Yesterday we learned that Anthony Mackie is locked in to play Sam Wilson in Captain America 4. This will continue his arc from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which explored the fallout of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers’ retirement, and Wilson overcoming his initial reluctance to wield the shield.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier screenwriters Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson are currently hard at work on the screenplay, leading many fans to wonder whether Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes will play as big a role in the movie as he did on the show.
Right now Marvel Studios’ lips are sealed, though Stan has given a telling reaction to the news on Instagram. He posted an image of the Deadline confirmation in his stories, captioning it with a straightforward “Hell. Yes.”
It’d be a shame if Stan wasn’t present for the fourth Captain America movie, as he’s got fantastic chemistry with Mackie, still has a lot of character growth to go through, and can contribute to some kickass action sequences. I’m betting that behind closed doors Stan’s agent is in talks with Marvel Studios about the terms of his contract, so expect an announcement soon.
Another actor who may or may not be back is Chris Evans. Though he’s retired from the MCU as of Endgame, there are many avenues open for him to mount a comeback. Most notable is the MCU’s recent embrace of the multiverse, meaning there could be an infinite number of alt-Steves out there that they could use if they so desired.
Personally, I hope they focus on the future rather than the past. The shadow of Steve Rogers will loom over the MCU for years to come, but it’s time for new heroes to carve out their own legacy.
More on Captain America 4 as we hear it.
