The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premieres in just over one week and it looks like Falcon will fight for the right to become the new Captain America.
Avengers: Endgame concluded with Captain America flipping the script and not returning, remaining in his true time frame and growing old with Peggy Carter.
In the end, Falcon and Winter Soldier saw an older man sitting on a bench and realized it was Steve Rogers. The two men walked to the bench and then Captain America handed Sam Wilson a gift.
It was time for Falcon to become the new Captain America.
Kevin Feige talks Falcon getting the shield
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige talked to Variety about the idea of giving the shield to Sam Wilson over Bucky Barnes.
“The shield had gone to a few people in the comic books in the past, but four years ago, it did seem like some of the great potential of those storylines and the journey Sam and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) had gone on over the course of the films,” Feige said. “It seemed right that he would hand it to Sam.”
Both Bucky and Sam had served as Captain America in the comics.
When Captain America died after Civil War in the comics, Tony Stark gave the shield and costume to Winter Soldier and Bucky agreed to take on the role.
In the comics, Bucky then appeared to die and Steve Rogers returned from the dead and took on the role. However, soon Steve lost his Super Soldier serum from his body and began to rapidly age.
Steve took on the role as the commander of the Secret Avengers black ops team and her personally handpicked Falcon to take his place as Captain America.
Since Iron Man picked Bucky in the comics, but Steve picked Falcon, it made sense to go with that in the MCU as well.
Feige on how the Avengers: Endgame scene was shot
“It was actually [Anthony] Mackie and Sebastian [Stan] that came up with the blocking for the scene by the bench at the end of Endgame,” Feige explained. “They walk up to Steve Rogers together. As it was scripted, only Sam noticed this older gentleman sitting on a bench.”
In that scene, Cap talked to Falcon while Winter Soldier stood in the background watching them. Falcon looked at Bucky when Cap handed him the shield and the Soldier silently smiled and nodded his approval.
“They came up with this notion that they start to walk together, and then Sam steps forward. Even the notion of him holding the shield and saying, ‘it feels like it belongs to somebody else.'”
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premieres on Disney+ on March 19.