Avengers 4 Theory: The REAL Reason Captain Marvel's Name Isn't Used... Yet

And how Captain America could hold the answers...

by Ewan Paterson
Marvel Studios

Captain Marvel is here, and despite being set over 20 years in the past, the film bears a unique importance for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Brie Larson's Kree superhero is set to dominate and "lead" the MCU for the foreseeable future, and with her role in Avengers: Endgame still slightly under-wraps, it's little surprise that fans have been relentlessly speculating as to her true role in the film.

Thanks to one of the post-credits scenes from Captain Marvel, we now have a better idea of when she'll pop up, and even what role she could take. It's still relatively little, granted, but that's the case with most elements of Endgame, and why should it be any different?

However, there is a sense of inevitability regarding certain characters in the next Avengers film. Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans are widely speculated to depart the franchise after the sequel, and although there's plenty of reason for Tony Stark to retire in Endgame, Steve Rogers doesn't have that same avenue available. He's a soldier - it's what he does - and all signs (sadly) point towards him dying in Endgame.

But Steve's passing also represents renewal. As one Captain departs, another rises, and it's with that in mind that it's likely that Rogers and Carol Danvers will share plenty of the screen together in Endgame. If you recall, Carol is never referred to as "Captain Marvel" in her film, but with help from the comics - as well as the clues we have of Endgame so far - we may know why that is the case...

Advertisement
Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.