Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV series reportedly gets a release date, episode count, and a returning Captain America villain

Falcon Winter Soldier
Image credit: Disney/Marvel Studios

Now Avengers: Endgame has been and gone, attention is turning towards the Disney+ streaming service and its slate of incoming MCU-focused shows. One such series is The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which will see the newly-anointed Captain America, Sam Wilson, teaming up with Bucky Barnes. We might see it sooner than we expected too – as a report reveals a potential release date, episode count, and even the return of an MCU villain with some seriously unfinished business.

As reported by Deadline, the first of the Disney+ MCU shows, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is coming our way in August 2020. It won’t be coming alone. Waiting in the wings is someone who helped cause Bucky and the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes an almighty headache in Captain America: Civil War. Yup, that’s right: Helmut Zemo, as played by Daniel Bruhl, could be making a comeback.

Other than that, we know very little about what’s going to go down in terms of story. However, if the early signs are true and we’re exploring the edges of the MCU a little more, particularly when it comes to villains who never got their comeuppance, then I’m all-in. Bucky needs to give that bespectacled baddie a real good punching.

It’s not going to stick around for long, though. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is apparently only going to have six episodes. Those with Game of Thrones season 8 still very, very fresh in the memory would do well to remember the likes of Iron Fist and Luke Cage taking a sharp downwards dip midway through their 13-episode runs.

We’ll inevitably find out a little more when Disney+ rolls out in the US in late 2019. For now, though, we’ll have to make do with pondering on the impossibly cool (and risky) idea of debuting a new Captain America away from the MCU entirely – and of course one of Cap’s old foes is the first in line for a shield smackdown.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.