THE MCU Has a Captain America Problem

Doomsday is coming. Well, not the end of the world “doomsday,” but the MCU’s newest blockbuster, Avengers: Doomsday, hits the big screen next month. While conversation about the film has been mixed, the demand is there. Ticket sales have already reached $125 million, and we’re still a month out. People are preparing for Doom. 

I, however, am preparing for something else. 

I have been an MCU fan for over a decade. One of the first films I saw in theaters as a kid was the first Avengers movie. I have seen this franchise morph into something that is bigger than itself, and I’ve stayed for the ride…for the most part. 

One of my favorite projects that the MCU has released is the miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Released in 2021 on Disney+, it follows Sam Wilson (The Falcon) and Bucky Barnes (The Winter Soldier) in a post-Endgame, post-Steve Rogers world. 

This show explored politics, racism, and the fact that our new Captain America is an African-American man, and the world has to accept that. But the world hasn’t, and neither has the MCU. 

Lack of Direction 

Since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s release, we have seen Sam as Captain America twice. Once in his own flick (which we will get to later), and he will appear in Doomsday. That is two appearances in the seven years since Endgame, when he was given the Captain America shield by Rogers himself. 

The MCU was not ready to bank on Sam as Captain America. The lack of direction for his character is jarring compared to the pounds of material Steve was given during his tenure. 

When he was given his own chance to lead a blockbuster in 2025, Captain America: Brave New World, it came at a time when the MCU had no idea where it wanted to go, and audiences could tell. I have seen the movie myself, and while it has seeds of what I loved about the 2021 miniseries, the writers were more infatuated with Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk, and Sam took the backseat in his own movie. 

The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan (and His Wife)

Steve is dead. Well, he should be. If we use the logic that was presented to us in Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers should be dead. And so is his wife, Peggy Carter. So why are we seeing them more than we’ve seen Sam?

Peggy Carter, as Captain Carter, a Captain America figure, is the lead in Marvel’s animated series What If…? and had a brief appearance in Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness. Steve Rogers’ name has not left the mouths of any MCU character. Marvel has forgotten that Steve passed the mantle to Sam. He saw Sam as someone worthy of the title, and for a time, so did the MCU. But all of their energy went to Captain Carter, and Sam was not given the same effort.

“They Will Never Let a Black Man Be Captain America.” Those are the words of Isaiah Bradley, another super-soldier character who is integral to Sam’s journey as Captain America. These words ring true as you see how Marvel still pushes Steve as Captain America. Look at the merch they sell, the action figures, the lack of opportunity for Sam to lead, and the fact that characters within the MCU still see Steve as the leader; just look at Ant-Man.

If the MCU and Kevin Feige, the President of Marvel Studios, cannot commit to Sam being our Cap, then neither will audiences. We will continue to see dozens of comments under Sam-related posts with the words “Steve will always be Cap” if Marvel does not give him the grace that they gave Steve. 

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