Captain America Has Some Worthy Successors In The Comics — And They’re Not All Men

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have had some time to process the fact that Chris Evans will most likely be leaving after Avengers: Endgame, which arrives on April 26. The actor who has played Steve Rogers in several MCU films fulfilled his contract and opted not to renew as he preferred to focus on directing movies of his own, he told the New York Times. But whether Steve is around or not, it's totally possible that Captain America could be in another Avengers movie.

Potentially. Of course, it wouldn't be Chris Evans playing him (at least, that doesn't seem likely). What fans expect is that Steve Rogers as Captain America will die, but that one of two characters will take over as Captain America as they have at different points in the comic books. Both Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson (otherwise known as the Winter Soldier and Falcon, respectively) have become Captain America in the Marvel comics series, and are already featured in MCU films (portrayed by Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie). It remains to be seen if one of them might take Captain America's shield before the other, but there are certainly solid theories for both despite them having appeared to die in Infinity War.

Then again, Marvel has always done what it's wanted when it comes to casting and retelling classic stories from the comic books. Some muse that the next Captain America could be a woman, much like the way Marvel comics gender swapped Thor. In an interview with Larry King, Frank Grillo (who plays Crossbones) suggested that the new Captain America could be "African-American ... or a woman." Perhaps even Peggy Carter, ScreenGeek suggests, could get a chance like she has in some recent comics. There are some rumors that Hayley Atwell could make a cameo in Endgame, according to CinemaBlend, and DigitalSpy points out you can see a photo of Peggy in the trailer. Peggy appeared to die in Captain America: Civil War, but death isn't always certain in the MCU, especially now that the movies are playing with time.

There's also the possibility of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones' daughter Danielle Cage. As MentalFloss mentions, she also becomes Captain America in the comics, as does Isaiah Bradley, the first black Captain America, American war hero John Walker (aka U.S. Agent), and Jeffrey Pace (The Patriot). These roles would have to be cast, adding new characters and actors to the MCU, although actor Jason O'Mara has played Pace on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. And John Cena shared Captain America's shield on Instagram back in November in what Esquire referred to as cryptic post.

But no one really knows what will happen with Captain America onscreen just yet. Until Avengers: Endgame confirms that Steve Rogers either dies, retires, or time travels back into the past, there's no way of knowing how (or who) Captain America will continue in future MCU films. But most Marvel fans know that Captain America is a legacy, not an individual, and so he/she/they will live on somehow in someone(s), if not Steve Rogers.