Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is largely predicated on legacy, as we’ve seen already with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney Plus. It’s a theme that’s set to continue for a while yet, too, with the majority of the Phase One Avengers being cycled out and a raft of replacements and new faces being drafted in, and it might carry on even further into the future according to a recent report.
As per insider Daniel Richtman, the in-development Captain America 4 will bring back characters from the very earliest days of the MCU, but the tipster doesn’t expound any further on what’s a broad and admittedly vague statement. Regardless, it would hardly be a shock given that we already know the franchise is dipping into the beginning of its history for inspiration.
Phase One veterans Bucky Barnes, Rhodey, Nick Fury, Thor, Loki and Bruce Banner all still have big parts to play, while She-Hulk has recruited Tim Roth to reprise his role as Emily Blonsky for the first time since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Richtman doesn’t offer any hints as to who, how, when, where, or why Captain America 4 incorporates figures from the start of the MCU, but there are hardly a great deal of big hitters from Phase One that would move the needle for the fanbase.
Red Skull would maybe be an option, but we just saw him in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, while Pepper Potts and Phil Coulson have already been series regulars. Anyone from The First Avenger, meanwhile, would have to be saved for flashbacks, but World War II isn’t really tied to Sam Wilson’s story in any way. It’s a frustratingly opaque rumor that could mean anything, then, so we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out as Captain America 4 moves through development.
