Two years ago, the world was introduced to the new Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale. Sam Wilson donned his own red, white, and blue suit and wielded that Vibranium shield in a triumphant debut, taking up the mantle after Steve Rogers handed it over in Avengers: Endgame.
Despite this momentous occasion, though, Sam Wilson has not been seen or heard from since in the MCU. No one has mentioned that a new Captain America took flight and no reference to Sam has been made – though Steve has been talked about a few times.
"It's crazy that there’s been 18 projects since we've last seen or heard of Sam's Captain America," points out one fan on Reddit (though, by our count, it's actually been 19 projects). "It will also be 23 by the time we actually get to his movie if he's not mentioned in the upcoming ones, at least according to the current scheduled release dates.
"There's been multiple opportunities to mention him (even a quick one-off line) or give a cameo but nothing," they continue. "I don't understand it, they could've been hyping up his film more doing it. A simple She-Hulk like reference (Wolverine) teasing he's creating a new team or something would've sufficed. He just deserves better."
The 19 projects that have passed with nary a whisper of Sam Wilson are: Loki, Black Widow, What If…?, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Hawkeye, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Moon Knight, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Ms. Marvel, Thor: Love and Thunder, I Am Groot, She-Hulk, Werewolf by Night, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and Secret Invasion. That's a lot.
Before Captain America 4 arrives in 2024, we'll also see Loki season 2, The Marvels, and Echo, and Daredevil: Born Again, while Ironheart and Agatha: Coven of Chaos could potentially debut ahead of the film, too.
"It's been almost as many since we last saw Shang-Chi, arguably their most popular new hero," says another fan. "Too many projects, too many characters."
"It's not even the fact that he's not appearing but the fact that he hasn't even gotten mentioned is what's crazy to me. As of now the statue of liberty with the Captain America shield has shown up more than Sam as Cap has, no throwaway line about how we live in a world with a new Captain America, not hinted at, nothing. In the eyes of the story, Steve is currently Captain America and it just doesn't feel right," comments someone else.
"I love Marvel and like most of what have been created, not saying everything is good or great, there have been a lot of average and a couple that you could call bad. But putting it in to numbers like this has convinced me they need to slow down and trim the fat," is another person's thoughts. "There are characters whose story is being put off and delayed because they have too much other stuff to work on. Go back to the Phase 1 formula, pick like five characters and just focus on them, let other people be side characters in the main story."
"That my main problem, not the amount of content or project but the amount of parallel unconnected stuff. We just keep on piling up stories without advancing what is there…" says someone else.
We have to say, it is pretty strange that something as world-changing as a new Captain America isn't being talked about. A quick reference here and there would go a long way to tying the universe together.
Captain America: Brave New World is slated for release on July 26, 2024. In the meantime, see our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows for everything else the MCU has in store.
