"New World Order" is the first episode of the American television miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Sam Wilson / Falcon and Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. It follows the pair as they adjust to life after returning from the Blip at the end of Avengers: Endgame (2019). The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by head writer Malcolm Spellman and directed by Kari Skogland.
Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie reprise their respective roles as Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson from the film series, with Wyatt Russell, Erin Kellyman, Danny Ramirez, Georges St-Pierre, Adepero Oduye, and Don Cheadle also starring. Development began by October 2018, with Spellman hired to serve as head writer of the series. Skogland joined in May 2019. They focused on exploring the title characters, including themes related to Wilson's life as a Black superhero in America and his response to being handed the mantle of Captain America in Endgame. Filming took place at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with location filming occurring in the Atlanta metropolitan area and in Prague. An aerial battle was mostly filmed practically with Red Bull Air Force skydivers in wingsuits; Weta Digital integrated this and other footage with a digital background and additional effects.
"New World Order" was released on the streaming service Disney+ on March 19, 2021. It became the most-watched Disney+ series premiere, surpassing the series premiere of WandaVision. The episode received positive reviews from critics, with praise going to its opening aerial battle, the characterization of Wilson and Barnes, and the racial themes included. However, it received criticism over Wilson and Barnes not sharing any scenes together and there were some negative comparisons made between the episode and Marvel Television's Netflix series. The episode received several accolades, including a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award nomination for Cheadle's role as James Rhodes.
Plot Six months after half of all life returned from the Blip, the U.S. Air Force sends Sam Wilson to stop a plane hijacking over Tunisia by the terrorist group LAF, led by Georges Batroc. With ground support from first lieutenant Joaquin Torres, Wilson fights the terrorists and rescues Air Force Captain Vassant before they cross into Libyan airspace and cause an international incident. On the ground, Torres tells Wilson about another terrorist group, the Flag Smashers, who believe life was better during the Blip.
In Washington, D.C., Wilson gives Captain America's shield to the U.S. government to display in a museum exhibit about Steve Rogers. He later explains to James Rhodes that he feels like the shield still belongs to Rogers. In Delacroix, Louisiana, Wilson's sister Sarah struggles to keep the family fishing business going. He offers to use his status as a famous superhero to help them get a new loan, but they are turned down due to the business's poor profits and Wilson's lack of income during his five-year absence.
Meanwhile, in New York City, Bucky Barnes attends government-mandated therapy after being pardoned for his actions as the brainwashed assassin known as the Winter Soldier. He discusses his attempts to make amends for his time as the Winter Soldier with his therapist, Dr. Raynor. Barnes later has lunch with an elderly man named Yori, who convinces him to go on a date with a waitress named Leah. Both Yori and Leah discuss how Yori's son RJ was killed with no explanation. Barnes recalls killing RJ as the Winter Soldier, which happened after RJ witnessed an assassination by him in the hotel where he was staying. Barnes is unable to reveal this to Yori, and has also been ignoring text messages from Wilson.
Torres investigates the Flag Smashers and sees a bank robbery in Switzerland perpetrated by a group member with superhuman strength. Torres confronts him, but is knocked unconscious. He later informs Wilson of what he has learned. Wilson then sees the government announce a new Captain America, giving Rogers's shield to John Walker.
Production Development By October 2018, Marvel Studios was developing a limited series starring Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson / Falcon and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films. Malcolm Spellman was hired as head writer of the series, which was announced as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in April 2019. Spellman modeled the series after buddy films that deal with race, such as 48 Hrs. (1982), The Defiant Ones (1958), Lethal Weapon (1987), and Rush Hour (1998). Kari Skogland was hired to direct the miniseries a month later, and executive produced alongside Spellman and Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Nate Moore. Written by Spellman, the first episode is titled "New World Order".
Writing The series is set six months after the film Avengers: Endgame (2019). Spellman said the series' characters are dealing with the state of the MCU following the Blip, as seen in that film, which has similarities to the real post-COVID-19 pandemic era. Feige described the state of the MCU as a "new world order". The episode explores Wilson and Barnes separately, showing their lives after Endgame. Feige suggested this approach because he felt the two characters had always existed within the larger context of MCU films and needed to be introduced to the audience as individuals before being brought together as a team in future episodes.
The creative team wanted to introduce more elements of Wilson's life, including his family, friends, and hometown. Though Wilson was originally based in Harlem in Marvel Comics, they decided to base him in Mackie's home of New Orleans to relate the character to Mackie's personal life. One of the post-Blip details that the episode explores is when Wilson tries to get a bank loan with his sister, Sarah. Actress Adepero Oduye felt the bank scene explored a different facet of the MCU in a realistic and grounded manner. Spellman revealed that specifics of the scene were debated "all the way up to the top" at Marvel Studios to ensure it would resonate with audiences due to the struggle for Black people to obtain bank loans that it depicts. He added that "every one of us who is Black in day to day life have those experiences ... how could you ever write [Wilson] going to get a loan without dealing with the reality of what happens when Black people try to get loans?" For Barnes, the episode shows him attempting to make amends for his violent actions as the Winter Soldier. He befriends Yori, the father of one of his victims, who Spellman intended to represent all of the Winter Soldier's victims. Barnes is shown having "some level of normalcy", including discussing online dating, but feels that he does not belong to any era.
The central conflict that Spellman and Marvel wanted to explore with the series was whether Wilson would become Captain America after being handed the shield by Steve Rogers at the end of Endgame. They felt that having the US government "betray" Wilson by naming someone else as Captain America would be the most appropriate way to align with the series' themes. They went through many different versions before settling on the final storyline: Wilson chooses to give up the shield early in the episode, and then John Walker is introduced as the new government-approved Captain America at the end. Skogland described this ending as "the hammer into the nail" for the conversation regarding Wilson's relinquishment of the shield, and it kickstarts the story for the rest of the series. She highlighted the nationalist rhetoric used in the announcement, with quotes such as "relatable", "this country", and "America's greatest values". Spellman explained that Wilson would focus on his internal doubts after seeing the government hand the shield to "some unknown white guy" and added that a Black man being betrayed by his country was powerful but unsurprising to both Wilson and the audience. He was confident in exploring that interpretation of betrayal as the writers' room mostly consisted of Black people who were equipped to candidly portray the difficulties that the first African-American superhero would face. He said Wilson was uncertain because of Rogers's absence, which had put pressure on Wilson, and also because he was a Black man being handed Captain America's mantle. Spellman felt it would be dishonest to "tell a story about a Black man holding that shield without his identity making him very, very ambivalent about whether or not it's a good thing".
Spellman initially wanted the government to take the shield from Wilson, but Moore suggested that Wilson relinquish it on his own to make it more of a character moment. When Wilson does this in the episode, his decision is questioned by James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine. Skogland said Rhodes was a mentor for Wilson in the series, while Spellman said the two characters have a shorthand that allows the audience to "fill in the blanks" when the pair pause during the scene. Spellman also felt that it was apparent to audiences that the scene features the two main Black superheroes from the MCU having a quiet moment together and said there is an underlying suggestion that Rhodes has filled the role left by his friend Tony Stark / Iron Man and is wondering why Wilson has not done the same for Rogers. Many iterations of this scene were discussed, including a version where Wilson and Rhodes talk while flying in their respective superhero suits, but ultimately a quieter and more poignant direction was taken with the pair walking around a museum exhibit.
Casting The episode stars Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Erin Kellyman as Karli Morgenthau, Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Georges St-Pierre as Georges Batroc, Adepero Oduye as Sarah Wilson, and Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes. Also appearing are Desmond Chiam, Dani Deetté, and Indya Bussey as the Flag Smashers Dovich, Gigi, and DeeDee, respectively, Amy Aquino as Barnes's therapist Dr. Raynor, Chase River McGhee and Aaron Haynes as Wilson's nephews Cass and AJ, Ken Takemoto as Yori, Ian Gregg as Unique, Miki Ishikawa as Leah, Vince Pisani as a loan officer, Alphie Hyorth as a government official, Rebecca Lines as Senator Atwood, Jon Briddell as Major Hill, Miles Brew as Colonel Vassant, Charles Black as Carlos, and Akie Kotabe as Yori's son RJ. Archival audio of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers from Avengers: Endgame is heard in the episode.
Filming Filming for the series officially began in November 2019, taking place at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with Skogland directing and P.J. Dillon serving as cinematographer. Location filming took place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, Prague, and at the Maxwell Air Force Base and Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Georgia and Alabama, respectively. The series was shot like a film, with Skogland and Dillon filming all of the content at once based on available locations. Most of the first episode's footage was filmed before production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.