Marvel Studios‘ political thriller superhero series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was originally planned to have a subplot about a highly contagious virus, but this was written out due to the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the real world.
As reported by The Direct, the new book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios — written by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards — addressed the troubled production of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. The emergence of COVID-19 apparently not only shut down filming in Prague but made one element of the show’s story “a bit too close to reality.”
Malcolm Spellman, director of TFATWS, had previously said that the subplot which was removed had no relation to COVID-19, but MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios provided an update on the show’s history:
‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ had already canceled location work in Puerto Rico after a devastating earthquake in January 2020. The pandemic not only forced the show to abort a shoot in Prague but made a planned plotline about the heroes rushing to stop a fast-spreading disease feel a bit too close to reality. (Spellman acknowledged that the series had removed the side story, although he said that it wasn’t because of the coronavirus.)
TFATWS is a 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series created exclusively for Disney+. The show takes place after the five-year gap in Avengers: Endgame and stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan as Sam Wilson/The Falcon and Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier. Both characters had close ties to Steve Rogers/Captain America, and are now grappling with his death and his final request for Sam to take up his shield as the new Captain America.
By the end of the series, Sam has accepted the mantle, and Mackie will reprise the rebranded superhero in the feature film Captain America: Brave New World, which is currently scheduled to release on July 26, 2024.