SPOILERS are ahead for the finale of Falcon and the Winter Solider on Disney+.
Since the events of Avengers: Endgame, we’ve been asking a number of questions about the future of our favorite superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Among them is the fate of Captain America after Chris Evans’ hero gave over his shield to live out the simple life with Peggy Carter. The legacy of The Star Spangled Man has been explored the last six weeks on Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and shortly after the Disney+ series concluded Friday, we have our verdict on Captain America 4.
Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s showrunner Malcolm Spellman is reportedly behind the next Captain America big-screen outing, per THR. The upcoming MCU film is expected to star Anthony Mackie as his version of the comic book hero following the reveal on the last episode of the series.
Per the report, though it has not been officially confirmed by Marvel, Malcolm Spellman is penning a script for a fourth Captain America film with Dalan Musson, a staff writer on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It is expected to be focused on Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson following the events of the Disney+ series. The final episode of the show had the character fully assuming the mantle of the shield after initially showing hesitancy for the title following Avengers: Endgame.
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson decided to retire Cap’s shield until it was quickly handed over to Wyatt Russell’s John Walker. At the start of the series, the replacement Cap his journey with good intentions, but his origin story becomes one clouded in darkness when Walker proves to be unworthy, most notably by ruthlessly murdering a Flag Smasher in public after injecting himself with the Super Soldier Serum.
The events of the Disney+ series led Anthony Mackie’s Marvel character to assume the title alongside Cap’s oldest pal, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky. Following the finale, fans could only wonder how the setup might allow Sam Wilson to officially take up the title, and news of Captain America 4 with the same team behind the series seems to offer a quick answer to this question.
No casting or directing announcements have been made at this point in development, and there’s still the loose end of whether Chris Evans will be return as Steve Rogers after rumors spread earlier this year about the actor reprising his Marvel role. Considering, Disney+ just spent six episodes setting up Anthony Mackie as the new Captain America, it seems thin Evans would be involved, but as we know well, anything is possible in the MCU.
With Anthony Mackie established as a worthy successor to Chris Evans, Sam Wilson could be positioned as one of the most key figures in the MCU going forward. Time will tell how this Captain America 4 project shakes out. For now, Marvel releases are cooling down until the summer season. Black Widow is coming on July 9, and the Loki series will premiere June 11 on Disney+. Check out the full MCU lineup here on CinemaBlend.
