"We kept saying, 'If we're gonna do a series with Falcon and Winter Soldier in it, we need to at least start off with the best action that we've ever seen'," declares Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.

And in true Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) style, the film studio has done just that.

Following in the footsteps of hit show WandaVision, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier is the second Marvel Studios series to land on the Disney+ streaming service.

It's a project that sees actors Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan join forces, as their respective characters Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes try to carry on the heroic work of Captain America.

"We've seen a lot of cool action with both of them before," says Feige.

"And more importantly, as I think you also see in that first episode and will see much more of over the course of the series, learn who the heck they are."

Best known for his roles in The Hurt Locker and Captain America: Civil War, 42-year-old Mackie felt right at home given the common home town thread between himself and his character Sam, better known as Falcon.

"When I first read the script, I was really happy and acknowledged the fact that I was from Louisiana... New Orleans is the best city in the world," says Mackie triumphantly.

"I had one request that, if he was from Louisiana, I had to eat crawfish on camera.

"I don't know who said no, but somebody said no.

"I don't know if it was because they were outta season, but it was too much to get crawfish for Marvel."

Seafood aside, Mackie notes that his character's evolution from comic book to screen is something worth tuning in for.

"When Sam Wilson first started out, he was a hustler from Harlem," reflects Mackie.

"And then, as African Americans' culture evolved, Stan Lee evolved him in the comic book into different incarnations of himself.

"So, I'm excited for everyone to see the - I guess, the new and improved Sam Wilson."

As with any Marvel franchise, action comes as standard.

And despite The Falcon And The Winter Soldier taking the form of a series as opposed to a single blockbuster, the studio is keen to emphasise that no corners have been cut when it comes to the production's high-end action sequences.

"The great thing about what we were able to do was nothing was jeopardised or watered down," says Mackie.

"The same stunt guys we worked with on the films are the same guys who choreographed and did all of our stunts on the show."

Mackie goes on to note that the series takes "the idea of weaponry away, so it's more hand to hand combat.

"It's more physical. It's more assertive. It's more of us utilising our strengths, instead of something else.

"Because of that, the stunt guys had a field day."

Featuring a host of MCU characters that have crossed over from the big to the small screen, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier follows on from the events of Avengers: Endgame.

Despite Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes having a common connection in terms of their friendship with Captain America and their link to the US armed forces, the duo's dynamic is anything but plain sailing, as sparks fly and conflict ensues.

"The whole subject of PTSD and the experience that they both share as soldiers, as men who have served, is one of the things that brings them together," notes co-star Stan, 38, best known for his roles in The Martian and Captain America.

"There's sort of a bit of an honour code between them.

"Even though they come [with] different ideas or opinions about things, there's a mutual respect."

However, as Stan goes on to note, the evolution of his character in the series following a decade's involvement in the wider Marvel franchise made the role of Bucky all the more challenging.

"I was pretty freaked out because I felt like we had established a character a certain way and there were certain things about him that I knew and I was very comfortable and familiar with tonally in the movies," says Stan.

"[I've] spent 10 years with this character, you know? You grow and you evolve with the character.

"And then, we had to kind of go into this and go, 'All right. Well, what is he like now?'

"The ideals and principles he might've lived by and been driven by at one point that perhaps no longer really serve him the same way.

"So, it's really a kind of an interesting trajectory when we start out the show and, obviously, that's always exciting for an actor."

However, it's every inch a case of opposites attract, something that extends to the actors themselves, as Mackie goes on to explain.

"I think the great thing about it, or what I enjoy so much, is you can't find two people further opposite each other than Sebastian and I," he explains.

"But there's a mutual respect, understanding, appreciation of that person.

"We listen, learn and teach each other a great deal.

"I think because of that, as Mr T would say, 'There's no jibber-jabber'. We allow ourselves to be our best selves and we correct ourselves when we're not our best selves."

The Falcon And The Winter Soldier is on Disney+