Avengers: Endgame - Captain America & Iron Man's Fates Explained

by Ewan Paterson

1. Legacy, Sam Wilson, And What That Could Mean For Phase 4

Falcon Bucky
Marvel Studios

Steve Rogers may not have passed away, but this was absolutely his exit from the franchise. Chris Evans has long stated his desire to work behind the camera and work with other roles, and while there are rumours that he's been offered the chance to direct episodes of Falcon and Winter Soldier (surely to be renamed Captain America and Winter Soldier now?), we should presume this is where the actor's relationship with the MCU will come to a close.

However, just because Evans is due to bow out of the series doesn't mean that Captain America will be gone for good. For years, fans had speculated that either one of Bucky or Falcon would assume the identity in the event Steve could no longer continue, with both having already done so in the comics. As Endgame revealed, the responsibility now falls to Sam, while Bucky will retain the identity of Winter Soldier.

Legacy is a tricky thing to get right, even in the comics themselves. The fact they're embarking on it in the MCU is something to anticipate and enjoy though, especially with the series branching into further opportunities on the small screen with Disney+, where Sam and Bucky will be prominent in their own show.

Despite their newfound commitment to the streaming service, they're still bound to be involved in the films going forward too. That means a whole new Captain America leading a whole new group of Avengers, and that is something almost impossible to not get excited about.

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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.