Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are ahead!
We’ve seen numerous times in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that a team-up movie isn’t required for one superhero to interact with another superhero. Take Anthony Mackie, who’s played Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, since Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He got into a tussle with Scott Lang during Ant-Man, and apparently there was talk about having him pop his head into Spider-Man: Far From Home too. According to executive producer Eric Carroll:
We briefly talked about bringing in Falcon as Captain America at the end, like maybe once Peter's arced, and he's sort of like leading the team, like maybe he calls in a favor. But we also thought it was really important to the arc of this movie that there not be other Avengers available to Nick Fury or Peter, so he'd have to step up and do it himself.
As those who’ve seen Avengers: Endgame will recall, Steve Rogers, now an old man in the present day due to staying in the past to be with Peggy Carter, passed the Captain America mantle to Sam Wilson. So Spider-Man: Far From Home could have been our first time seeing Sam as Captain America officially, costume and all.
However, as Eric Carroll informed Comicbook.com, it was decided that it was better that Spider-Man and Nick Fury not be able to rely on any other superheroes during Spider-Man: Far From Home, requiring Peter Parker to be the one to save the day. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige added:
It's all about Peter stepping up. And Peter getting out of the shadow, not just of Tony but of the Avengers in general. Because by the way, he's Spider-Man. He doesn't need to be in the shadow of the Avengers. So other than Maria, and Nick, and Happy, and the emotional presence of Tony... You hear, he asks about Thor. He asks about Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel.
Like Kevin Feige mentioned, Spider-Man: Far From Home already has Nick Fury, Maria Hill and Happy Hogan serving as representatives from other corners of the MCU, and if the goal is to show Spider-Man triumphing over great adversity, then show him doing so rather than calling for backup. As nice as it would be to see Sam Wilson in a Captain America uniform, that shouldn’t interfere with spotlighting the Web-Slinger properly.
While there’s no indication that Anthony Mackie will reprise Sam Wilson in a movie anytime soon, his time in the MCU certainly isn’t over. Mackie will co-star with Sebastian Stan in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It’s a good bet that will be when Sam finally debuts as Captain America, which begs the question of if the series will be renamed or not.
As for Spider-Man: Far From Home, it sees Peter Parker still mourning Tony Stark’s death as he’s traveling across Europe with his classmates. Although he’s hoping to get a break from the superhero life from this trip, Nick Fury and Maria Hill have other plans for him, as they’ve tasked him fighting the Elementals alongside Quentin Beck, a.k.a. Mysterio, who claims to be from another Earth.
Spider-Man: Far From Home spins its web in theaters on July 2, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more coverage. For now, check out what other Marvel movies are on the way in our handy guide.
