Should Cap come back to the MCU?
The biggest news of this week was a rumor started by Deadline that Chris Evans was in talks to reprise his role as Steve Rogers in the MCU. Evans has denied this, sorta, but today I am asking the question, above?
The End
The thing about Avengers: Endgame is that we got a great end for three of the original Avengers. Tony made the self-sacrifice move, as did Natasha. However Cap who would have made that move had it been necessary was left alive and well. Steve was tasked with taking all the Infinity Stones back to their original timelines, and he never returned. We leave Endgame knowing that Cap went back and had the life he always wanted with Peggy.
If you ask the Russos, they’ll tell you Cap lived in an alternate timeline from the main MCU. If you ask Endgame writers Markus and McFeely, they are less sure and think Cap may have been with Peggy in secret all along. The point is that Cap is now an old man and has passed on his legacy to Sam Wilson. What happens next is the Disney+ show The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. By the time that ends most fans think Sam will be the new Captain America. Therefore, is there any reason to bring back Steve Rogers? Ask me a few weeks ago and I’d have said I do want to see Evans back, but not for another ten years. Bring Evans back for an Old Man Cap story and it would be amazing for this fan.
Cameos
Now cameos I admit are a completely different situation. Some fans have suggested Evans could appear as alternate versions of Cap within Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or Spider-Man 3. Considering all the rumors surrounding both of those movies, Steve Rogers sowing up would be pretty normal.
Honestly, I’m fine with this, its not as if Marvel really brought Steve back within a few years of killing him off. Alternate versions of Steve may not have had the same ending as ‘our’ Steve did. Some may have had far darker paths, or saw the team fail to stop Thanos. That’s interesting, it’s inventive and it allows us to have the fangasm of seeing Steve without ruining his ending.
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However, if we are talking something more ‘substantial’ than cameos. or Multiverse appearances, what would we fans accept. I mean there are some fans who will accept Steve just turning up and saying he was made young a again by the magic powers of the wooga wooga bird. However,, I certainly don’t want Marvel to Palpatine Steve, Tony, or Natasha. For reference a Palpatine is an adjective for when a character is brought back from the dead for no reason and with no explanation. So what would we turn around and say, “you son of a bitch, I’m in!”
Cap’s Final Journey
So what about if Marvel were to announce a Disney+ show called Cap’s Final Journey. A series that explores what Cap went through in taking those Infinity Stones back to their timelines, what happened on the way, and why he ended up back with Peg in the late ’40’s. If you tell me that would not interest you, sorry, I don’t buy it. I’d be excited, because it’s getting Steve back, but not messing with his ending at all. In fact this idea would be adding onto that ending and giving us more time to say goodbye. The end for Cap, as an old man passing on his legacy to Sam remains intact. You son of a bitches I’m in.
Old Man Cap
This one might require a bit of make-up, and would also require a definitive answers to the debate between the Endgame writers and directors I mentioned up top. However, looking at Indiana Jones right now I can’t help but feel Lucasfilm waited to long. Maybe the time to make a really good Old Man Cap story is while Evans is still fit enough to physically still be like a superhero?
It could be set in Steve’s alternative timeline, where you’d then essentially have carte blanche to do as you will. Or, they could decide to make it official that Steve was Peggy’s husband in the prime timeline all the time. This could then allow for a story where someone looks to an older Cap for help with something long before Tony Stark ever invented that Iron Man suit. This approach would allow Marvel to maintain continuity, whilst still showing Steve for who he is. If there is a crisis and someone went to incognito Steve for help, he’d help. There would just have to be a way to keep it quiet to preserve the timeline.
Honestly, for this project, an alternative timeline is actually easier from a writing standpoint. You can go where you want without fear of polluting the timeline and revealing Cap before SHIELD dug him out of the ice in the 21st Century. You son of a bitch, I’m in.
The Last Word
Should Cap come back to the MCU? Clearly my initial instinct is to say no. Yet, as I have just showed, there are several possibilities which I would not be opposed to. The key thing here is doing something that feels right. Steve Rogers can return as long as care is taken to make sure his ending is not negated by what they do next. A lesson I wish Lucasfilm had learned long before they did, but one I feel Feige and Marvel understands.
Should Cap come back to the MCU? I guess I have to say yes, but with some caveats. What do you think, should we see Evans as Steve once again? Which of the options I presented would you like to see Evans back for? As always leave any thoughts you have below, Twitter, Discord, or wherever you feel like.
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