Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprise their respective roles as Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes from the film series, with Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Erin Kellyman, Florence Kasumba, Adepero Oduye, and Daniel Brühl (Zemo) also starring.

The episode explores the complex morals of John Walker / Captain America (Russell) and depicts him publicly murdering an unarmed man, which acknowledges police brutality in the United States.

Critics praised the episode's darker tone and exploration of serious themes, as well as the appearance of characters from Wakanda, but there were mixed responses to the focus on Walker.

In Wakanda, Ayo tests if Shuri's deprogramming of Bucky Barnes from his Winter Soldier persona was successful by reciting the trigger words associated with it.

Six years later, in the present, Ayo confronts Bucky regarding Helmut Zemo, a terrorist who previously killed Wakandan king T'Chaka.

Barnes, Zemo, and Sam Wilson investigate a camp in Latvia where Flag Smasher sympathizers house and teach those displaced by the return of people from the Blip.

[4] Kari Skogland was hired to direct the miniseries a month later,[5] and executive produced alongside Spellman and Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Nate Moore.

[6]: 15  Derek Kolstad joined the writing team in July 2019,[7] and revealed in March 2021 that he had written the fourth episode,[8] which is titled "The Whole World Is Watching".

He said the confirmation that the character's Winter Soldier programming has been removed was a moment "at least 80 years in the making" for Barnes and needed to be presented with "gravitas".

[12] For the later scene where Barnes and Wilson are confronted by the Wakandans, Stan suggested changes that were informed by his understanding of the character's relationship to Wakanda.

When Ayo disarms Barnes's robotic arm, Stan said this was a warning and a reminder of what the Wakandans have done for him: "a little bit putting him back in his place, which I think he needed at that point".

He felt the series had earned the moment by "telling all these other stories with heart" and was confident in the audiences' ability to comprehend the connotations of the scene.

[15] The episode discusses some of the PTSD that John Walker / Captain America suffers from, with actor Wyatt Russell explaining that circumstances surrounding the character's Medals of Honor represent failure to him and his attempts to right those wrongs are making things worse.

[18] The episode stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, Wyatt Russell as John Walker / Captain America, Erin Kellyman as Karli Morgenthau, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Adepero Oduye as Sarah Wilson, and Daniel Brühl as Helmet Zemo.

[19]: 48:03–48:38  Also appearing are Clé Bennett as Lemar Hoskins / Battlestar, Desmond Chiam, Dani Deetté, and Indya Bussey as the Flag Smashers Dovich, Gigi, and DeeDee, respectively, Renes Rivera as Lennox, Tyler Dean Flores as Diego, Noah Mills as Nico, Janeshia Adams-Ginyard as Nomble, Zola Williams as Yama, and Veronica Falcón as Donya Madani.

[31][19]: 50:36–50:49  Rodeo FX worked on the climactic Super Soldier fight, including a moment where John Walker jumps through a window, lands on a car, and then continues running.

[42] Nielsen Media Research, which measures the number of minutes watched by United States audiences on television sets, listed The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as the second most-watched original series across streaming services for the week of April 5 to 11, 2021.

The site's critical consensus reads, "A darker installment that delivers tons of character development, 'The World is Watching' sets the stage for an epic–if potentially crowded–final stretch.

[46] Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall believed Stan had strong acting moments in the opening Wakanda flashback, calling his portrayal of Barnes's emotions "so palpable".

He was fascinated by Zemo's conversation with Wilson and Barnes about those who seek out superpowers, and said his favorite scene of the episode was the fight between the Dora Milaje and John Walker.

[47] Brian Tallerico of Vulture gave the episode 4 out of 5 stars, saying it was setting up a story about "what exactly it means to be a hero in 2021" and felt the series was "one of the most morally complex productions" of the MCU.

However, Garcia did enjoy the Wakanda opening and appearance of the Dora Milaje, saying that, like the MCU miniseries WandaVision (2021), this series was "delivering on the grief and trauma fronts".