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

4. Marvel Can't Really Have TWO Captains

Avengers Endgame Captain America
Marvel Studios

Sure, there have been plenty of different 'captains' in the Marvel Universe before (America, Britain and Marvel the three most famous), but with the Avengers... there should really only be one.

Why? Well it's complicated. Legacy is a massive element from the comics, and something we can expect to see going forward with the MCU, but it's worth mentioning that it may take an unexpected direction.

For a long time now, fans have anticipated that the exit of Steve Rogers would lead Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes to become the new Captain America, as he did in the comics. While that's a fascinating possibility to consider in itself, it looks doubtful that it's something Marvel will pursue. Yes, Stan has plenty of films left on his contract, but he seems destined to head for Disney+ instead, starring in a show opposite Anthony Mackie's Falcon.

This thus raises an interesting point: if legacy is to feature in the MCU, who's to say characters will take on now departed identities? Bucky Cap has long been speculated by fans, but so too has the potential arrival of Riri Williams, and even Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie becoming the new Thor, should Chris Hemsworth exit the series. What if, though, legacy became less literal, and was more a thematic passing of the torch? In Steve's case, Danvers becoming the team's new Captain could represent the continuation of his legacy.

But - importantly - she has to have her name first. At no point in Captain Marvel was she called 'Captain Marvel', and that'll need to change in Endgame.

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.