Like WandaVision, production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was paused due to the pandemic. The show was supposed to be the first Marvel Studios TV series to hit Disney+ but became the second; the impact was minor, though Valentina Allegra de Fontaine ended up making her debut in Black Widow.
We've long heard rumblings that COVID resulted in some big changes being made to the team-up, including the removal of a virus subplot thought to be based on the Madbomb concept from the comics.
In the recently released MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, written by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, it's confirmed this virus was indeed removed from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
"'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' had already cancelled location work in Puerto Rico after a devastating earthquake in January 2020," reads an excerpt from the book. "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," it adds, "although he said that it wasn’t because of the coronavirus."
That's likely a reference to an interview in which Head Writer Malcolm Spellman said, "I loved it, and it had nothing to do with the pandemic...I want to see if we can get some of the writers to do a book run on it because I think Kevin [Feige] does it. I've been told to stop talking about it."
The Flagsmashers largely underwhelmed as villains and that could be because they were lacking an effective McGuffin. There have been rumblings about a possible racial component to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's Madbomb, with it prompting those affected to attack people of a certain race. That's never been confirmed but, if accurate, it's easy enough to understand why it was scrapped.
Marvel Studios' The Falcon and The Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka The Falcon, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier. The pair, who came together in the final moments of Avengers: Endgame” team up on a global adventure that tests their abilities—and their patience.
Directed by Kari Skogland with Malcolm Spellman serving as head writer, the series also stars Daniel Brühl as Zemo, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, and Wyatt Russell as John Walker.
Do you think Marvel Studios made the right decision by cutting this virus storyline from the show?