Derek Kolstadhas been one of Hollywood’s most in-demand scribe ever since he created theJohn Wickfranchise. Not only does he have a dozen projects in various stages of development around town, but he also wrote Universal’s upcomingBob Odenkirkaction movieNobodyand the Quibi seriesDie HartstarringKevin HartandJohn Travolta. So when Marvel’sKevin Feigecame calling, asking him to join the writer’s room forThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he jumped at the opportunity.

“Honestly, it was my first experience in a writer’s room in that capacity. And between[Malcolm] Spellmanand[Dalan] Mussonand[Michael] Kasteleinand everyone else whose names I forget whenever I’m interviewed because I’m an asshole from time to time, it was a joy. But it’s tough because you show up at nine o’clock, you’re there until six, and then you go home and you write,” said Kolstad, who estimated that he spent “a hectic two months” working on the project, which “was a swift one, just because of the timing of the production and everything involved.”

Kolstad said he loved working for Marvel, and a big part of that was Feige and his commitment to every aspect of the MCU.

“You bump into him in the hallway [and] he remembers your name. And when you turn in a script, within 45 minutes, in my experience, he got back to us,” said Kolstad, who wrote Episodes 3 and 4 of the show.

“Now, I will say that after I turned in Episode 3, he read it and emailed me [some] quick praise, [he was] happy, happy, and then I got 15 pages of single-spaced notes. And I was like, ‘Oh fuck, I’m fired.’ And then you start reading the notes and they were both macro, micro, and minutiae. And it made it better, man. And suddenly, you started delving in with someone who’s like, ‘Look, I totally get the point of the spear, but let’s find that stone and hone it down and make it sharper.’ And I learned a lot, and to Malcolm’s biggest credit, it was a room where you looked forward to being there, and [where] the best idea wins. Even if it created work, you wanted to hear that idea, because come the end of it, you wanted the series to be as good as you could make it.”

RELATED:Kevin Feige, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan Dish on All Things ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’

Of course, those 15 pages of single-spaced notes aren’t entirely Feige’s doing. They’re the combined notes of The Parliament, a group of high-level Marvel Studios executives who offer their thoughts on everything from scripts and casting to costumes and visual effects.

“It’s probably 12 to 15 people, and all of their notes are compiled,” explained Kolstad. “And by the way, the cool thing about their notes, to the assistant’s credit, there was nothing in those notes that was repetitive or conflictive. And if it was conflictive, it would be like, ‘Okay, these are conflicting notes.’ And you’re like, ‘Oh, thank god.’ I think they referred to the heads of Marvel as The Parliament. There’s 15 of them or whatever [who] meet at the beginning of the day and the end of the day, so it was their notes. But for the most part, man, you loved finally getting a draft in. They’re like, ‘Hey, great job, it’s going to go to production, a lot of it is going to change,’ and you’re like, ‘Yup, good luck, man!”

Kolstad credited Marvel for its collaborative spirit, noting how the company’s staggering success is the result of teamwork.

“Everyone in that room is already a fan, and in certain capacities, even if you’re younger and you don’t know the comic books, the video games, a cartoon or anything else, [for a] number of people I talk to now, the MCU was theirStar Wars. And so in that room, you may bandy about, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if…’ And there’s a small possibility it happens. And inThe Falcon and the Winter Solider, it happens a couple of times. And I love that.”

While Kolstad’s imagination knows no limits when it comes to creating memorable action sequences, you have to be conscious of budgetary restrictions when you’re writing for television. Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry about that when it came toThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, for which Marvel spared no expense, just like its movies.

“In the third [episode], there’s a massive action sequence and I wrote it, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I know, it’s not going to happen.’ And they came back with, “No, we love it. Can you make it a little bit bigger?’ I’m like, ‘What?’ And to that point, like I said before, I like tentpoles, but I also like those hallway sequences. And Marvel likes them too, but if there are too many hallways, they’re like, ‘Yeah, can we blow some shit up?’ Yes, we can!”

RELATED:‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Is a Marvel Series About the Heroics of Everyday Details — Spoiler-Free Review

Kolstad grew up a fan of the Marvel comics, and he relished the chance to play with characters like Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, among others. He had no choice but to remain coy regarding some references his inner fanboy insisted he include, but he let his geek flag fly when he could.

“Marvel’s in the room when you’re breaking story, so [co-executive producer]Zoie [Nagelhout]was the lead on that. There were a number of times we’d say, ‘Can we use this character? Or allude to this character? Or is there a character that would do this, that would be cool to flesh out the world?’ And a lot of times, it wouldn’t work, but every now and then, it would be like, ‘Guys, I think that’s kind of working.’ And suddenly, when you think of the noir of it all, to have someone just say something in the background, where five people are going to be like, ‘Did he just say what I thought he said?’ And it just alludes to a larger world. Even if the payoffs aren’t in the first season, or even our series, the seeds have been planted,” said Kolstad, alluding to a few Marvel easter eggs hidden within the show.

One aspect of the show that is not hidden and is in fact treated with great respect is that of mental health, as the first episode finds Bucky in therapy where he’s dealing with past trauma.

“When you look at the movies that we love, there are always those moments where it harkens back to something that someone in the writer’s room was dealing with. And I think the other thing is you look at these characters, and if you actually apply them to the real world, you’d be like, ‘This guy would be drinking nine crates of vodka a day to deal with what he’s dealing with.’ And so, the depth that was in “The Demon in the Bottle,” the classicIron Man[arc dealing with Tony Stark’s alcoholism], and some of those other [comics], we wanted to do a nod to those,” said Kolstad.

“At the same time, we love characters that are strong, and yet we love seeing the frailties in them, and then [seeing them] recognize their frailties… and seek to adjust and heal. And I think that makes them more of a hero, and less of an anti-hero. Because at a certain point in what we do, it’s like, I like anti-heroes like everyone else, but goddammit, I just want a hero again.”

RELATED:Here’s When ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Takes Place in the MCU Timeline — and Why

Though Kolstad was a trusted voice in the writer’s room ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he admitted he’s still on a need-to-know basis as far as the greater mysteries of the MCU are concerned.

“It’s need-to-know, man. It’s completely need-to-know. Even when we were in the office 532 years ago before COVID, we would be talking about story in the little lunch room there, and you would have a guard – the sweetest guy in the world – and he’d be like, ‘Hey guys, just please don’t talk about your show outside the room.’ We’re like, “done!” We have things we can and cannot say, but outside of the select few, I’m as surprised as the rest of [you] where certain episodes and other series go.”

While Kolstad may not have any other business with Marvel at the moment, he was grateful for the experience and would love to run it back at some point. “I got nothing in the works with them right now. But it was a joy and I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” said Kolstad. “I just want an actor or executive or producer or director to come to me [and say], ‘Derek, this is my favorite [character].” And I can go like, ‘Great! Let’s go make that.’ Because honestly, left to my own devices, I’d want $12 million dollars and [DC’s] Ambush Bug, or something weird.”

You heard it here first, folks! The creator ofJohn Wickwants to bring Ambush Bug to a screen near you. The lesser-known character will likely have to wait its turn, but never say never… especially in the age of streaming.

Look for more from our exclusive interview with Kolstad soon.

KEEP READING:How to Watch ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: Release Date, Streaming Details & Everything You Need to Know