If You Like ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ on Disney+, Here’s What to Watch Between Episodes

If the first episode of the new Disney+ Original The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has you strapped in and ready for more, you’re far from alone. Decider’s Stream It Or Skip It? reviewers rated Falcon a resounding

STREAM IT.

and found five hidden references in the first episode that you might have missed.

If you’ve been along for the last five movies connecting Falcon’s plot and central characters (here in ascending order)—

1. Captain America: The First Avenger
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
3. Captain America: Civil War
4. Avengers: Infinity War
5. Avengers: Endgame

—then you’re no stranger to the big budget, star powered intensity of the multiverse that Falcon resides in.

But if you feel like you’ve got some catching up to do, Decider’s Brett White assures us that Civil War is all you really need to see, explaining,

This is the film wherein Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) went from enemies to frenemies, standing side-by-side with Captain America in his battle against Iron Man and, uh, government oversight.

And for fans of Wandavision, he says,

Add in all the feelings you’ll have seeing Wanda and Vision again after that heartbreaking WandaVision finale, and Civil War is the Marvel movie of the moment.

Falcon’s first episode left us with a lot to speculate about, and a whole week to wait for the next episode. In the meantime, here’s a list of related films you can distract yourself with, each exemplifying an aspect of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

If you like watching cyborgs pummel legions of enemies:

• Hardcore Henry

Hardcore Henry’s protagonist has a lot in common with Bucky’s history: he’s a cybernetically enhanced amnesiac being manipulated by his enemies. Henry, however, doesn’t have to share the spotlight with superheroes. The entire movie takes place from a first-person point of view, filmed on GoPro cameras.

As a singular film focused on non-stop action, Henry doesn’t have Falcon’s depth of story, but does offer the most immersive experience for those that enjoy cyborgs delivering sweet, metal fisted justice.

• Alita: Battle Angel

Visual spectacle Alita: Battle Angel is the story of another unfortunate amnesiac, making her way from the literal bottom to the top—starting as a bodiless brain thrown in the dump.

Alita’s determination is unbreakable, like the Winter Soldier’s. Watching her strategically conquer foes, even after being dismembered, is an uplifting wonder to behold.

And like the first episode of Falcon, Alita’s ending leaves a lot of room for continuation.

If you like watching former assassins try to have a normal life:

• The Long Kiss Goodnight

Falcon’s first episode has Bucky on a casual date with a server named Leah, or so it seems. She subtly grills him about his role in the loss of Yori’s son, causing him to leave, so we don’t really get to see him having a normal life.

The Long Kiss Goodnight’s Samantha Caine also tries to have a normal life, living with her boyfriend and daughter in a small town, where she teaches. It’s the part about having no recollection of how she got there that bothers her.

The private investigators she hires aren’t much help, until she tries working with a young Nick Fury—er, an investigator named Mitch Henessey.

Uncovering her former identity also uncovers a CIA conspiracy, and we can only hope that Bucky and Sam have each other’s backs the way “Samantha” and Mitch do in this classic film.

If you empathize with superheroes that struggle to pay their bills:

• Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 & Spider-Man 3 (Tobey McGuire)

Falcon’s Sam Wilson highlights an often overlooked issue: he can risk his life to save the world, but he can’t afford to live in it.

When he tries to get a loan with his sister, the banker is pre-occupied with Sam’s celebrity status. He’s thrilled to take selfies with Sam, but can’t be bothered to help him in any way.

Falcon’s courage in raising awareness about institutional inequality is a promising sign for the series. Superheroes had already become less relatable, even in the Marvel Comic Universe; its signature underdog, Spider-Man, was now being coddled by Tony Stark’s wealth, and living comfortably with a young Aunt May.

Author Cameron Carpenter at Medium reflects on the financial struggles of Toby McGuire’s Spider-Man in his article, Poor Peter Parker: The Gentrification of Spider-Man, writing,

His apartment in SPIDER-MAN 2 and 3 is small, dilapidating, and comes with an intrusive landlord always pestering him for his rent. Even when he wants to splurge on a night out celebrating MJ, he can’t afford an entire bouquet of flowers, and he’s constantly negotiating photo prices of Spider-Man with his boss J. Jonah Jameson — sometimes even asking for advances with which he can never keep up.

If you find superheroes that face common struggles more interesting, then Toby McGuire’s Spider-Man movies are an excellent choice.

If you love high-tech, high action espionage:

Mission Impossible: Fallout

The opening of Falcon’s first episode sent Sam on a covert mission to rescue a military captain in restricted airspace. Sam’s version of “covert” happened to be an epic, theatre quality, aerial battle that saw him alternate between close quarters combat, soaring through canyons, and dodging missiles.

Mission Impossible: Fallout’s top agent, Ethan Hunt, also spends an unusual amount of time at high altitudes, like when he jumps out of a plane at 25,000 feet. He shares Sam’s affinity for destroying helicopters and engaging in high speed pursuits. However, Hunt’s actor (Tom Cruise) actually performs all of his stunts in the film, which brings maximum intensity to the screen.

Thank you for reading!

If you’d like to see my other movie recommendations, check out: