Steve Rogers' time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe seemingly came to an end after the defeat of Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, but it's still possible for his character to return. Chris Evans portrayed Steve, aka Captain America, in the franchise from 2011 to 2019. Although Endgame served as his swan song, nothing is ever final in Marvel Studios' mega-hit franchise.
Steve was introduced in Phase 1 of the MCU with his first solo film, Captain America: The First Avenger. In the movie, he transformed into Captain America before facing off with Red Skull. Steve may have saved the world, but he subsequently buried himself in the Arctic for nearly 70 years. The character then returned in a prominent role for The Avengers before appearing in nine more MCU installments, including solo films, Avengers sequels, and special cameos.
Endgame officially marked the end of Evans' contract with the MCU. The actor has insinuated that he was ready to retire as Captain America, but just last November, he couldn't rule out a return to the MCU in the future. Evans may have been discussing a return in the main role, but there may still be a chance the actor returns in other forms. The contents of Evans' contract were unclear but it's possible that he fulfilled some duties for projects that have yet to debut. With options like flashbacks, archive footage, and multidimensional elements, Evans could appear in Phase 4 through previously planned narratives. Here's every Phase 4 movie and TV show we think Evans could return as Steve Rogers/Captain America.
When a visibly-aged Steve Rogers returned to the primary timeline at the end of Avengers: Endgame, he not only said goodbye to his time as Captain America but also passed on the mantle to Sam Wilson, aka Falcon. Sam's handling of his new responsibilities will be a major focus of the upcoming series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Assuming that there won't be any further production delays, the Disney+ series is expected to release in August 2020, making it the next chapter in the franchise. Sam will continue using his Falcon moniker while learning what it means to carry Captain America's shield. He also teams up with Bucky Barnes to deal with a serious threat.
Although it's unlikely that Evans would return to the franchise so soon, especially with his appropriate swan song in Endgame, it's always possible that he filmed scenes as old man Steve for extra context when it came to handing Sam the shield. Perhaps there was more to that Endgame scene that was saved for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier despite the fact that Evans declined his involvement. There's also the chance of the series using flashbacks of Steve when he worked alongside Sam in previous MCU installments. Sam will probably struggle with the notion of filling Steve's shoes so it's difficult to rule out some kind of archive footage of the two being used.
Technically, Black Widow was set to be the first MCU title to debut post-Endgame. It will still serve as the first film of Phase 4, but rather than its planned May premiere, the movie has been pushed back to November due to the coronavirus pandemic. Scarlet Johansson is reprising her role as the titular character despite the fact that Natasha Romanoff was killed off in Endgame. Black Widow will turn back the clock a bit since it takes place while Nat was on the run between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War.
While Black Widow will fill in some of the blanks of Nat's past, it will also presumably explain how she reunited with Steve prior to the events of Infinity War. As viewers will remember, Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon rescued Vision and Scarlet Witch in Edinburgh before taking the crew back to the Avengers Compound. Black Widow will need to set up how Nat managed to evade capture during that time on the run and explain what drove her back to the Avengers. The movie could bring back Steve as the two stuck together and agreed to keep a low profile. Again, this could be a situation in which Nat's reunion with Steve was planned for Black Widow and the footage could have been shot years before Evans' exit.
Scarlet Witch and Vision will finally get the spotlight with the upcoming Disney+ series, WandaVision. The limited series follows Wanda Maximoff and Vision living a suburban life as they realize that all is not what it may seem. The rest of the plot is shrouded in secrecy, and that includes how exactly Vision comes back from the dead. Despite the lack of details, it was confirmed that a few MCU faces will appear in the series, such as Kat Dennings' Darcy Lewis and Randall Park's Jimmy Woo. That said, it's not out of the realm of possibility that other familiar figures appear in the series.
Even without many plot details, WandaVision is expected to feature alternate realities. If this is the case, then there could be other versions of Steve Rogers out there, allowing for an Evans' reprisal as Captain America. The series is said to set up the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. With the long-awaited introduction to the MCU's multiverse, there could be numerous versions of the Avengers in existence that could open the door to previously dead or retired characters.
As of now, a third Spider-Man installment in the MCU is expected to release in July 2021. Pre-production was underway but the pandemic halted current work on the project. Either way, Tom Holland is set to reprise his role as Spider-Man following the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Young Peter Parker must deal with the fallout of being framed for Mysterio's death while also handling the fact that his identity has been exposed. Peter tried to maintain a double life but that will no longer be an option. He was already struggling with the loss of Tony Stark, and now, he seems to need a mentor now than ever.
There are many figures that could step up and lead Peter out of the latest debacle. Considering Steve is still alive in the MCU, just in an aged state, he could potentially become Peter's wise confidant. It would be interesting to see Steve serve as a Mr. Miyagi-type character as he helps mold the new generation of superheroes. It would also be special to see the MCU's first Avenger pass on his knowledge to one of the young and brightest members of the team.
Like the case with WandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is expected to feature several different dimensions that could introduce alternate versions of well-known characters. The Doctor Strange sequel is set to debut in November 2021 (or later if production delays last longer than anticipated), over two years after Endgame. It would probably take a lot of convincing on Marvel's side to bring Evans back so soon. He probably wouldn't be reprising his primary timeline role as the Steve we know and love if multiverses are involved so the actor could be more open to the idea of a brief cameo. If and when Evans decides to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he will surely be welcomed with open arms.
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