Power Broker (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier)

"Power Broker"
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode
Artwork of Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier and Sam Wilson / Falcon standing on Captain America's shield, with Zemo and Sharon Carter behind them and the logo for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier below them.
The third of several art posters released for the series, with art by Bella Grace
Episode no.Episode 3
Directed byKari Skogland
Written byDerek Kolstad
Cinematography byP.J. Dillon
Editing by
Original release dateApril 2, 2021 (2021-04-02)
Running time53 minutes
Cast
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"Power Broker" is the third episode of the American television miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Sam Wilson / Falcon and Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. It follows the pair as they reluctantly work with Helmut Zemo to learn more about the creation of a new Super Soldier Serum. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Derek Kolstad and directed by Kari Skogland.

Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie reprise their respective roles as Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson from the film series, with Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Erin Kellyman, Florence Kasumba, Danny Ramirez, Adepero Oduye, and Daniel Brühl (Zemo) also starring. Development began by October 2018, and Skogland joined in May 2019. Kolstad was hired that July. The episode visits the fictional country of Madripoor, a comic book location that was previously controlled by 20th Century Fox and could not be introduced to the MCU until the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney. Filming took place at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with location filming in the Atlanta metropolitan area and in Prague. Sets for Madripoor were created in Georgia, taking inspiration from Asian locations such as Vietnam, and combined with footage of Prague as well as visual effects.

"Power Broker" was released on the streaming service Disney+ on April 2, 2021. Viewership for the series was estimated to be on-par with the previous week. Critics were more mixed on the episode than previous ones, criticizing its multiple story elements and use of existing action tropes. Several critics praised Brühl's performance, and a brief moment of Zemo dancing that Brühl improvised during filming spawned various internet memes and led to the release of additional footage.