Cameron is Deputy TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He's an action movie aficionado, '80s obsessive, Oscars enthusiast, and a staunch Scot. He earned a First-Class Honours Degree in Multimedia Journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University, accredited by the NCTJ and BJTC. He began his career at UNILAD, starting as a Junior Journalist and becoming Entertainment Editor prior to joining Dexerto. You can contact him at cameron.frew@dexerto.com.
Anthony Mackie will return in Captain America 4.
Here’s everything we know about Captain America 4, Anthony Mackie’s first solo movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from its release date to cast, plot, and other details.
The MCU’s Phase Four is in full swing, for better or worse. It kicked off with a too-little-too-late solo outing for Black Widow, introduced martial arts to the franchise with Shang-Chi, enlisted a whole new team with Eternals, played with a triumvirate of wall-crawlers in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and that’s before we get to Doctor Strange, Thor, and *gestures wildly* all the Disney+ content.
One such small-screen release was The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, exploring the continuing missions and adventures of Wilson (Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).
The series set the stage for Captain America, with Wilson now in total, proud ownership of the shield. But what will it be about, when will it be released, and who is set to star and direct Captain America 4?
The fourth Captain America film has been titled Captain America: New World Order.
Captain America 4 is due for release on May 3, 2024, the second-last film in the MCU’s Phase Five before Thunderbolts.
Julius Onah, who previously directed The Cloverfield Paradox (massive yikes) and the critically-acclaimed Luce, has been tapped to direct New World Order. So, 50/50 odds, then.
Julius Onah will direct 'Captain America 4'(via @THR) pic.twitter.com/2Bn6OauHN2
If we’re looking ahead at the MCU slate, we’ve got Black Panther: Wakanda Forever later this year, followed by Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and The Marvels in 2023.
No, there isn’t a trailer for Captain America 4 at the time of writing, but we’ll update this space upon it being shared online.
Anthony Mackie will star as Sam Wilson/Captain America, taking on the mantle of the titular hero, following the events of Avengers: Endgame and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Harrison Ford will also play General Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross, taking over the role once played by the late William Hurt. Tim Blake Nelson is also returning to the MCU as The Leader, the villain set up at the end of The Incredible Hulk.
It would be sensible to expect Sebastian Stan to return as Bucky, given his past roles in every Captain America movie and his developed relationship with Sam in the Disney+ series. However, it’s unclear if Bucky would still be carrying any trauma as the Winter Soldier, or if it would involve him becoming the White Wolf.
As for other possible cast members in Captain America 4, it’s also unclear whether we’ll see the return of Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, aka US Agent, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The latter character was tipped to “replace” Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury by producer Nate Moore.
Sam Wilson is Captain America
There’s also a question mark hanging over Chris Evans, who famously played Steve Rogers in past Captain America movies and held the shield for the Avengers’ face-offs with Thanos. Earlier reports claimed he’s set to return to the MCU in some form, but there’s been no details thus far.
He’s very supportive of his former co-star, though. In response to The Hollywood Reporter on Twitter, which pondered his participation if the “question of who is entitled to carry the shield continues” in the fourth film, he wrote: “Sam Wilson is Captain America.”
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According to producer Nate Moore, the plot of Captain America 4 will follow Sam as he adapts to being Captain America.
During an appearance on Comic Book’s Phase Zero podcast, he said: “I think, he’s not Steve Rogers and I think that’s a good thing.
“Because to me, this new Cap is Rocky. He’s going to be the underdog in any situation. He’s not a super soldier. He’s not a hundred years old. He doesn’t have the Avengers. What happens with this guy who announces publicly kind of, without the support, ‘I’m new Captain America.’ What happens next?
“I think it’s fascinating because he’s a guy. He’s a guy with wings and a shield, but he is a guy. So, we’re going to put him through the wringer and make him earn it, and see what happens when he is outweighed, outclassed, out-everything.
“What makes somebody Captain America? I’m going to argue it’s not being a super soldier. And I think we’re going to prove that with Mackie and Sam Wilson.”
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, an elderly Steve Rogers gave Sam the shield, making him the new Captain America. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw Sam wrestle with the reality of taking on that mantle, initially giving the shield away while the government enlisted John Walker as the official replacement.
However, Walker proved to be a bit of a wildcard – ie, he nearly cut a man in half with the shield – and with the help of the Wakandans, Sam flew to New York with a snazzy new suit, uniform, and his trusty shield, thereby becoming known as the new Captain America.
It’s unclear whether we’ll see a continuation of Walker’s story in the sequel, after Valentina recruited him. It’s also unconfirmed whether we’ll see Sharon again, who was pardoned by the CIA and planned to use her access to sell government secrets.
As well as likely following the next steps of Bucky, it was also hinted that Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) would take up Sam’s old mantle as the Falcon.
There are no other confirmed details about the plot of Captain America 4 at the time of writing.
We’ll update this article upon further announcements.
Captain America 4: Release date, cast, plot & more – Dexerto
