Going into Captain America: Brave New World, Marvel Studios has a new hero behind the Star Spangled mask in place of Chris Evans' Steve Rogers.
Steve Rogers may be in the marketing for Captain America 4, but he will not be leading the way this time around, as that honor will fall to Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson in his first big-screen solo outing.
Why Is Chris Evans Not Captain America?
Chris Evans entered the MCU in 2011 as Steve Rogers, a skinny Brooklyn man with a big heart who took the Super Soldier Serum to transform him into the United States World War II hero, Captain America.
As fans will be well aware, Rogers became a man out of time, continuing his career as Captain America alongside the Avengers for years to come.
The beginning of the end for Rogers' MCU journey came in Avengers: Infinity War, when Earth's Mightiest Heroes lost to Thanos and half of life was snapped away.
Fast forward five years later into Avengers: Endgame, Rogers and the surviving heroes put together a Time Heist to borrow versions of the Infinity Stones from across history to bring everyone back, with a promise to return them afterward.
The duty of returning the Infinity Stones to their homes fell to Evans' Rogers (which was once pitched as a Disney+ spin-off series), who, after completing his mission, decided to "try some of that life Tony was telling [him] to get," and returned to the past to live out life with Peggy Carter.
Meanwhile, in the present day, an elderly Rogers, having lived out his life in the past, reunited with Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, on a bench near the Avengers compound to pass along his iconic shield and the mantle of Captain America.
While the MCU has yet to confirm where Rogers is now, one Marvel actor seemingly confirmed he is not dead, leaving the door open to future appearances.
Why Is There a New Captain America In the MCU?
In the context of the MCU, the reason Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson replaced Chris Evans' Steve Rogers as Captain America came down to a passing of the torch, as the World War 2 veteran retired and left the heroics behind him.
In terms of a more real-world reason why Evans did not return after Endgame, the actor's seven-movie MCU contract was complete, and he opted not to renew.
Mackie is expected to carry the Star Spangled mantle through Captain America: Brave New World and go on to be among the leading heroes in Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, and beyond.
Why Captain America Is Black - Sam Wilson's Star-Spangled Falcon
After Steve Rogers handed Sam Wilson the Captain America shield in Avengers: Endgame, one might have assumed he immediately took up the iconic heroic mantle, but that was not the case, as explored in Disney+'s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
In the aftermath of the Battle for Earth, Wilson rejected the shield, believing he was unfit for the job of Captain America. As such, the U.S. government appointed its own replacement in John Walker, who went on to brutally kill one of his foes with the vibranium shield. This ultimately led Wilson to reclaim the Captain America mantle.
In the Marvel Comics universe, the iconic brand shook the nation in 2015 with All-New Captain America, which saw Steve Rogers retire from heroics and leave his mantle to Sam Wilson, who also became the leader of the Avengers.
Wilson may have left the mantle of Falcon behind him, but he did bring some of that identity with him to Captain America. While wearing a more Star-Spangled attire, the former Falcon continued to utilize mechanical wings to aid him in combat.
But Wilson has one big disadvantage to Rogers as Captain America in that he has no Super Soldier Serum, instead relying on his technology, skills, and brains to get through the toughest situations, such as facing the Red Hulk.
Speaking with Deadline, Anthony Mackie explained that, without the serum, Wilson will have to be "smart and engineer different ways of defeating enemies:"
“It’s very different with the serum — you can fight anybody. When you don’t have the serum, you have to be smart and engineer different ways of defeating [enemies]. With Sam, him being a counselor, he uses more of his brains than brawn. He uses more of his wit than his fist. He’s more of a friend to everyone.”
In the MCU, Wilson will don a Wakanda-made vibranium wingsuit that can seemingly absorb and discharge kinetic energy akin to the Black Panther suit, while also being somewhat protected from even the toughest blows.
These days in Marvel Comics, just as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are equally Spider-Man, both Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson can be found waving the Star Spangled Banner as Captain America.
For a while, Sentinel of Liberty and Symbol of Truth co-existed as ongoing Captain America comics led by Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, respectively.
Currently, there is no ongoing Captain America series in Marvel Comics, with the five-issue Sam Wilson: Captain America tale releasing in early 2025 being the only Star Spangled content going on the page for now.
Chris Evans Is Coming Back to the MCU Next Year - Here's Why
Since departing the MCU, Chris Evans already made one return in Deadpool & Wolverine where he instead reprised his other Marvel role as Johnny Storm, aka Human Torch, from the early 2000s Fantastic Four movies.
More recently, it was revealed Evans will be coming back in 2026 (next year) for a role in Avengers: Doomsday alongside Peggy Carter actress Hayley Atwell.
Evans may be coming back for Doomsday and Secret Wars, but fans should not expect him to reclaim the Captain America mantle anytime soon.
Yes, Rogers may don the Captain America suit once more (although rumors point to him playing another superhero, Nomad) but Sam Wilson will likely hold onto the mantle in the MCU timeline for the coming Avengers movies and beyond.
Perhaps the most popular theory around Evans' return has him becoming a villain such as Captain Hydra (a villainous Variant of Rogers) who could side with Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom in the Multiversal war to come.
Regardless of what happens across the Multiverse next year, for now, Sam Wilson is the MCU's Captain America and can be seen donning the shield in Captain America: Brave New World.
Captain America: Brave New World comes to theaters on Friday, February 14.
