After the events of Avengers: Endgame, we Marvel fans are still asking ourselves if Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, will ever return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Who can blame us? I mean, it’s not like he’s dead like two other Avengers. Spoiler alert? Not at all. If you haven’t seen Avengers: Endgame by now, then shame on you. Even if you haven’t, it’s pretty much impossible to avoid the news about what happened. Just a little recap for those who forgot (yeah, right). After the Avengers defeated Thanos, Captain America decided to be the one to travel back in time and return the infinity stones to their original timelines. His friends were expecting him to make a quick return, but all they got was Steve Rogers as an old man. He passed down the shield to Falcon and he is now happily retired.
But what about the Captain America who traveled back in time to return the stones? Well, he evidently accomplished that task, but he decided to not return. In a rather surprising end for his character, Steve Rogers gave up the Cap mantle and reunited with his first lover, Peggy Carter. He finally got that dance with the love of his life and they apparently continued to live a happy, quiet married life. For a man who lived a life of war and fighting, it was very heartwarming to see Cap finally get the life of peace. The man is America’s favorite superhero and he saved the world many times. I’d say he’s entitled to some kind of happiness.
If you ask me, that was the best conclusion for the MCU’s Captain America. I actually thought for sure that he would die at the end of Endgame. He would be the one to make the heroic sacrifice, since he’s Captain America. Well, he didn’t. Although he did finally wield Thor’s hammer, Tony Stark was the one who made the heroic sacrifice and Cap was the one who finally got the life of peace. Such fitting endings for both characters.
However, as comic book fans, we know better when it comes to dead and retired heroes. In other words, no one ever stays dead or retired in comics. One way or another, they always find a way to return. The same goes for supervillains and even for some supporting characters. In the case of the MCU, it’s really no different.
Again, the mantle of Captain America has been passed down to Falcon, but Steve Rogers is still alive. That makes it very possible for him to return to the MCU in some capacity. After all, think about some other certain MCU characters who have died, but still returned to the MCU in some fashion. Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, died in Avengers: Endgame, a tragic, but heroic sacrifice. However, the next MCU movie is the Black Widow movie. Even after her death, Black Widow is still very much active in the MCU. Granted, the movie is happens before Endgame, but the point is, a dead character is still making a big appearance in the MCU after her death.
It doesn’t end with Black Widow though. Does a certain God of mischief come to mind? Last I checked, Loki has died twice. Now the Loki we’ve loved watching for years is still dead, but after the failed time heist for the Tesseract, the past Loki used it to escape. Now, that Loki is getting his own Disney+ series. Heck, Vision died in Infinity War and he’s a big character in the WandaVision series. Some characters are just too popular to stay dead.
In the case of Captain America, it’s hard to believe that Marvel would completely forget about Steve Rogers. Speaking of which, it’s actually just been recently reported by Deadline that Chris Evans is indeed in negotiations with Marvel to reprise the role of Cap. Talk about surprising news, huh? Although Chris Evans himself has Tweeted that this news is actually news to him, I don’t think we should take that Tweet seriously. When it was reported that Tatiana Maslany was casted as She-Hulk, she denied it. Then Kevin Feige himself confirmed her casting at Disney Investor Day. Yeah, I think Chris Evans is playing coy. Can’t blame him. That is his job after all. If Disney and Marvel want to confirm it, they’ll make an official announcement.
Honestly, when I heard this news, I actually had a strange thought. Just stay with me on this one, because it might sound weird on paper. For those who’ve kept up with Chris Evans’ career, you’ll know that he’s played more than one superhero. If Marvel is indeed talking to him again, what if they want him to reprise his role of the Human Torch from the old Fantastic Four movies? How would he do it? The answer is the Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.
Expect many cameos from past Marvel actors in that movie and I have a strange feeling that we’ll see Chris Evans again in Human Torch form. I know how weird that sounds, but imagine if some of the MCU heroes saw the face of Captain America on a totally different hero. There are so many jokes that can be made there and it’s the kind of humor the MCU can work with.
On the other hand, the actual Steve Rogers himself can return as Captain America. To be honest, I really don’t think he should. His conclusion was perfect and now we have a new Captain America. Bringing him back could very well undermine how his story ended. We should also keep in mind that the report from Deadline stated that if Chris Evans returns as Captain America, it will be for more of a supportive role. If that’s the case, then I’d wager Marvel will take a familiar route from the comics.
The young Steve Rogers can live in the past and in peace, but the current Steve Rogers can become Old Man Cap. If they can use some make-up and CGI to make Chris Evans look old once, they can do it again. Now instead of having him in the field, Old Man Cap can act as the new Director of SHIELD. He’ll be out of retirement, but overseeing the progress of the new heroes of the MCU.
That makes sense, since he’s the perfect instructor for a new generation of heroes. He has the wisdom and the combat experience to do so. On top of that, he’s always been the ultimate moral compass of the MCU. He always disagreed with the way SHIELD policed the world, so with him running it, he can make sure that it acts as the way it should. Can he put on the suit and wear the shield again? Yes, but I’d rather have him use the medieval-type shield he later acquired in the comics. Falcon can keep the circular one, and Old Man Cap can have an upgrade.
Never fear an old man in a line of work where the young die soon. Remember Old Man Logan? Yeah, that’s a good example.
So what are your thoughts, Marvel fans? How do you think Captain America will return, if he does at all? After hearing this news, I seriously wonder if Robert Downey Jr. will be in talks to return as Iron Man. Hey, it’s like I said, some characters are too popular to stay dead.
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