By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Assuming the film doesn’t get delayed again, Marvel fans will see Sam Wilson’s theatrical debut as Captain America next year. After Steve Rogers got his happily ever after at the conclusion of Endgame, the Russo Brothers set up Anthony Mackie’s Wilson to take the mantle, presumably kicking off a new era for the character.
Unfortunately, it’s now completely clear that Marvel has no faith in their new Captian America character. You can tell based on how long it has taken to develop his solo movie and the recent reports that Chris Evans is returning to the MCU.
The Clear Signs That Marvel Has No Faith In Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson
Why are we so confident that Marvel has no genuine faith in Sam Wilson replacing Steve Rogers as Captain America? First, it’s simple math: as of this writing, it has now been five and a half years since this newer character took on the role of America’s most famous defender. We still haven’t seen Captain America 4 (currently titled Captain America: Brave New World), but in this same amount of time, Marvel released an entire trilogy of Steve Rogers films.
Sure, we got a Sam Wilson-focused TV show, but it didn’t really feature him as Captain America. The show felt like an extended prologue to Captain America 4. However, that film has been delayed multiple times, and there are reports that the latest delay was caused by poor test screenings and the need for reshoots. If these reports are true, they serve as proof (not that we needed more) that Marvel doesn’t know what it’s doing with its most famous character.
Marvel Isn’t Sure It Wants Sam Wilson To Be Captain America
Speaking of famous faces, it seems like Marvel isn’t sure if they want the public to associate Sam Wilson and Captain America. Reportedly, Chris Evans will be returning to the MCU in the upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday. While we’re pretty confident that he’s going to be playing the Beyonder (a major figure from the comics) rather than Captain America, it’s wild to think that Marvel is bringing back the original Cap actor so soon after the theatrical debut of Wilson’s Cap.
The weirdest thing about Marvel’s lack of confidence is that it’s so unfounded: Anthony Mackie is an amazing actor and likely to dazzle as much as Captain America as he ever did as the Falcon. Good acting doesn’t always equate to good writing, but with the right script, Captain America 4 could singlehandedly end the modern superhero fatigue phenomenon.
Disney execs seem hesitant to let him fly. Instead of an entire trilogy of Wilson Cap movies, the studio is taking forever to get a single film out as they make active plans to sabotage Mackie by bringing back the popular actor who originated the role.
As for us, we’re crossing our fingers for Captain America 4. The multiple delays and reported reshoots may well result in a better film, and it’s somewhat reassuring that Disney doesn’t want to rush out a bad film. But the longer it takes Sam Wilson to make his theatrical debut as Captain America, the more it seems like his character is being disrespected and dismissed by one of the biggest studios in the world.
Forget villains like Zemo. It turns out that the biggest foe holding our heroes back is the studio responsible for their cinematic creation. Until someone defeats them, superhero fatigue is here to stay.
