The MCU Chose the New Captain America For a Logical Reason — Sorry, Bucky
Zack Sharf
[Editors’ note: The following post contains spoilers for “Avengers: Endgame.”]
Chris Evans says goodbye to Captain America in “Avengers: Endgame,” but that doesn’t mean the Marvel Cinematic Universe is done with the superhero. In the final moments of the Marvel blockbuster, an older Steve Rogers (Evans) passes on Captain America’s shield to his friend Sam Wilson, aka Falcon (Anthony Mackie). The way the moment is played implies that Steve is officially passing the superhero torch to Sam, who will now be the MCU’s Captain America for the foreseeable future.
The emotional scene takes place as Bucky/Winter Solider (Sebastian Stan) watches from afar. Some MCU fans have wondered why Steve made the choice to pass the Captain America mantle to Sam and not his longtime friend Bucky. For the Russo Brothers, the decision had to be a logical one and choosing Sam over Bucky felt right in terms of which one best represents Cap’s values and beliefs.
“Cap and Bucky are brothers but you know what’s interesting about them is they’re very different people and I think that Bucky always has the ability to have his mind corrupted, it can always be taken over by someone else,” Joe Russo told CinemaBlend. “That hasn’t been resolved for him and Sam has his free will and I think that Sam also had a similar ethic as Cap as far as service goes in the military.”
As Anthony Russo explained to SiriusXM, “There are two versions of who gets the shield, Sam or Bucky,” Anthony said. “And we talked about it, but it became pretty clear to us early on. Cap and Sam just share this character connection. I think the real attraction between Cap and Bucky is that their relationship — they started more as opposites, and that’s how they complemented each other. Whereas I feel like Sam and Cap are more kindred spirits.”
How exactly Sam/Falcon will take over the Captain America role in the future of the MCU remains to be seen. Both Sam and Bucky will be paired together for an upcoming Disney+ original series entitled “Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” starring Mackie and Stan in their respective roles. The television show title makes no mention of Falcon being the new Captain America, so the character’s title might not be changing. One thing fans can expect is to see Falcon wielding the Cap shield.
“Avengers: Endgame” is now playing in theaters nationwide.
