Falcon and Winter Soldier episode 5 release date, cameo and trailer

Falcon and Winter Soldier episode 5 release date, cameo and trailer
(Image credit: Marvel Studios via Disney Plus)
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 5 time and date

Release date: Friday, April 16 (3 a.m. ET)
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Daniel Brühl, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell
Showrunner: Malcolm Spellman
Director: Kari Skogland
Length: 40-50 minutes

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 5 release date is just a short work-week away, and this time we've got some high expectations for what's to come. And we're not shocked: the violent end of episode 4 saw The New Captain America go ape, and it will take a lot to shut him down, we're guessing. 

So, to see where these heroes go next, you'll have to wait for April 16 to see it for yourself. Yes, Bucky and Sam may have a hard time getting along, but they'll need to work together against the Flag Smasher super soldier army. And we're hoping we get more of the duo in therapy, and some more of Bucky's path to personal redemption.

Leaked details of the series tipped us off to this big reveal of John Walker, but we'd heard a different name: U.S.Agent. And while we're not saying he's H.Y.D.R.A., something doesn't smell right. Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter) and Daniel Bruhl (Baron Helmut Zero) will be reprising their MCU roles as well.

One of the early reviews, though, suggests that we're not even seeing close to the whole cast, as someone that we're not expecting is joining the series. No, not Mephisto. Was this Walker or someone else?

Here's everything you need to know about when you can watch The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 5 — and the rest of the series on Disney Plus.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 5 release date

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's next episode comes out Friday, April 16 at 3 a.m. ET — exclusively on Disney Plus.

Disney Plus

<a href="https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/c/221109/564546/9358?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2F" data-link-merchant="disneyplus.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Disney Plus gives you access to the entire Disney vault of classics like Frozen, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast as well as newer hits like The Mandalorian, Hamilton and more. Get the most value with the <a href="https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/c/221109/564546/9358?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2F" data-link-merchant="disneyplus.com"" data-link-merchant="disneyplus.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">$13.99 bundle that throws in Hulu and ESPN Plus.

How to watch The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on Disney Plus internationally

Disney Plus is available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, so it's not going to be tough to get access.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 5 cameo

The big juicy rumor of the moment is that Falcon and Winter Soldier episode 5 will see a big Marvel character enter the MCU through the series. This news came SlashFilm, which claims "this surprise character is not one that we’ve seen in the MCU before and not one who is primed to appear in an upcoming film. However, we have learned it is an existing Marvel Comics character who is played by a well-known performer."

Show runner Malcolm Spellman told Rotten Tomatoes that the character is "a very, very grounded character — partnered with one of the big world-shakers like Thor or someone like that. The personality is so strong, it’s the episode five character. I’d love to see that character with Thor."

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 5 trailer

In the trailer that dropped on Monday, April 12, we got a lot of recap for what's happened — followed by a tease of what we all want. It looks like Sam, Bucky and John Walker are about to throw down.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode release dates

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will be shorter than WandaVision, but only in its number of episodes. Kevin Feige has said The Falcon and The Winter Soldier runs 6 hours over its six episodes (whereas WandaVision ran around the same time, over 9 episodes)

  • The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 1: March 19
  • The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 2: March 26
  • The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 3: April 2
  • The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 4: April 9
  • The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 5: April 16
  • The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 6: April 23

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode recaps

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 1:
After Sam Wilson, as The Falcon, helps the military rescue a soldier over Tunisia, he learns about a new group of terrorists, called Flag Smashers. Back in the U.S., Wilson hands over Captain America's shield to the Smithsonian, and has a talk with James Rhodes (War Machine) about how he wasn't ready to be the new Captain America. By the end of the episode, Sam's gone home to try and piece together things with his sister and her kids, but her business troubles can't be beat by super heroics.

Meanwhile, Bucky Barnes is in therapy over his actions as The Winter Soldier. His therapist pushes him to start living a real life, and his one friend outside of the Avengers tries to get him to date. Bucky, though, still has a lot of guilt to process — as the man he's helping was the father of one of the people he killed when he was working for Hydra. At the end of the episode, we see the U.S. government debut The New Captain America.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 2:
John Walker made his public debut on Good Morning America, and Sam and Bucky finally reunited. But when these three heroes met, they did not exactly get along. The Flag Smashers also turned out to have more power than expected. Walker also has his own sidekick: Battlestar aka Lemar Hoskins.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 3:
Without Sam's approval (or even him knowing), Bucky popped Baron Zemo from jail. The three then went on a bit of a chase for information about the new super soldier serum, and what's going on. This was aided by Zemo's private plane, as he's still filthy stinking rich. 

Their quest led them to Madripoor, a fictional city in Southeast Asia, filled with criminals. Undercover as baddies — with Bucky pretending to be under Zemo's control — the trio wound up under fire, only to be saved by Sharon Carter. Who, it turns out, is now selling stolen art, and has a miserable new attitude that makes us wonder if she's in fact the Power Broker, the person who the Flag Smashers stole the new serum from. After meeting the scientist who re-engineered the super solider serum, the guys had to split ways with Sharon as they search for Power Broker. Bucky took a detour, though, and wound up crossing paths with Ayo, a member of the Dora Milaje who wants her hands on Zemo.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 4:
We began with a flashback to Ayo helping Bucky in Wakanda, saying his Winter Soldier wake words. Then, Sam and Bucky discussed how to stop Karli, but Zemo doesn't see her as a child, but as a supremacist instead. They then visit the GRC resettlement camp in Riga, Latvia. After Zemo proves useful at gaining intel (by handing out candy to children), John Walker and Lemar Hoskins (aka Battlestar) show up, and they're angry.

Karli delivers an address at the funeral for Donya, but stops when she sees Sam in the top floor.  Sam and Karli discuss the war they're all waging, but John is too angry and impatiently barges in. In the ensuing chaos, super soldier serum vials fall on the ground, and Zemo smashes them. One remains, and only John Walker sees it (and takes it).

Dora Milaje guards show up, demanding Zemo. Walker gets his hind handed to him in combat, and during it all Zemo manages to simply escape. Walker gets mopey for having lost to people who "weren't even super soldiers. A bit of early intel from Sharon Carter reveals that Walker's on the move, and Bucky goes for him — leaving Karli and Sam to fight. Hoskins cuts himself free while Sam, Bucky and Walker fight Flag Smashers. Karli punches Hoskins through to a column, which kills him. And thus, Walker's rage is unleashed, and he murders one of the Flag Smashers with Cap's shield — while the public, with cell phone cameras, watch and record. Karli, Sam and Bucky all arrive at the scene.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier reviews

Early reactions to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are positive.

In Tom's Guide's The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 1 review, I explained how this show will be a hit due to the charisma of Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. This show is hitting all the Marvel action movie standard nods on the head so far, and we look forward to seeing what it does next.

Mike Ryan of Uproxx tweeted "Saw the first episode of FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER. So far so good? Tough to tell after one episode, but I’m a huge Falcon fan so I’m glad this exists. Also there’s a character that shows up that is a definite, "Ohhhh, so that’s what this series is about."

MTV News' Josh Horowitz tweeted "Oh hey I guess I can say I’ve seen the first episode of #FalconAndWinterSoldier? Probably more character development for these 2 characters in these 45 minutes than the previous 10 films. Big scale with some nice “what’s it REALLY like to be a superhero” moments. I’m in."

Collider's Steven Weintraub posted "The first episode of #TheFalconAndWinterSoldier is loaded with action that you’d expect to see in an MCU movie. But for me the best stuff were the quiet scenes that showed Bucky dealing with his past and Falcon trying to figure out his post-blip life. Big thumbs up."

Peter Sciretta of Slashfilm tweeted "First episode of Falcon and The Winter Soldier feels like a Marvel movie in a big way, a lot more so than Wandavision (not a knock). The opening action screen feels like a huge MCU action sequence (and not a tv fight), story feels like it has significant MCU consequences."

Jacob Hall, also of Slashfilm posted "If FALCON AND WINTER SOLDIER is content to be just a fun action romp full of juicy Marvel world-building, the first episode is certainly promising. But considering the talent behind the camera, I suspect/hope for a wild left turn."

Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.