Credit: Hilary, FlickrTheme park lands based on evolving cinematic universes face challenges as characters and storylines change frequently, sometimes making attractions feel outdated. Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure highlights this issue, particularly as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) consistently releases new content that alters character dynamics. When it opened in June 2021, Avengers Campus featured characters like Spider-Man and Black Widow, but since then, many of them have undergone significant changes or been replaced in the MCU.
A key example is Sam Wilson, who took over the mantle of Captain America in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Despite being a staple at the park, Disney recently decided to remove its character from Avengers Campus ahead of the May 2027 release of Avengers: Doomsday, which will bring back Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. This has left fans questioning whether Sam Wilson’s absence is permanent or temporary.
Sam Wilson Captain America Removed
Sam Wilson’s Captain America character is no longer appearing at Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure. Saturday, January 24, 2026, was reportedly the last day the character made appearances in the land.
Sam Wilson’s Captain America was a walk-around character available for meet-and-greets, where guests could take photos and interact with the hero. The character also previously appeared in the Avengers Assemble stunt show, though that show ended performances last spring following entertainment cuts to Avengers Campus and Disney California Adventure more broadly.
The Timing Context
The removal comes ahead of Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release in May 2027, which will feature Chris Evans returning as the original Captain America, Steve Rogers. Anthony Mackie is also set to reprise his role as Sam Wilson / Captain America in the film, though specific plot details about how both characters function within the story remain undisclosed.
The decision to remove Sam Wilson’s Captain America from park appearances before Doomsday’s release suggests Disney wants to avoid potential continuity confusion or align park experiences with whatever version of Captain America the film establishes as primary going forward.
Sam Wilson’s MCU Journey
Sam Wilson assumed the Captain America mantle in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ series after Steve Rogers passed the shield to him at the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. The character carried that identity through Captain America: Brave New World, released in February 2025, establishing Sam Wilson as the MCU’s active Captain America for several years of canon timeline.
His presence at Avengers Campus reflected that current MCU status, giving guests opportunities to meet the character who held the Captain America title in recent films and series rather than the retired Steve Rogers version.
What This Means for Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure
The removal of Sam Wilson’s Captain America creates a Captain America-shaped hole in Avengers Campus’s character lineup. Whether Disney replaces him with Steve Rogers Captain America, leaves the Captain America character absent entirely, or makes other adjustments remains unclear.
The land continues featuring other Avengers including Spider-Man, Black Panther, and various heroes available for meet and greets and interactions. The character roster has fluctuated since opening based on MCU developments, performer availability, and operational decisions about which heroes to prioritize.
Avengers Campus Expansion Progress
While Sam Wilson’s Captain America exits the land, Avengers Campus itself continues expanding with two new attractions currently under construction. Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab represent major additions that will nearly double the land’s physical size when completed.
Construction is also underway on a new restroom building, and walls have gone up around the former Tower of Terror FastPass distribution station as that area gets repurposed for expansion-related changes.
The expansion timing creates an interesting juxtaposition where Disney is simultaneously removing character entertainment while investing hundreds of millions in new attractions, reflecting different operational priorities and the reality that character appearances can be adjusted far more easily than physical construction projects.
The Disney Character Continuity Challenge
Avengers Campus faces ongoing challenges managing character appearances as the MCU evolves. Characters who were alive and active when the land opened have since died in MCU canon. Others have retired, changed identities, or been replaced by successors.
Disney must decide whether to maintain park experiences as static snapshots of the MCU at specific moments or constantly update character rosters to reflect current canon. Each approach creates trade-offs between operational simplicity and narrative consistency.
Removing Sam Wilson’s Captain America ahead of Doomsday suggests Disney is choosing to align with upcoming MCU developments rather than maintaining the character’s presence based on his recent prominence. This reactive approach to MCU changes means character lineups will likely continue fluctuating as new films and series reshape the franchise.
Disney Guest Impact
For guests who specifically wanted to meet Sam Wilson’s Captain America at Avengers Campus, the character’s removal eliminates that opportunity indefinitely. Families planning visits expecting to interact with the character they saw in Brave New World will no longer find him available.
The lack of announced replacement or timeline for potential return creates uncertainty about whether this represents permanent retirement or temporary absence pending Doomsday’s release and subsequent MCU developments.
Looking Forward
Whether Sam Wilson’s Captain America returns to Avengers Campus after Doomsday‘s release, whether Steve Rogers’ Captain America replaces him, or whether the Captain America character remains absent from the land depends on decisions Disney hasn’t yet publicly disclosed.
The character’s removal demonstrates how theme park lands based on active franchises must continuously adapt to narrative developments beyond Disney’s parks division control, creating fluidity in guest experiences that differs fundamentally from lands based on completed stories or static intellectual properties.
For now, guests visiting Avengers Campus will find Sam Wilson’s Captain America absent from the character lineup following his final appearance on January 24, 2026, with no confirmed plans for when or whether any version of Captain America returns to the land.