We all knew this day was coming, and now the news is all but official. Chris Evans is done playing Captain America.

Last week, the actor tweeted that he had finished filming reshoots for Avengers 4, adding that he was "eternally grateful" for his eight years as Steve Rogers. Even though Evans has talked about leaving the role before, the news of his likely departure inspired works of art and made other movie stars cry.

Even though Thanos snapped away half of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Infinity War, Evans' departure feels more real, and more final. It could also leave the MCU without one of its truly central players for the first time. Like his comic book counterpart, Evans' Captain America is the cornerstone of the Avengers, where he serves as a shining beacon of selfless morality. Whether Evans' Rogers walks off into the sunset with Peggy Carter or makes the ultimate sacrifice, some new characters are going to have to step up to fill the leadership vacuum created by his absence.

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Of all of the original Avengers, Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man is probably the only one who could fill Cap's practical ideological roles. While he didn't start out as a selfless hero, Tony Stark has grown into a mature leader and unlikely father figure. Despite all that, there's no guarantee that Tony Stark will make it out of Avengers 4, either. According to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, the film will be "a conclusion" to the first ten years of the MCU. Since his first movie kicked off the MCU, no one represents that decade more than Iron Man. If Avengers 4 really is the end of an era, it wouldn't be surprising to see Stark or any of the other original Avengers on the chopping block.

Who Will Wield the Shield?

Winter Soldier Bucky Captain America shield Sebastian Stan

While Steve Rogers might be gone after Avengers 4, Captain America may live on. Both of Captain America's on-screen partners, Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes and Anthony Mackie's Falcon, had successful turns as Captain America in comics. Assuming they return in Avengers 4, either one of them could take up his mantle in the MCU.

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After spending decades in comic book limbo, Bucky became Captain America just two years after he returned to the Marvel Universe as the Winter Soldier. When Steve Rogers seeming perished at the end of Marvel's Civil War, Tony Stark honored Rogers' last wishes by asking Bucky to become the new Captain America. Given Bucky and Stark's complex relationship in the MCU, it's not hard imagining a similar moment playing out between the two heroes on the big screen. Even after Avengers 4, Stan will still have several films left on the nine-film contract he signed with Marvel.

While it's not clear how many movies Mackie has left on his contract, Falcon seems equally qualified to suit up as Captain America. After serving as Captain America's modern partner for decades, Sam Wilson had a successful run as Captain America from 2014 to 2017, where he became a key player on several Avengers teams. In comics and film, Sam and Bucky make a solid team, and the two heroes seem destined to work together again, no matter who has Cap's shield.

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The New Avengers

While Bucky and Falcon could both be the next Captain America, neither one seems positioned to take on a leadership role in the MCU yet. Instead, Black Panther seems positioned to be the superhero community's new leader, once he returns from wherever Thanos sent him. As the ruler of Wakanda, T'Challa already knows how to inspire people. There's a reason he and Captain America ran in front of the front lines during the Battle of Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War, and it wasn't just because they're both fast sprinters.

Given Black Panther's record-shattering box office success, Marvel would be smart to make T'Challa as prominent as possible. On top of that, Black Panther was also just elected to be the Avengers' official chairperson in Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness' ongoing Avengers run, a storyline that seems ready made to translate to the MCU.

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Black Panther Captain Marvel Chadwick Boseman Brie Larson

On a similar note, Marvel has been pushing Captain Marvel as a major leader in comics for the past several years. Since Carol Danvers took over the Captain Marvel mantle in 2012, she's been a frequent Avengers member, commanded the Alpha Flight Space Program and marshaled half of the Marvel Universe to her cause in Civil War II. While we've only gotten a few glimpses at Brie Larson's Captain Marvel so far, she seems poised to be the king of ultra-powerful, military-minded hero who could order an Asgardian around. At the very least, Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury trusted her enough to ask for her help in his apparent final moments during Infinity War.

While both of those heroes could become strong leaders, Tom Holland's Spider-Man has already taken over Captain America's role as the MCU's new selfless moral center. Before he had any powers, Steve Rogers jumped on a seemingly live grenade to protect everyone else at his army base in Captain America: The First Avenger. That moment proved that Rogers was a hero before he ever picked up his shield, and Peter Parker has already had moments like that too. From going after Michael Keaton's Vulture with his hi-tech suit in Spider-Man: Homecoming to jumping into the Avengers' fight with the Black Order in Infinity War, the MCU's Spider-Man is defined by his willingness to help other people at any cost.

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The X-Factors

On top of everything we already know about, there are a handful of major unknowns that could dramatically alter the shape of the MCU. Ever since Disney fired director James Gunn in July, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been in limbo. While Marvel will still reportedly use Gunn's script, the production is still technically on "indefinite hold." It's unclear what that could mean for the extra-terrestrial parts of the MCU and the Guardians who make it out of Avengers 4 alive.

Before Guardians of the Galaxy hit theaters in 2014, the Guardians weren't exactly Marvel's biggest heroes. While those characters certainly had their fans, Marvel Studios made them icons with their first movie. There's no reason Marvel can't do that again for a dozen other properties. With director Chloe Zhao's The Eternals in development, Marvel seems set to turn a group of obscure alien space gods into characters who can show up on cereal boxes and school supplies.

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X-Men Days of Future Past

Of course, the biggest questions regarding the future of the MCU revolve around the impending arrival of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Since Marvel's parent company, Disney, is buying most of 21st Century Fox's assets, Marvel will be able to make movies based on Marvel characters that Fox held the rights to for decades.

While it might take a few years to see those characters on-screen, the FF and the X-Men are the future of the MCU. Along with hundreds of other mutants, the X-Men could bring in leaders like Wolverine, Cyclops and Storm. To some extent, all of those characters could fill in Captain America's leadership role. At the dawn of the Marvel Universe, the FF were a family of inspirational adventurers who brought Marvel's characters together, and there's no reason they couldn't fill a similar role in the MCU.

With all that said, there's always a chance that Chris Evans could be lured back to the role of Steve Rogers in some capacity. But even if that never happens, the MCU will be just fine. The MCU is bigger than any one character, and losing one or two heroes won't break it... even if one of those heroes is Captain America.


Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers 4 stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Brie Larson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Evangeline Lilly, and Josh Brolin. The film arrives May 3, 2019.