The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Showrunner Credits Black Panther For Creating Opportunities

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's showrunner says that Black Panther really opened the door for other Black heroes. There's no doubt that Ryan Coogler and Chadwick Boseman set the bar high with their Marvel project. Showrunner Malcolm Spellman is looking to pick up the torch with his upcoming Disney+ series. He spoke to TV Line about how he's seen Black Panther's influence in his personal life. A lot of young Black fans just struggled to see themselves on-screen when it came to the genre. Despite there being some attempts in the past, it's clear nothing grabbed the attention of the general populace like the MCU entry did. Well, the Disney+ era is already upon us and audiences can't get enough of WandaVision. The stakes have been raised heading into The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and people are going to be expecting a lot. (It's been quite a run for media that grapples with identity alongside caped heroes over the last couple of years.)

"When you start to see the direct impact that a Black superhero had on my nephew, that's branded on my brain," Spellman told the publication. "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."

"It was really empowering," he continued, "after hearing for the first 15 years of my career that being Black meant you had to only do niche things that were really small, to see all Black filmmakers and be one of them to be involved with projects that just appealed across every spectrum while remaining decidedly Black. That's probably one of the best things about the path we took to get here."

WandaVision is currently streaming on Disney+. 2021 is also bringing The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on March 19th,

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