Here's When The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Takes Place

Now that Marvel Studios has officially claimed its place in the streaming realm, the MCU is set to leave behind the wonderful pathos of WandaVision for a more straight shot of high-flying, high-octane action in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. That series swoops onto Disney+ on March 19th, by the way. And when it does, it'll find Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson — better known as the Falcon — pondering whether to take up the mantle of Captain America, while battling alongside Steve Rogers' pal Bucky Barnes, AKA the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) to take down an enemy from the past: the nefarious Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl), last seen in Captain America: Civil War.

The how and why of Zemo's escape from custody remain as uncertain as what, exactly, he's planning in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. And while plot details surrounding the new series remain tightly under wraps, one has to assume Zemo's return may have something to do with the undoing of Thanos' population-halving snap. Of course, these so-called "Blip" returns played a big part of the WandaVision narrative, too, with that series largely unfolding in the immediate aftermath of the dramatic events of Avengers: Endgame. And just as that post-Endgame setting dramatically impacted the WandaVision narrative, it will also impact The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

How much, though? As confirmed by series director Kari Skogland in a recent piece from Collider, it looks like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be set a full six months after the Avengers sent Thanos (Josh Brolin) packing — which also means it's been six months since half the population "Blipped" back to life, which has consequences the show intends to deal with.

As noted in that Collider piece, Skogland is merely confirming the series' place in the increasingly complicated MCU timeline, since this information is mentioned directly in the The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's inaugural episode. And per Skogland, that post-Blip return setting could not have been more essential in crafting the overarching narrative. "Everything narratively was informed by that event for us. It meant that we're just past the shock of it. We're just past the joy of it — because we're imagining that there would be a lot of joy, in people returning. Now we're into the reality of it, which is complicated."

Skogland went on to offer, "With half the population Blipped away, you've got different economic circumstances, different border circumstances. Different countries were cooperative, that weren't before. Neighbors are cooperating, who weren't necessarily getting along before. People moved into houses that they didn't own before. Everything changed. Now we're into that moment. We're past the surprise of it and now we're into the realities of it [...] Some of it's good and some of it's not so good."

It's worth noting that both Sam and Bucky were Blipped out themselves at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. As such, it's a safe bet each will be dealing with their own specific issues after returning to the real world, and presumably, doing without the sage guidance of their co-bestie Steve. Whatever the case, all will soon be revealed when The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's adventure begins on Disney+ on March 19 — this Friday!