Marvel Studios just confirmed exactly when The Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes place -- and it's later than you might think.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's chronological setting comes via a preview image from upcoming licensed guidebook Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline. The image details the history of Captain America's shield and states that Sam Wilson donated the iconic weapon to the Smithsonian in 2024. As this event takes place in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 1, "New World Order," it explicitly ties the Disney+ series to that year. This clashes with the assumption held by many members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe fanbase that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier unfolds within the same year as Avengers: Endgame, which canonically takes place in 2023.
Fans will have to wait until Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline drops in September 2023 for further clarity regarding precise MCU timeline dates. Written by Anthony Breznican, Amy Ratcliffe and Rebecca Theodore-Vachon, the 320-page tome promises to deliver "the definitive, filmmaker-endorsed guide" to the shared universe's sprawling, interconnected chronology. Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline will also allow fans to "follow the entire story of the MCU from before the Big Bang to the Blip and beyond... [and] learn more about the evolution of the Iron Man armors, the hunt for the Infinity Stones, and the formation of the Multiverse."
The MCU's Tricky Timeline
MCU devotees will no doubt welcome the guidebook's publication, given the lingering uncertainty around the franchise's timeline since its inception in 2008. Fans have highlighted several apparent inconsistencies within MCU canon over the years, and comments by Marvel Studios executives and filmmakers have only added to their collective confusion. A notable recent example of this is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 writer-director James Gunn's insistence that Thor only spent "a few weeks" with the Guardians, which doesn't seem to align with other narrative developments in Thor: Love and Thunder.
What's more, some of Marvel Studios' creative collaborators have even admitted they aren't totally clear on how their respective projects fit within the wider MCU tapestry. This includes Moon Knight head writer Jeremy Slater, who recently confessed he has "no idea" when the Disney+ show takes place relative to wider MCU canon. "We didn't know when our show would debut in relation to their other shows and films, so the timeline was intentionally left vague," Slater explained.
Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline hits shelves on Sept. 5, 2023.
Source: Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline, via The Direct