Credit: MarvelNo more Steve Rogers (Chris Evans)?
The undisputable founders of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have to be Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve Rogers/Captain America (Evans). They were in some of the very first offerings from the studio and stayed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years until their arcs both wrapped up beautifully in Avengers: Endgame (2019), but there was still one loose end that needed tying up. Could that answer come in the next Captain America film?
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For years, Steve Rogers (Evans) served as sort of the moral backbone of The Avengers. From his introduction in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), the character stood up for those that were trodden down, declaring boldly, “I don’t like bullies. I don’t care where they’re from.” After fighting against the odds to join in World War II, Rogers (Evans) saved the world, sacrificing himself for the greater good before being frozen alive, only to be revived later and join in the Battle of New York.
Many fans have pointed out the shockingly brief time between the events of The First Avenger and The Avengers (2012). While nearly 70 years had passed for everyone else, for Steve (Evans), it had only been a matter of days, weeks at most. In his experience, he’d beaten Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), saved the world, succumbed to the cold, then woken up only to fight Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and an army of extraterrestrials, which he had no idea existed until he saw them.
It didn’t end there. Despite suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, losing most of his friends and allies from the war, and being betrayed by the one organization he thought he could trust, Steve (Evans) then had to endure fighting against his brainwashed best friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), his new friend, Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) and a neverending slew of superpowered enemies bent on his, and the world’s destruction. By the events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Endgame, he had earned a rest.
Fortunately, he got one. Steve (Evans) went back in time, married Peggy Carter (Haley Atwell), and passed the mantel of Captain America to a worthy successor: Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). Little did Steve (Evans) know the struggles that Sam (Mackie) would endure as the new Captain America, but he and later Sam (Mackie) knew it would be the right choice, as revealed by the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The one loose end that the series didn’t wrap up, however: where is Steve Rogers (Evans)?
Both Wilson (Mackie) and Barnes (Satan) were evasive when asked about the retired Avenger, only clarifying that he wasn’t on the moon. Now it is extremely possible that audiences may see the end of Steve’s (Evans) story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Direct recently reported on new set photos from Captain America: New World Order (2024), which showed Anthony Mackie in an arm sling, as well as the return of Live Tyler’s Betty Ross, both dressed for and attending what looks like a military funeral.
Could the death of the First Avenger be the event that brings the new Captain America (Mackie), Ross (Tyler), and presumably her father, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford), together? The Direct also points out that it could, in fact, be the death of another Captain America, one who, despite extraordinary service, only gained his well-deserved recognition following the events of Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly). Either death would be a huge blow to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and both would merit full military honors at a funeral.
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Whoever fans will be bidding farewell to, they’ll see it in Captain America: New World Order, which comes to theaters on May 3, 2024. The film stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America, Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres/Falcon, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns/Leader, Shira Haas as Sabra, Harrison Ford as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, and Liv Tyler as Betty Ross. The movie will be Mackie’s second outing as Captain America and, presumably, Harrison Ford’s first entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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