Ever since Avengers: Endgame saw Iron Man die and Steve Rogers retire, Marvel fans have been wondering who will take over as the new leader of the Avengers. The top contenders have included the more powerful heroes on the team, like Doctor Strange or Captain Marvel, but another common pick is Sam Wilson’s Captain America, seeing as he has inherited Steve’s title as the Sentinel of Liberty.
According to a new report, this is exactly the route Marvel is taking. Geekosity has shared that insider sources have told them Anthony Mackie’s former Falcon is “going to have an overall larger role in the MCU” which will include becoming the new leader of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. This intriguing news follows on from Sam officially accepting the mantle of Cap in this year’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV series.
Recent reports have pointed to Mackie’s next MCU appearance coming in summer 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Geekosity claims that the actor will then move on to shooting Captain America 4, which was announced shortly after Falcon concluded in April, which is on course to start filming next May. According to the site, Avengers 5 will materialize after that. This movie will then see Sam step up as the new team leader.
Sam’s appointment as Steve’s successor makes a lot of sense for many reasons. For one, he proved in Falcon that he has similar moral incorruptibility and ability to inspire as Captain Rogers and, unlike Carol Danvers and Stephen Strange, who frequently zip off into space or the multiverse, he’s reliably around to bring the Avengers together when needed. Again, this isn’t official, but it’s easy to imagine this info turning out to be correct.
The next Captain America movie is being written by Falcon scribes Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson and will likely bring back Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, too. Rumors say it could be the biggest Cap flick yet.