There’s not much we know for sure about what will happen in Avengers: Endgame, but it’s widely thought that the fates of both Iron Man and Captain America are on the line, given that Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. will have finished their contracts as of the fourth Avengers movie. And while it’s unlikely that both Phase 1 heroes will meet their ends, we’d be shocked if at least one of them didn’t bite the bullet.
Seeing how Kevin Feige and co. plan on introducing new characters into the next Phase of the MCU, and taking into account Steve Rogers’ inherently self-sacrificing nature, it’s easy to see why fans are predicting that Cap will be the one to go out in a blaze of glory later this month. And in a new theory put forth by ComicBook.com, it’s suggested that the beloved hero may even die right near the start of the film.
As the outlet states, in the footage we’ve seen so far, there’ve been “clips that show Captain America presumably fighting Thanos in the midst of a razed location.” It’s unknown where exactly this takes place, but ComicBook.com believes this battle will occur pretty early on and if that’s the case, it’s though that Endgame may kill off Steve Rogers at this point to set the tone for the rest of the movie.
By doing so, it’ll give the team a reason to rally together and provide them with even more incentive to take down the Mad Titan. Not that they need any additional motivation, mind you, but still, it could be an effective way of spurring them into action.
The theory goes on to touch on the whole time travel plotline as well, suggesting that while Marvel may kill off the present-day Cap, the Avengers can travel back in time and recruit the Steve Rogers from 2012’s The Avengers to join the team before sending him off to post-WWII America so he can reunite with Peggy, thus giving him a happy ending.
To be fair, it’s hardly the worst theory out there and would be a pretty exciting and interesting arc to take Cap on for his final outing in the MCU. Whether it’ll play out this way or not remains to be seen, but it’s looking likely right now that Avengers: Endgame will bring about the death or quiet retirement of at least one or two of the original Phase 1 heroes.
