At the end of Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, it seemed the time came for the MCU fandom to bid Captain America goodbye. True, his shield was left in trust to his sidekicks Sam/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), but for a time it seemed there will no longer be a costumed Avenger with shield in the franchise’s future. Then Disney+ streamed “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and in that MCU limited series Sam Wilson stepped up to take the Captain America mantle (like he temporarily did in the comics). Rumors in April that Mackie will star in a “Captain America 4” have been apparently confirmed.

According to Variety, Anthony Mackie may have already signed a deal where he will star as his MCU character Sam Wilson after becoming Captain America in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” for an upcoming movie about the Star-Spangled Man. No other details were spilled by the notorious secretive Marvel Studios, although the insiders that broke the news above also cemented the rumors from months ago that “TFWS” show-runner Malcolm Spellman is co-writing the script for the planned “Captain America 4” along with Dalan Musson, who wrote episode 5 (“Truth”) of the Disney+ streaming series.

Before suiting up as the Falcon for the MCU beginning with 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” Mackie already had some solid acting credentials under his belt. He costarred with Eminem in Universal’s “8 Mile” (2002) and with fellow MCU veteran Jeremy Renner in Summit’s “The Hurt Locker” (2009). Both films scored wins at the Academy Awards, meaning Mackie is a solid for prestige films. And while superhero movies are not exactly Oscar bait beyond technical categories, having him take up the legacy title of Captain America can be quite the heady stuff to shoulder.

No further details can be gleaned on what “Captain America 4” could be about, although there are always possibilities of Anthony Mackie’s costars on “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” to appear: Sebastian Stan (whose Bucky also briefly became Cap in the original Marvel Comics), Wyatt Russell as John Walker/US Agent, Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter) and Julia Louise-Dreyfus (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine) are all likely cast additions, even if Louise-Dreyfus might be involved in the future “Hawkeye” MCU series and might have scheduling conflicts. For now, MCU fans must wait.

Image courtesy of Screen Rant