Many Marvel fans lamented the loss of its top tier of actors -- Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson -- after Avengers: Endgame. With the original lineup's heaviest hitters gone, that left only Thor, Hawkeye and the Hulk -- the latter two of which Marvel won't even trust with solo films -- to carry the weight of the MCU with a host of (mostly) second-stringers.

WandaVision, the first MCU series on the Disney+ streaming service, went far to lay some of those fears to rest. Falcon & the Winter Soldier, featuring the two titular heroes from Captain America's supporting team, goes even further.

This series is completely different in style and tone from WandaVision. It's a serious, somewhat gritty story about two heroes who've lost their best friend -- Captain America -- and Falcon's decision to give up the shield Cap bequeathed him in Endgame.

There's something of a buddy-cop air to the movie as the squabbling heroes set off to deal with a global terror group that wants to dissolve national boundaries and create a single people of Earth. While some of their aims might sound noble, their tactics are not, and they leave a trail of bodies behind them as they strike.

If that's not enough to occupy the heroes, though, imagine how they'll feel when the U.S. government introduces the new Captain America -- an unpowered soldier wearing a star-spangled suit and carrying Cap's shield -- to take over the mission.

The six-episode series stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier. Both men are wrestling with some personal demons, but they bring an easy humor and camaraderie to their roles (even though they don't seem to like each other very much).

There also are a few more familiar faces from the movies, including former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) and Civil War villain Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl).

Wyatt Russell is John Walker, the new Captain America that everyone loves to hate, along with his sidekick Battlestar (Cle Bennett). Other notable characters include Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman), leader of the Flag Smashers; Sarah Wilson (Adepero Oduye), Sam's struggling sister; and Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), an African-American veteran who suffered greatly through his participation in the super-soldier program that produced Captain America. An extra wrinkle in the plot is the background machinations of the Power Broker, who has a supply of super-soldier serum that is transforming the Flag Smashers into a much more credible threat.

Falcon & the Winter Soldier is a well-crafted series that does a lot with its characters and advances the next phase of Marvel's cinematic world. There's plenty of great action, and the story is solid. Some folks will balk at some of the political undertones, but there's nothing here that's out of place.