Anthony Mackie can try as hard as he likes to create an air of mystery, but Avengers: Endgame wouldn’t have teased Steve Rogers handing the legendary shield of Captain America over to his good buddy Sam Wilson if they weren’t planning on paying it off eventually. Of course, there are going to be more than a few obstacles put in place, most likely the entire run of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but everyone’s expecting Sam to suit up eventually.
However, a potential spanner was thrown into the works when it was reported that Chris Evans had entered talks to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although the actor almost immediately denied it and then went back to maintaining radio silence. The entirety of the franchise’s Phase Four is all about legacy, but the latest addition to the rumor mill claims that Evans will be back to play a major supporting role in a fourth Captain America solo movie, which will be led by his successor Mackie.
Obviously, at this stage, neither Evans nor the project itself have been officially announced or confirmed by Marvel, and in all honesty, if Sam Wilson was to get his own standalone adventure, Steve Rogers would be the worst possible thing to happen to both the film and the title hero himself.
After all, he’s already headlined three blockbusters of his own that raked in billions at the box office before gracefully bowing out, and the MCU’s second permanent Captain America faces a tough enough task as it is trying to dislodge Chris Evans from the public consciousness, never mind having the original vintage star-spangled superhero breathing down his neck for the entire running time to constantly remind people that there are big boots to fill.