At the end of
Avengers: Endgame, Captain America travelled back in time to return the Infinity Stones to their rightful places in history. He didn't come back until he was an old man and we then learned that Steve Rogers chose to live his life out in the past (presumably with Peggy Carter).
Over the past few months, the Russo Brothers have said that Steve lived in an alternate reality, while the movie's writers have claimed that he lived in the same one and was actually Peggy's secret husband who was first referenced in
Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Now, though, it seems as if the directors have finally offered a definitive explanation.
"The way that it would work is that when Captain America goes back, he would create a branch reality," Joe explains. "Now he would exist in that branch reality with a second Captain America who was frozen in ice."
"Peggy understood that he was dead at that point in the storytelling because Cap went back to a point in time where nobody knew he still was alive, frozen in ice," Anthony added before Joe chimed in to hint at at one more story featuring the hero.
"Now what's also a story for another time is, of course, if he created a branch reality, he would then have to use a Pym Particle to come back to this reality to hand that shield off."
We still don't know if that's something Marvel Studios will ever choose to explore but fans are hopeful for some sort of surprise announcement at Comic-Con next month.
What are your thoughts on this explanation?
Hit the "View List" button for a look at ten "forgotten"
MCU characters we want to see return in Phase 4!
10. The Leader
In all honesty, Tim Blake Nelson probably wasn't the best choice to play the big screen version of The Leader and the way Marvel Studios went about introducing him was very weird.
Despite that, they certainly managed to set the stage for him to become the bad guy we all know and
love hate from the comics, and while it would be fun seeing him clash with The Hulk, there are other characters he could easily cause problems for. Unlike many of the other characters here, though, it's hard to say which of the shows we know about he would be a good fit for.
Either way, it would be awesome seeing his story finally continue and until Marvel changes its mind about a
Hulk movie, I think Disney+ would be the best possible fit for the character.
9. Ultron
Maybe it's unfair to call Ultron "forgotten" when he was the lead villain in an
Avengers movie but does it not seem like something of a waste to have introduced the villainous android there and then immediately get rid of him before the credits could roll?
His death has always been somewhat ambiguous and I'm sure he could have found a way to survive, even if it was inside The Vision (unbeknownst to the hero, he may have found a way to leave his memories dormant inside his "son"). Honestly, it's hard to think of a better bad guy for WandaVision, especially as he has such a personal connection to both leads.
Marvel could also use this surprise return to set something up for the future...bear in mind that Ultron ultimately plays a key role in the epic cosmic storyline
Annihilation...
8. Jane Foster
A past version of Jane Foster appeared in
Avengers: Endgame but Marvel Studios actually used some old footage from
Thor: The Dark World to make that happen and Natalie Portman supplied only a single line of dialogue.
Assuming Disney could convince her to return, it would be a lot of fun to delve into what she's been up to since the last time we saw her and with the God of Thunder off in space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, there's room for a new Thor back on Earth and I'm sure another Mjolnir from the Multiverse could find its way into her hands.
A female-led
Thor series on Disney+ would be a huge draw and, just like the comics, has huge potential.
7. Justin Hammer
Marvel first Phase of movies was criticised for its forgettable villains so it says a lot about Sam Rockwell that fans are still asking Kevin Feige to bring back Justin Hammer. He's popped up in a "One-Shot" movie as something of a punchline but can you imagine the damage he could do now that Iron Man is gone?
He'd make a great ally to someone like Zemo and it definitely feels like there's more story to be told with him.
If he wasn't a victim of the Snap, his prison term could easily have been and gone and, who knows, perhaps Stark Industries is now ripe for the taking with Tony Stark gone and Pepper Potts busy raising their daughter.
Falcon & Winter Soldier seems like a good fit for him, but he might make an interesting foe for Scarlet Witch and The Vision's
WandaVision series too.
6. Mockingbird
This is a tricky one, especially as Marvel Television and Marvel Studios are two separate entities. Yes, those TV shows are supposed to take place in the MCU but any links are tenuous are best and aside from James D'Arcy's Jarvis making the leap from
Agent Carter to
Avengers: Endgame, we still haven't seen any proper crossovers.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is still entertaining but the show is on its last legs, so why can't Disney+ make good use of Adrianne Palicki's Bobbi Morse? It goes without saying she would be a good fit for the
Hawkeye series that's in the works and Marvel could easily invent some history between them.
It's been widely reported that Clint Barton's show will revolve around him training his replacement (Kate Bishop) but Mockingbird could very easily factor into that and with Black Widow dead and gone, it would be fun seeing Hawkeye having another female hero (albeit a very different one) to bounce off during the course of this adventure.
5. The Howling Commandos
We first met The Howling Commandos in
Captain America: The First Avenger and while they made a brief appearance in
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., that was it for a group of characters who have had some genuinely really fun adventures in the comic books.
Putting the spotlight on this group in their own series would definitely be a challenge, especially as there isn't really an A-Lister here outside of Captain America and Bucky. While I'm sure the latter could make an appearance, I highly doubt Chris Evans would reprise his role as Steve Rogers, so perhaps Marvel Studios could just utilise the voices of these actors for an episode of
What If?!
Alternatively, flashbacks to one of their past adventures could have ramifications for whatever happens in
Falcon & Winter Soldier. Either way, seeing this lot in action again could be really cool.
4. The Nova Corps
There was a throwaway mention about Xandar being attacked in
Avengers: Infinity War but we've otherwise been kept in the dark about the fate of the Nova Corps since Thanos took aim at the Power Stone. Well, revisiting this faction on Disney+ seems like a no-brainer, especially as it could lead to the introduction of a certain cosmic superhero.
If it was set during that five-year time-jump, we could catch up with characters like Nova-Prime and Rhomann Dey as they attempt to rebuild after the Mad Titan's attack, something that would lead to a certain Richard Rider being granted some amazing abilities.
Kevin Feige has said this is a character who has been discussed at Marvel Studios and I see no reason why his introduction couldn't come on Disney+ as opposed to the big screen, especially as James Gunn doesn't seem to have any interest at all in using Nova.
3. Ant-Man And The Wasp
Wait, I know what you're thinking - why are Ant-Man and The Wasp here? Well, I'm not referring to Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne; instead, this is a reference to Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne.
Now, an argument could be made that they haven't been "forgotten" as such and I'm sure both characters will play a key role in the third instalment of this big screen franchise, especially after Janet returned from the Quantum Realm with some pretty mysterious powers. However, what Marvel Studios has forgotten is their past.
Sure, we've had some flashbacks but these two were founding Avengers in the comics! They deserve the spotlight and I'm sure a 1970s set adventure with them showing how they met and then them embarking on missions which expand the history of the MCU would be embraced by fans.
2. Sif
Where has Jaimie Alexander's Sif been since
Thor: The Dark World way back in 2013?
While I'm sure her television commitments have factored into the character's absence, it's hard to believe Kevin Feige isn't aware of the interest fans have in seeing her return and it's bizarre that we haven't even had some sort of throwaway mention of her whereabouts following Asgard's destruction and eventual relocation on Earth.
If she has been on some sort of secret mission for Asgard, how great would it be for her to return and learn about everything that's happened, not to mention Thor's absence now he's a Guardian? She's made a great supporting character in the aforementioned
Thor series starring Natalie Portman but could easily hold her own in a solo show.
1. The Abomination
The Incredible Hulk may be the black sheep of the Marvel Studios family but one thing it definitely got right was the decision to introduce Tim Roth as the villainous Abomination.
Equally as strong as the Jade Giant but ten times more evil, the fact we're not going to get another
Hulk movie probably puts an end to any hopes of a rematch. That doesn't mean the character should be sidelined indefinitely, though, and it's about time he breaks out of custody and starts causing havoc (surely HYDRA could have let him slip away during their infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D.?).
I'm not sure where he could pop up but wouldn't it be awesome if he serves as a henchman of sorts to Zemo as the
Captain America: Civil War villain assembles his Masters of Evil?
Continue reading below for a recap of everything
you need to know about Falcon & Winter Soldier!
It's Set After The Events Of Avengers: Endgame
There's been some speculation that Marvel's Disney+ TV shows would all be set before the events of
Infinity War, but despite
Falcon & The Winter Soldier's supporting cast (more on them later), it's said that this show will pick up with the characters following their appearance in
Avengers: Endgame.
This obviously makes a lot of sense, especially when Sam and Bucky were left in such an interesting place after the revelation that Steve Rogers chose to stay in the past with Peggy Carter.
The Falcon Wields The Shield
As you might expect, Sam accepting the shield from Captain America will indeed figure into the series and while we don't know whether he'll actually don a new suit and take on this persona, you'd best believe Marvel will be laying the groundwork.
Showing Sam struggling to deal with filling the void Steve left over the course of this TV show makes much more sense than him just being Captain America the next time we see him, but, if nothing else, here's hoping we get to see what his new costume looks like!
It Will Run For Six Episodes
Each of Marvel's Netflix TV shows have now been cancelled and while there are a number of reasons for that, one of the biggest is the fact that they were simply too long. In theory, thirteen episodes was a good idea but there was a noticeable decline in the latter half of each season because the story was too stretched out, and a second, not particularly good subplot was often introduced.
Well, Marvel Studios isn't making that same mistake with Falcon & Winter Soldier because it's been confirmed that it will run for a total of six episodes.
We don't know whether they'll be 40 minutes each or somewhere in the 50 - 60 minute range, but that sounds like a perfect amount of time to delve into this adventure while also giving the characters a little more time to breathe on Disney's new streaming service.
An Unexpected Choice Of Director
As of right now, every Marvel movie coming out in 2020 will be helmed by a woman, and that's also going to be the case for this series on Disney+. In order to maintain a level of consistency, Kari Skogland has been chosen to take the helm of all six episodes and Malcolm Spellman (
Empire) was hired as a writer (presumably of the entire series) earlier this year.
Skogland's credits make for interesting reading, as she's worked on everything from
Boardwalk Empire to
The Walking Dead,
The Americans,
House of Cards, and
The Punisher. She's directed episodes of
The Handmaid's Tale and worked with Russell Crowe and Naomi Watts on Showtime's
The Loudest Voice, which airs this June. So, yeah, Marvel Studios has chosen wisely!
Some Familiar Faces Return
Perhaps the most exciting announcement regarding this series is the fact that Daniel Bruhl will be reprising his role as Zemo from
Captain America: Civil War. He'll be joined by Emily VanCamp's Sharon Carter, and that pretty much confirms that this series will be set firmly in Cap's corner of the MCU.
Zemo was behind bars the last time we saw him and you have to believe that Sharon will have some thoughts on everything that's happened with Steve Rogers, especially as they were beginning to embark on something of a romantic relationship. Plus, will she now think of him as her uncle after
Avengers: Endgame's writers claimed that Cap is the father of Peggy's children in this timeline?
Either way, this should be great fun, and Zemo definitely deserves another chance to shine.
It Will Debut August 2020
Marvel Studios still hasn't revealed its official slate of movies for 2020 but a number of reliable outlets have reported that
Falcon & The Winter Soldier will be with us in August. That more than makes up for the fact that we're only getting two big screen MCU adventures next year (believed to be
Black Widow and
The Eternals), and there's a good chance that at least one more show is going to end up hitting Disney+.
What hasn't been revealed - and this is the case for pretty much all the shows hitting the streaming service - is whether all six episodes will be released in one go or whether we'll have to tune in weekly for a new instalment. Either option sounds good!
So, that's what we know so far, but we also have some pretty big questions about what's to come...
Is Chris Evans Set To Appear?
This is a very big question, and one the show will have to address. Is old man Steve Rogers now in a retirement home or will he have died off screen at some point? Personally, I find it hard to imagine that Chris Evans will be donning the old man makeup for
Falcon & The Winter Soldier, but we can probably expect to get some answers about what his role - or lack thereof - will be in the MCU from here.
Where Will The Story Take Us?
While Deadline claims that the show will deal with the fallout of
Avengers: Endgame and The Falcon's transformation into Captain America, Marvel Studios is otherwise keeping things under wraps.
That's no great surprise, but common sense says that plot threads from
Captain America: Civil War will be addressed, while we'll probably learn more about how the C.I.A. views superheroes after the Snap and possibly end of the Sokovia Accords. Seeing as Kevin Feige has said these shows tie into the movies, don't be surprised if we also learn what comes next for the "New" (?) Avengers.