One of the biggest unanswered questions surrounding The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the exact whereabouts and status of Steve Rogers, which is obviously by design. The original Captain America was mentioned at least once in every episode, but the show played its cards very close to the chest in terms of refusing to confirm or deny what happened to him after the events of Avengers: Endgame.
He could be dead, he could be living the quiet life somewhere as a retired superhero or he could be on the moon as a lot of people seem to think, but the fact that the specifics of his current location were kept under wraps has naturally generated a thousand fan theories, especially following the reports making the rounds a few months ago that Chris Evans was in talks for a Marvel Cinematic Universe return.
Of course, unless there’s some sort of multiversal aspect to any theoretical comeback, the franchise doesn’t really need him anymore. Sam Wilson is now established as the brand new and full-time Captain America, and Rogers’ arc was tied up in fitting fashion as Endgame faded to black, with his long-awaited dance with Peggy Carter the very last shot of the entire Infinity Saga.
As part of Disney Plus’ Marvel Studios: Assembled series focusing on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Steve’s name naturally came up, and Vice President of Production and Development Nate Moore addressed the star-spangled elephant in the room, saying:
“The relationship between Bucky and Steve is so dramatic and so filled with pathos, if you think about it, the only one who had believed in Bucky in the MCU up until this point was Steve Rogers. Well, now Steve Rogers is gone. Bucky feels unmoored in this series and is looking for his purpose.”
Obviously, top tier Marvel executives aren’t going to lay it out in black and white, so there’s still every chance Steve Rogers is out there somewhere, even if The Falcon and the Winter Soldier made a point of continuing his legacy through Sam’s ascent to Captain America.
