ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Loki: ReWriting Our Future

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Is anybody better at bringing people back from the dead better than Marvel?

Whether its Phil Coulson reappearing in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Natasha Romanoff receiving her first solo film posthumously (albeit as a prequel), Marvel knows how to maximize the characters that fans have grown to love, even after their apparent deaths. Now, after his ‘no more tricks’ fate in Endgame, Loki returns in his own series which promises to have a major impact on the future of the MCU. 

Directed by Kate Herron, Loki begins during the events of Avengers: Endgame and sets the beloved anti-hero off on his own adventure. After escaping from the Avengers and crashing down in Mongolia, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is arrested by the Time Variant Authority (TVA), a bureaucratic organization tasked with maintaining the consistency of time itself. Because of his actions, Loki is charged with disrupting the primary timeline and sentenced to being ‘erased’ from time itself… that is, unless he helps Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) to capture an even greater threat to the universal timeline.

After The Falcon and the Winter Soldier sought to challenge their audience, so too did they also lose the ‘appointment television’ vibe that made WandaVision such a success. Loki should change that. Instead of focussing on the weight of social issues or effects of grief, Loki provides a much-needed dose of levity back into the MCU. With an emphasis on fun and humour, Herron has created a series with a tone far closer to the wildness of Guardians of the Galaxy than the gravitas of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Fueled by wit and silliness, Loki has a comedic energy to it that is sure to excite fans of the franchise. (Though, it’s worth noting that the first episode is exposition-heavy as the series must explain the existence of an entirely different layer of reality that’s been added to the Marvel canon.)

Without question though, the centre of the show remains Hiddleston. After all these years, Hiddleston is more than ready to step into the limelight as his charisma has elevated the role from standard villain to one of Marvel’s most adored characters. (Has it really been 10 years since he first put on the horns?) Due to the time travel element to Loki, Hiddleston brings the character back to his more mischievous origins and clearly relishes the opportunity to bring back Loki’s shades of grey. What’s more, the casting of Wilson as Agent Mobius also provides a suitable foil for Hiddleston. Known for his more innocent charm, Wilson uses his likeability to balance out Loki’s more menacing humour and the two are instantly one of Marvel’s more likeable duos.

With the inclusion of the TVA, the Marvel universe has changed drastically. With the multiverse beginning to come into play, a realm such as the timestream has huge implications for the franchise moving forward. This is a place where ‘time moves differently’, superhuman abilities are rendered useless and Infinity Stones are literally used as paperweights. (The TVA is also the first official mention of the ‘Nexus’ after WandaVision’s famed commercial segments.) 

Of course, this sort of environment is both stunning and enticing to Loki himself. As he marvels (see what I did there?) at their unbelievable power, Loki is forced to realize how small he may truly be. In this world, time is sacred and the TVA are sworn to protect it from those who would dare to change it. As such, Loki is arrested because his escape was not ‘supposed to happen’, even if the Avengers can seem to pull it off without prosecution. (After all, their transgressions were supposed to take place…) In doing so, the series suggests that every character or person has a lane by which they much adhere. Villains are going to be villains. Heroes will save the world. For the TVA, there is little room for improvisation and everyone must behave as they’re expected to behave. 

However, at the same time, the series offers somewhat of a paradox. (That’s shocking for any time travel series, I know.) While Loki is branded a criminal for his decision to break the timestream, he is also offered the chance to make it right. Instead of seeing him solely as a villain, Mobius sees him as something more and suggests there may be another way. (“I can’t offer you salvation but maybe I can offer you something better,” Mobius says cryptically.) To Mobius, Loki’s criminal history does not negate him but instead highlights his craftiness and ingenuity and could provide a new direction for his life.

For Mobius, Loki’s future is not bound by his past.

With a return to its more mischievous tone, Loki is a welcome return to form for the MCU. With Loki, Herron, Hiddleston and Wilson have created a world of limitless potential that should be an instant hit with fans. It’s always most fun when Marvel takes risks and, while Loki doesn’t exactly stray from the style that has made them a juggernaut, it does provide its most unique character with a whole new box of toys to play with. 

Loki is available on Disney+ on Wednesday, June 9th, 2021.

7.19 Diverse Heroes in THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

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With the release of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Marvel finally begins to grapple with one of the most pertinent questions after Avengers: Endgame: Who will take on the shield of Captain America? However, at the same time, the latest series on Disney+ also tries to delve into the much larger issues of American history and racial inequity. This week, Seun Olowo-Ake and Heather Johnson return to tackle questions regarding murky morality, the importance of new perspectives and the battle for the American soul.

You can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.19 The Falcon and the Winter SoldierDownload

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Battle Scars and Bank Loans

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Next one up.

With seven series and five films (!) on tap for 2021, it’s fair to say that Marvel wants to keep their schedule moving along. As a result, even though we’re only two weeks out from the finale of WandaVision (don’t you kind of miss Agatha already?), the House that Stan Lee Built has already moved on to their latest Disney+ entry with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a series which explores what it means to be a hero when you’re stuck living in the shadow of another legend.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier picks up shortly after the events of Avengers: Endgame. (With no direct ties to WandaVision, there’s no obvious indication from the series where they fall in the timeline with one another.) Living from military contract to contract, Sam ‘The Falcon’ Wilson (Antony Mackie) has passed on the opportunity to take on the mantle of Captain America, opting instead to go home and help his sister deal with their family’s fishing business. Meanwhile, Bucky “The Winter Soldier” Barnes (Sebastian Stan) continues to live a life of solitude as he attempts to make amends for his past crimes. However, as a new evil lurks in the shadows, Sam and Bucky must work together to expose their plan and save the world once again.

With the global success of WandaVision and today’s release of the first episode of Falcon, Marvel (and Disney) have seamlessly moved from an (almost) exclusively MCU to the M-TV-U. But, so far at least, the most unexpected element has been the quality of the series thus far.

In some ways, it should not a shock that the Marvel product has been translating so well onto the small screen. While the MCU is known for its big budget special effects and larger than life battle sequence, the material has never forgotten its roots in comic books and long-form storytelling. (Besides, what is the Marvel Cinematic Universe if not the modern equivalent of the Saturday morning serials with a larger budget?) 

Even so, it does come as a bit startling how patient Marvel has been with their storytelling with this new venture into television. For example, in WandaVision, it wasn’t until the 3rd or 4th episode before the Marvel connections really began to take shape. With Falcon, Marvel again shows their confidence in their storytelling (and their fan base) by adopting this patient approach. Though this series will ultimately be only six episodes long, the introduction to the series primarily focuses on the challenges in the lives of our two protagonists. (Seriously, when did you ever think you’d see an Avenger struggle to get a bank loan? Doesn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. take care of their own?) While the series opens with a solid action scene, the rest of the episode focuses almost exclusively on character development, grappling with issues of PTSD and systemic racism.

It instantly impressed me.

Marvel has always been at its most interesting when they take risks. Whereas WandaVision leaned in exclusively into television history, Falcon (so far) seems committed to telling a story that focuses on what happens when the war [seems to be] over. With Sam working from contract to contract and Bucky grappling with the sins of his past, the two men are attempting to reintegrate their lives with everyone else. Though known as heroes for their time with the Avengers, they are now struggling to get by. Whether it’s trying to pay the bills or simply living with extreme anxiety, both Sam and Bucky are coming to grips with life after the shield. 

Now, of course, we know that the story is not going to end there. Teases of a new evil organization point to a more traditional MCU series of large-scale military battles on the horizon. But, for now at least, their greatest battle is understanding the legacy they leave behind. In this way, Sam’s story feels the most relevant. After having passed on the mantle of Captain America, he’s wrestling with his own worthiness as a hero and the missed opportunity to follow in the footsteps of an American icon. Sam understands that the world ‘needs a new hero [that’s] suited for the times we’re in.’ But he doesn’t believe that he can be that person…yet, anyways. (Certainly, the prospect of an African American lead taking on the role of Captain America would be an important opportunity that Disney needs to take—but that remains to be seen at this time.) For Sam (and Bucky as well), the mantle of ‘hero’ simply feels overwhelming. They know who they are and what they’ve done and, because of it, the standard of heroism simply feels too high for them to apply. 

While I’m certain that, eventually, the men will reconcile their past with their role as heroes, it is always interesting when Marvel challenges their characters emotionally. In Falcon and the Winter Soldier, there is a recognition that the mantle of responsibility must be taken seriously. At the same time though, the series also hints at the fact that all leaders are imperfect at some level, meaning true worthiness stems from some other aspect of their character.

But we’ll have to wait for the show to unravel to tell us what that is.

The first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier is available to stream on Disney+ on Friday, March 18th, 2021, with new episodes every Friday.