Derek Kolstad, the creator of the John Wick franchise and the screenwriter who’s been hired to spearhead The Falcon and the Winter Soldier for Marvel Studios and Disney+, recently announced that the series — focused on Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes’ unlikely partnership — will bring back characters from the early days of the MCU.
During an appearance on the Script Apart podcast, Kolstad said, “What I will say is that there are characters from the earliest Marvel movies that are coming back [in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier].”
With the MCU as expansive as it is, there are a lot of characters that Kolstad could be referring to.
Agent Coulson
Although he was introduced as a nondescript S.H.I.E.L.D. bureaucrat in Iron Man, the MCU’s Phase One rounded out Agent Coulson as a fully-fledged supporting character. But after his fake-out death in The Avengers, he rarely made MCU appearances outside Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., though a de-aged Clark Gregg did return to the role on the big screen in Captain Marvel.
With the U.S. government appointing its own Captain America, and Sam and Bucky likely being called in to clean up the mess he makes, Coulson could play a crucial role in making the contacts.
Dr. Erik Selvig
After playing a major role in explaining the cosmic side of the MCU in Thor and a couple of subsequent entries, Dr. Erik Selvig was phased out of the franchise until he disappeared completely.
If the government is working on a new super soldier serum to give to U.S. Agent in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, then Dr. Selvig could easily be involved.
Abomination
Since there was never a sequel to The Incredible Hulk, Tim Roth never got the chance to reprise his role as Emil Blonsky, aka the Abomination, possibly with a better script than last time.
If Zemo is putting together his own team of supervillains to take on the titular heroes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, then the Abomination surely has to be near the top of his list.
Justin Hammer
As a wealthy industrialist with an evil streak and a particular disdain for superheroes, there’s plenty that Justin Hammer could offer to Zemo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Last seen in prison, Hammer is still an active member of the MCU’s world.
Fans have been dying to see Sam Rockwell back in his Iron Man 2 role as a dance-crazed wannabe Tony Stark, and this could be the perfect opportunity.
General “Thunderbolt” Ross
General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is one of the only things from The Incredible Hulk that the rest of the MCU has bothered to acknowledge as a part of the franchise.
William Hurt resurfaced as Ross in Captain America: Civil War to introduce the Avengers to the Sokovia Accords, so it would be unsurprising if he has something to do with the U.S. Agent program in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Lady Sif
If the team behind The Falcon and the Winter Soldier really want to go all-out, then the show can bring back Asgardian badass warrior Lady Sif, who was relegated to tiny roles in the first two Thor movies and then forgotten about after that.
Jaimie Alexander has said that she’d be open to reprising the role in Thor: Love and Thunder, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier might not be such a stretch.
Doc Samson
In The Incredible Hulk, Doc Samson was introduced as a psychiatrist who’d been dating Betty Ross in Bruce Banner’s absence. Samson could easily reappear in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, possibly as Bucky’s government-appointed therapist.
The role was played by Ty Burrell, best known for playing Phil Dunphy on Modern Family, which recently wrapped up its 11-season run, freeing up his schedule.
Arnim Zola
After his role as Red Skull’s sidekick during World War II in Captain America: The First Avenger, Arnim Zola reappeared as an omniscient computer program in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He was on a bunch of screens in a bunker that he blew up once Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff paid him a visit.
If Zola backed himself up before blowing up the bunker, which anyone semi-experienced with computers would’ve done, then he could appear in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The Leader
In The Incredible Hulk, Dr. Samuel Sterns is introduced as a biologist working on a cure for Bruce Banner’s ailment. However, toward the end of the movie, he’s exposed to one of his concoctions and it’s implied that he transforms into the Leader. But the Leader has yet to appear in any subsequent Marvel media.
As proven by his performances in O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Tim Blake Nelson is a fantastic actor, and as it stands, he’s been shortchanged by the MCU.
The Howling Commandos
Bucky was presumed dead after falling down a mountain in Captain America: The First Avenger, but he turned out to be subjected to Hydra experimentation that turned him into a brainwashed assassin that could kill anyone on command.
Before all that, Bucky fought alongside his best friend Steve Rogers and the Howling Commandos. If The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has flashbacks, this crack team of soldiers could make an appearance.