What Should Happen To Captain America Once Chris Evans Leaves
The pieces are already in place...
When Captain America: Civil War released in 2016, few would've likely thought that one of the film's best features would come from the relationship between Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes and Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson. While the two had crossed paths before, neither had actually maintained a conversation, and while the Steve Rogers-Falcon partnership is a fairly iconic one, Barnes and Wilson have never achieved the level of synonymy as they each have with Rogers.
Just the other week, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Anthony Mackie spoke of seeing both characters together in a buddy cop-style film later on in the MCU's future. Taken at face value, yes, these comments don't imply much. When delving into the wider history of both characters however, as well as the impending departure of Chris Evans from the MCU, it becomes apparent that there could be a lot more to this Bucky/Falcon film talk than meets the eye.
Both Stan and Mackie have been optioned as potential replacements for Evans as Cap in light of both their characters having done so in the comics, but while the more likely candidate is Bucky, owing to the raft of foreshadowing seen in both The First Avenger, The Winter Soldier and Civil War, Marvel clearly have plans for Wilson's Falcon. In light of that, and the fact that, for much of Cap's storied career, his comic was billed as Captain America & The Falcon, the prospect of the fourth Captain America feature being a team-up film - one where Falcon gets equal billing ala Ant-Man and The Wasp - isn't all that unlikely.
In executing the unthinkable (the demise of Steve Rogers), Marvel will have to come out guns blazing to win fans over to their new Captain America. Making the fourth feature, one where Bucky wields the shield with Falcon as his partner, makes that transition easier. Steve Rogers leaves behind massive boots to fill, and in taking two people to fill them, Marvel understand the gravity of the situation.
Do you want to see a Bucky/Falcon team-up film? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!