Marvel films have some relatable moments, but personally I feel none of them compare to the moments so far in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. One of those moments was the bank scene in Episode 1 “New World Order.” The scene saw so many facets of today play out in one moment. It triggered the thought-provoking question – do the Avengers get paid? It wasn’t only a "triggering" moment for Marvel fans, but the higher-ups at Marvel as well. Series writer Malcolm Spellman recently revealed the scene caused a huge stir at Marvel Studios, as well as what happened.
The bank scene in Episode 1 was a very real moment playing out in the fictional world of Marvel. The moment spoke to so many people on a personal level, especially in a tough economy. The scene struck a chord with the Marvel higher-ups on the same level. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier scribe Malcolm Spellman broke down to ET how Marvel CEO Kevin Feige and company reacted to the pivotal scene:
It's funny because that scene and that moment ended up triggering everybody at Marvel. We were getting calls from Kevin, from Lou [D’Esposito, Marvel Studios co-president], from Victoria [Alonso, EVP of production], from Nate [Moore, VP of production and development]. Like, everyone at Marvel wanted input there. Whatever it is about it, it has resonated with the people that have been interviewing with us, it resonated with everyone working there. So, I think the reason you keyed in on it is you got to see a moment where a superhero is truly a regular person, and hopefully, we answered the question to some degree, that it ain't easy being [a superhero]. You know, a lotta superheroes are broke, especially now that Tony Stark is gone.
As Malcolm Spellman pointed out in the interview, the big and small screen have previously never questioned how Earth’s Mightiest Superheroes make a living. As we learned, post-Blip Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes do not have the safety net of Tony Stark and Stark Industries to cover the costs of saving the world. Being a superhero isn’t your average nine-to-five with benefits galore. It also touched on a long-standing issue between Black America and financial institutions, highlighting conversations Black men and women have experienced in dealing with the loan process. It also proved no matter how famous Sam Wilson is, he is still an undesirable candidate to banks and lenders without regular income.
While Sam Wilson’s fame didn’t help his sister, the much-talked about scene did tap into how fame and success intersect with real-life situations. The banker wanting a selfie with Wilson was a very human moment. Malcolm Spellman explained how that scene spoke to the characters’ humanity:
That gets to the humanity of it. Because we had more time, you get to spend time in a scene like that, in a bank scene, where you're dealing with someone being famous but maybe being broke, and how do you make your money as a hero? It's a blast. I mean, Anthony and Sebastian are both able to play with a given moment in a way that's electric, so half of what you're doing is creating moments for them to just do what they do.
As Malcolm Spellman pointed out, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan were able to flex their acting skills in moments such as the bank scene. Sam Wilson’s spat with his sister about the family business or Bucky Barnes’ therapy session made these superheroes feel more human compared to their scenes in MCU films. Both characters have been allowed more room to breathe in the Disney+ series. Hopefully, as more episodes come out, Marvel fans will get more moments such as the bank scene for every character involved in the series. You can catch new episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier every Friday on Disney+.
