movie, it is apparent that Bucky Barnes did, in fact, survive the fall and will most likely come back as The Winter Soldier. Variety is reporting that Sebastian Stan is indeed back for the sequel. It’s an exciting time for Marvel fans and we are sure to find out some more info in the upcoming weeks / months.
What do you think? Are you excited to see this direction for the sequel? What do you think of Mackie in the role of Sam Wilson / The Falcon?
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER is directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo and will star Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Sebastian Stan and (possibly) Anthony Mackie. The film is set to hit theaters on April 4, 2014.
Jim is an avid movie enthusiast, representing the general movie going audience, looking at movies for their entertainment value as opposed to their critical weight. He enjoys the escapism that movies provide. He is a fan of all genre's of movies, but gravitates toward comic-based movies, summer "popcorn" flicks and over-the-top comedies as his preference. 
