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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Malcolm Spellman Is Ready to Deliver an Undeniably Black Superhero Story

Richiek

Richiek

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Nov 2, 2017
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tvline.com

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s Malcolm Spellman Is Ready to Deliver an Undeniably Black Superhero Story

'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' executive producer Malcolm Spellman is set to deliver a Black superhero story in the upcoming series.
tvline.com tvline.com

Here's a interview with Malcom Spellman, the showrunner for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Spellman's packed calendar is a stark contrast to the first decade-and-a-half of his career, in which the Bay Area native struggled to find work amid rampant racial bias throughout the entertainment industry. "For the first 15 years of my career, I couldn't mount consistent work," Spellman tells TVLine. "Executives would say out loud, 'You can't have a Black lead in this project because it won't sell overseas.'
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Spellman hopes the show will have a positive impact on Black youth, similar to how 2018's Black Panther affected his nephew, who takes pride in wearing his T'challa costume every day.

"When you start to see the direct impact that a Black superhero had on my nephew, that's branded on my brain," Spellman notes. "I believe that Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a nice progression with the mantle that [Black Panther director Ryan] Coogler and Chadwick [Boseman] left us. I really do believe that these giant Black icons are necessary, not only for Black kids, but for white kids to start to absorb — our people as being big and heroic."
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"I think one of the most important things is the faith I have that there are no limitations to the size of specifically Black stories. They can be as big as anyone else's," he shares. "We learned that with Empire, we learned it with Black Panther [and] we're going to see that with Falcon and the Winter Soldier. There's just zero argument against that anymore.
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To those who saw the Super Bowl trailer for the show and thought it was just a "formulaic" action buddy comedy, it looks like it will tackle the issues of race and a black man taking up the mantle of Captain America. If we can get the comics have given us, I think this series will deliver the goods.

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tidewatersouthern

tidewatersouthern

Member
Nov 27, 2020
4,257
I've had a feeling that this series will be meatier than what they've shown us. I'm sure that it will look and feel more like regular MCU fare than WandaVision has, but that doesn't mean it can't tackle heavier issues at the same time. The tv series format gives them more time to dive into those issues than a movie would.
 
DrForester

DrForester

Mod of the Year 2006
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Oct 25, 2017
21,704
Other than hearing who the antagonist is I haven't paid attention to this at all. But I am REALLY looking forward to it. I think Mackie deserved more in the movies. He's also really funny, and I'm looking forward to the banter with him and Stan
 
LewieP

LewieP

Member
Oct 26, 2017
18,099
Yes yes yes.

There have indeed been subtle hints at this, but I wasn't sure if it was just going to be a small part of the backdrop. Really pleased to hear this is the direction.

I'm invested.
 
Slayven

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
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Oct 25, 2017
93,140
Maybe Spellman can be redeemed after signing on to HBO's Confederate
 
sfedai0

sfedai0

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Oct 27, 2017
9,956
So are they actually a buddy duo in the comics? Cause I didnt see any chemistry in the movies. Actually, I barely remember any scenes they had together besides being in the car. Still feel its a strange pair up.
 
xxracerxx

xxracerxx

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
31,222
sfedai0 said:
So are they actually a buddy duo in the comics? Cause I didnt see any chemistry in the movies. Actually, I barely remember any scenes they had together besides being in the car. Still feel its a strange pair up.
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I thought they had good chemistry in the movies. They are reluctant friends.
 
Powdered Egg

Powdered Egg

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
17,070
I'm all for it as long as they keep the "CIA is your friend!" bullshit out. That was the wackest part of BP.
 
KtotheRoc

KtotheRoc

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Oct 27, 2017
56,664
sfedai0 said:
So are they actually a buddy duo in the comics? Cause I didnt see any chemistry in the movies. Actually, I barely remember any scenes they had together besides being in the car. Still feel its a strange pair up.
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Their relationship in the comics isn't far off from how the movies depicted them.
 
Surakian

Surakian

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
10,872
I'm very glad they are going to make it topical rather than ignoring the sociopolitical issues that were touched on in BP.

Kegels said:
winter soldier fans in shambles?
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Nah, we cool. We like Sam.

sfedai0 said:
So are they actually a buddy duo in the comics? Cause I didnt see any chemistry in the movies. Actually, I barely remember any scenes they had together besides being in the car. Still feel its a strange pair up.
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I think it is better to let the show tell us why rather than try to rationalize why they would be paired together in a show based on previous interactions. They don't need to have precedent in the comics to be paired up.

The film shows them being snarky with each other. About the same in the comics that I've read. They aren't best friends but they aren't enemies. They have/had friends in common. Now they are all that is left, so we get to see how they become teamed up and how their friendship develops.
 
Cuburger

Cuburger

Member
Oct 28, 2017
10,975
I have high hopes for this.

I think even just the likely elements they'll be adapting from the comics for this makes for some great material and relevant topics. Even just seeing Sam and Bucky trying to move on in a world without Steve seems like there is lots of potential for good interactions between the two and ideas to explore about replacing Steve in the MCU. Throw in the questions of what it means for a black man to have the shield and exploring ideas around the super soldier serum, and I think people will be genuinely surprised by the places that the show could go.

Here's another quote from the article that points out that race was an important part of Spellman's pitch:

Spellman paired up with Nate Moore, VP of Production and Development at Marvel Studios, to develop his version of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. When it came time to sell his idea to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, however, he suffered one of his chronic migraines and messed up on the final pitch. Though the meeting with Fiege did not go well, Spellman landed the job after Moore, who believed in what the ambitious writer had to say, advocated for him behind the scenes.

"He heard what I wanted to do, that I wanted [race] to be part of the story very prominently, and I think he knew it was right," Spellman says of the Black executive.
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Dalek

Dalek

Member
Oct 25, 2017
38,962
I have high hopes for this too. Nick Spencer isn't the most consistent writer but his run on Sam Wilson Captain America was absolutely perfect. It's imperative that comics - and their respective adaptations - reflect real world issues. That series was doing it - with Fox News/GOP talking heads setting the tone in race politics/illegal immigration/police state brutality.

I know we are getting Isaiah Bradley in this-which I hope to God they don't hold back on. But I also wish we were getting Rage in this too because he had a great storyline in that series too.

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Steve Rogers fighting Zola and Red Skull is fine and all- but I would much rather read a series where Sam is confronting real world issues.
 
Mandos

Mandos

Member
Nov 27, 2017
30,985
Surakian said:
I'm very glad they are going to make it topical rather than ignoring the sociopolitical issues that were touched on in BP.



Nah, we cool. We like Sam.



I think it is better to let the show tell us why rather than try to rationalize why they would be paired together in a show based on previous interactions. They don't need to have precedent in the comics to be paired up.

The film shows them being snarky with each other. About the same in the comics that I've read. They aren't best friends but they aren't enemies. They have/had friends in common. Now they are all that is left, so we get to see how they become teamed up and how their friendship develops.
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Yup they have the same good friends but aren't personal friends just professional associates but now they're the only ones left other than Clint and Scott(former being retired and the latter has his own messes to fix)
 
R1CHO

R1CHO

Member
Oct 28, 2017
751
DrForester said:
Other than hearing who the antagonist is I haven't paid attention to this at all. But I am REALLY looking forward to it. I think Mackie deserved more in the movies. He's also really funny, and I'm looking forward to the banter with him and Stan
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I don't know man, to me Mackie is one of the weakest links of the marvel movies... And I didn't like him in Altered Carbon either.

I don't know, but I don't see him as "cool" captain america, just another soldier without the presence of Chris Evans
 

Deleted member 7051

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Oct 25, 2017
14,254
I'm quite looking forward to it. I know a lot of internet critics will inevitably call it ''woke lefty propaganda" if we get anything like those pages Dalek posted but fuck 'em. Using superheroes to tackle racial injustice after the especially shit last few years minorities have had is a fantastic use of the platform. Marvel has proven it can do a lot of good inspiring people who don't usually get representation in this sort of media, so going the extra step and giving those communities a voice is a good thing in my books.
 
molnizzle

molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
I thought they telegraphed this pretty clearly in the first trailer. MCU is just gonna kill it this yet.
 
LNBL

LNBL

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Oct 25, 2017
812
After Wandavision i'm all in for what TV marvel is going to bring.
 
xaosslug

xaosslug

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Oct 27, 2017
1,285
tbh, I have zero interest in Falcon or Winter Soldier, but due to the MCU and WandaVision I'll be there. LOL
 
HeySeuss

HeySeuss

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Oct 25, 2017
8,858
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I think the people that always say Falcon and Bucky had no chemistry together were watching different movie than I was because they seemed to work well together playing off one another.
 
UnderSiege

UnderSiege

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Mar 5, 2019
2,693
HeySeuss said:
I think the people that always say Falcon and Bucky had no chemistry together were watching different movie than I was because they seemed to work well together playing off one another.
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I mean, yeah, they work together great. For those that forgot, a rewatch of Civil War is in order. Which is never a bad thing.
 

Deleted member 2802

Community Resetter
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Oct 25, 2017
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Richiek said:
To those who saw the Super Bowl trailer for the show and thought it was just a "formulaic" action buddy comedy, it looks like it will tackle the issues of race and a black man taking up the mantle of Captain America. If we can get the comics have given us, I think this series will deliver the goods.
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Watchmen set the bar very high.
I would love to see something like that.
 
Cuburger

Cuburger

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Oct 28, 2017
10,975
HeySeuss said:
I think the people that always say Falcon and Bucky had no chemistry together were watching different movie than I was because they seemed to work well together playing off one another.
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Yeah, they nailed the rivalry between the characters in Civil War and Mackie and Stan seem to have entertaining banter and chemistry when I've seen them doing press tours for the movies together.

This is going to be just like with Bettany and Olsen all over again where people overlook their acting, chemistry, and the strengths of the characters until they are leads with more screen time and then people finally recognize what has worked all along.
 
Surakian

Surakian

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
10,872
HeySeuss said:
I think the people that always say Falcon and Bucky had no chemistry together were watching different movie than I was because they seemed to work well together playing off one another.
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I get it to a degree considering there was so much more being focused on in those films rather than them (and everybody is ready with a quip in the MCU), but I don't get watching the most recent trailers and wondering this. They ooze chemistry together.
 
Noog

Noog

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Sam was AWESOME in The Winter Soldier. I think all the movies he's been in since then he's been fairly underused, but in TWS, he's immediately likeable, a badass, and a great friend to Steve.

I really hope they aren't afraid to touch on how people would react to a black captain America, not to mention I can't wait to see more Bucky and Sam banter.
 
xxracerxx

xxracerxx

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Oct 25, 2017
31,222
Surakian said:
I get it to a degree considering there was so much more being focused on in those films rather than them (and everybody is ready with a quip in the MCU), but I don't get watching the most recent trailers and wondering this. They ooze chemistry together.
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Watch their scenes together in Civil War. Maybe they don't "ooze" chemistry, but there is chemistry.
 
Surakian

Surakian

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Oct 27, 2017
10,872
xxracerxx said:
Watch their scenes together in Civil War. Maybe they don't "ooze" chemistry, but there is chemistry.
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Oh, I personally think they had chemistry. I'm just saying that I get why people might not have noticed it/didn't see it. There are a lot of quippy characters and a lot of things to focus on. Sam and Bucky's brief scenes fall into the background when you have Peter Parker swinging about the place or all of the other character relationships in that film taking place.
 
xxracerxx

xxracerxx

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
31,222
Surakian said:
Oh, I personally think they had chemistry. I'm just saying that I get why people might not have noticed it/didn't see it. There are a lot of quippy characters and a lot of things to focus on. Sam and Bucky's brief scenes fall into the background when you have Peter Parker swinging about the place or all of the other character relationships in that film taking place.
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Sorry, I thought you were the original poster who said they had no chemistry.
 
nopattern

nopattern

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Nov 25, 2017
988
can we please kill the 'unapologetically' and 'undeniably' black titles. Its ridiculous

Richiek said:
tvline.com

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s Malcolm Spellman Is Ready to Deliver an Undeniably Black Superhero Story

'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' executive producer Malcolm Spellman is set to deliver a Black superhero story in the upcoming series.
tvline.com tvline.com
To those who saw the Super Bowl trailer for the show and thought it was just a "formulaic" action buddy comedy, it looks like it will tackle the issues of race and a black man taking up the mantle of Captain America.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I love the idea of a black captain america, but honestly I'd love some content with black characters where racism isn't the big part of the plot. It's always trauma, trauma, trauma. Like, we're getting better but its also tiring.
 
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Inugami

Inugami

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Oct 25, 2017
14,995
I can see this series starting slow to not scare away those with fragile egos before ramping up hard by the end of the first season. Really looking forward to this.
 
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