Captain America’s Chris Evans Explains Why Falcon Inherited the Shield

It was one of the most memorable moments in Avengers: Endgame, a film that already was packed with memorable moments. At the end of the massive flick, a now-elderly Steve Rogers passed the torch — or in this case, the shield — of Captain Americato Sam Wilson/Falcon. It was an act that sets up for the upcoming Marvel Studios series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and while it remains to be seen if Sam will take up the Captain America mantle, Steve Rogers actor Chris Evans explains why it was Sam (Anthony Mackie) who inherited the iconic shield.

Speaking with Variety, Evans explained that it comes down to how Sam has stepped up, noting that the character’s “role within the Marvel universe has answered the call to action time and again.”

“He’s proven his courage, loyalty, and reliability over multiple films,” Evans explained. “Sam has given so much, and he’s also lost a lot too. He believes in something bigger than himself, and that type of humanity is necessary to carry the shield.”

Even with Sam having proven himself in the eyes of Captain America, it’s still going to be a journey.

“See, at the end of Endgame, Sam didn’t accept the shield. If you remember, he told Steve [Rogers], ‘It doesn’t feel right because the shield is yours.’ So, the show is a long way of figuring around who’s gonna be Captain America,” Mackie said previously. “Where’s the shield gonna end up. And, Who is going to be Captain America, and is that moniker going to come back. Is someone going to hold that moniker again?”

The idea of getting to become Captain America is something that’s been a journey for Mackie as well.

“I was really surprised and affected by the idea of possibly getting the shield and becoming Captain America,” Mackie told Variety in a recent interview. “I’ve been in this business a long time, and I did it the way they said you’re supposed to do it. I didn’t go to L.A. and say, ‘Make me famous.’ I went to theater school, did Off-Broadway, did indie movies, and worked my way through the ranks. It took a long time for this shit to manifest itself the way it has, and I’m extremely happy about that.”

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premieres on Disney+ on March 19th. If you haven’t signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.

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