At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel seemingly gave Steve Rogers the poignant sendoff the character deserved. After returning all of the Infinity Stones to their rightful place, Steve decided to stay in the past and build a life with Peggy Carter, returning to the present as an elderly man. At peace and satisfied with the way things turned out, Steve passed the Captain America shield to his friend Sam Wilson, who fully embraced the mantle at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In the Multiverse Saga, Sam is firmly established as the new Star Spangled Man, even headlining his own movie in this year’s Captain America: Brave New World.
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It’s been great to see Sam prove himself as a hero, but Marvel isn’t done with Steve just yet. As confirmed in the first Avengers: Doomsday teaser, Chris Evans is returning to reprise Steve Rogers. While this development is exciting, some people are concerned that Evans’ highly anticipated comeback could undercut Anthony Mackie and Sam’s ascension as Captain America. However, Marvel has already proven that fans have nothing to worry about.
MCU Fans Have Shown They Will Accept Multiple Versions of the Same Hero
The Multiverse Saga has created opportunities for MCU heroes to meet variants of themselves, so having two Captain Americas running around in Avengers: Doomsday wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary. What’s more is that moviegoers have already demonstrated that they’re onboard for these types of stories. The Multiverse Saga’s biggest box office hit, Spider-Man: No Way Home, is entirely built on the premise of interacting with different versions of yourself. The whole draw of that film is seeing actors from the previous Spider-Man film series return after years away.
Fan service is always a tricky thing to pull off, but Spider-Man: No Way Home is an example of how to do it properly. First, the Peter Parker variants and their various villains aren’t there just for the sake of nostalgia. They have meaningful roles to play in the narrative and Peter 1’s (Tom Holland) personal arc as he learns the true meaning of great responsibility and what it takes to be Spider-Man. Secondly, director Jon Watts never lost sight of the fact that No Way Home is Peter 1’s story. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield show up for the third act, but they don’t overshadow the journey Holland’s iteration finds himself on. It would have been very easy for the filmmakers to get sidetracked, but that would have derailed the film. Holland’s Peter remains the focus, with his older variants taking on a mentorship role to guide him along.
No Way Home was wildly successful, not just commercially but also critically. It was proof that the multiverse was more than just a gimmick and could be used as a foundation for an emotional, heartfelt story about heroism and sacrifice. No Way Home set the template that Doomsday could follow — at least for this Captain America component. You can have legacy actors return to reprise their classic roles without short-changing the current leading man. If people responded positively to three Spider-Men taking on an assortment of villains, there’s no reason why two Captain Americas can’t work. If anything, it will be a lot of fun to see Steve and Sam’s dynamic unfold. In the Infinity Saga, Sam was very much a sidekick, but now they’re equals. No Way Home delivered several memorable interactions between the Spider-People, and Doomsday can do the same for the Captain Americas.
For its part, Marvel got ahead of any potential issues by specifically saying “Steve Rogers will return” in the Doomsday trailer, communicating that Steve is no longer Captain America (even though we will likely see Evans don a costume at some point in the movie). Amidst all the enthusiasm about Evans coming back, Marvel is making sure fans know that Sam Wilson is still the main Captain America. Just because Steve is back in the fold doesn’t mean Sam is being demoted — just like Maguire and Garfield’s returns didn’t mean Holland was no longer Spider-Man. Plus, Marvel confirmed months ago that Sam would be the one in charge.
Sam Wilson Leads an Avengers Team in Doomsday
A key part of Sam’s arc in Captain America: Brave New World is the reformation of the Avengers. By the end of the film, he decides it’s time for Earth’s Mightiest to reassemble, recruiting his friend Joaquin Torres to become a member. He was successful in establishing a new team, as the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene makes reference to a legal dispute between Sam’s Avengers and the New Avengers over the rights to the name. It hasn’t been explicitly confirmed who’s on Sam’s team, but we know he is leading a group of Avengers.
Sam’s Avengers is just one superhero team Doomsday will have to balance (there’s also the Fantastic Four and the X-Men), but the presence of his own team illustrates he has a very important role to play. Regardless of who’s on it (Disney might have revealed its members at a recent marketing event), they will be looking to Sam for leadership and guidance as the conflict against Doctor Doom heats up. It’s an unprecedented situation, but Sam has been through a lot and has proven himself time and time again. He’s more than capable of leading a team of heroes against arguably the most powerful villain the MCU has seen.
What’s more is that Mackie has already confirmed he’ll be coming back for Avengers: Secret Wars, which will be shooting over the summer ahead of its scheduled 2027 release date. He intends to remain in the Captain America role for an extended period of time, expressing a desire to reprise the character for another 10 years. This probably wouldn’t be his mindset if Marvel was making moves to undercut him in Doomsday. Even with Steve Rogers back, Sam Wilson should be a big part of not just the Multiverse Saga’s conclusion but also the MCU’s future moving forward. Secret Wars serves as a soft reset, and though Brave New World wasn’t very well-received, Mackie’s performances as Sam remain a highlight. He could stick around, hopefully headlining a stronger film next time around.
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