The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Photo Leak Teases An Unexpected Twist

There are many MCU-themed shows in development for Disney+, but the one that's been hit with the most setbacks might just be The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. First, its debut was pushed to Fall 2020, and then all the way to 2021 — which means that the considerably quirkier-looking WandaVision will now be the streaming service's first original foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

This doesn't mean that the show focusing on Sam "The Falcon" Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky "The Winter Soldier" Barnes (Sebastian Stan) won't be worth the wait, though. A look behind the scenes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier reveals that the Kari Skogland-directed series will be a real monster of a show. Apart from the two superheroes, it will feature a number of returning MCU characters, from the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) to the dangerous mercenary Georges Batroc (Georges St-Pierre). We'll also see the cinematic debut of John "US Agent" Walker (Wyatt Russell). 

Though we still have to wait for a while before we actually get to see the show, some interesting information about its potential plot has started trickling in. In fact, a new The Falcon and the Winter Soldier photo leak seems to be teasing a massively unexpected twist. 

It looks like the Falcon and the Winter Soldier aren't on quite as bad terms with an old enemy as you might assume. We've known for a while that the Captain America: Civil War villain Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) will return on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Considering his antagonistic status in the MCU and comics alike, it's been easy to assume that this extremely dangerous man — whose machinations actually managed to cause a rift within the Avengers — would be the villain of the piece. What's more, MCU Zemo's background as the leader of Sokovia's elite paramilitary assassin force EKO Scorpion would also make him a perfectly logical foe for Sam and Bucky, both of whom also come from a military background.   

However, a recent set image makes it seem like our two heroes will actually end up teaming up with Zemo. In a newly-emerged set photo from January 2020 (via The Direct), we see the three stand together, seemingly getting ready for a battle against some unseen outside force. 

This, of course, is potentially a huge deal. It's highly unlikely that Zemo will start the show in great terms with Sam and Bucky. In fact, even if the image simply shows a very brief team-up in order to fight off some outside force before resuming the battle between each other, it could still mean that the show features a threat so big that the trio has to temporarily put aside their differences and fight against a common enemy. 

We'll find out exactly what (or who) that danger could be when The Falcon and the Winter Soldier drops on Disney+ in 2021.