There are certain things that a Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster focusing on Captain America should definitely contain, which include the iconic shield, a costume covered in stripes and, of course, a substantial supporting role for Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes. However, when it comes to Anthony Mackie’s solo debut under his new moniker, there’s a difficult balancing act to maintain.
So far, Sam Wilson’s entire existence in the MCU has been directly tied to Steve Rogers, and that’s not going to change at any point now that he’s taken on his buddy’s mantle after having it bestowed upon him at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Without Steve there’s no Sam, but the character also has to stand on his own two feet to fully and firmly establish himself as the new Cap, which again will require a lot of skill given how popular Chris Evans was in the role for close to a decade.
The worst thing for Captain America 4 to do would be to get Evans involved, because it runs the real risk of overshadowing Mackie entirely. That hasn’t stopped rumors from making the rounds, though, that say he’ll show up for a cameo, and we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones who told us the project was in the works long before it was confirmed – that Sam could end up facing off against Steve’s archenemy in the future of the MCU.
Of course, we’re talking about the Red Skull, who was last seen spending an eternity on Vormir as the man guarding the Soul Stone. Further details remain sketchy for now, but it’d probably only take a little bit of timeline and/or time travel trickery to have the villainous Nazi return to the present day, and he’d certainly be in for a shock were he to see the man throwing around Captain America‘s shield at the moment.
