After he first wielded the shield in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson will next take centre stage as Captain America in this month's Captain America: Brave New World.
Beyond that, Anthony Mackie has already been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday and is expected to lead a new team of Earth's Mightiest Heroes into battle against Doctor Doom and whichever other threats show up to threaten the Multiverse.
According to veteran MCU producer Nate Moore, Sam's journey in Captain America: Brave New World will lead directly to what we see from the hero in Avengers: Doomsday next year.
"It's no secret we're starting to build to Avengers 5 and I think there's never been an Avengers movie where there's not a Captain America at the centre of it," he explains in the video below, "so this is about Sam Wilson showing the world that he is deserving of the mantle and why he's both Captain America and not Steve Rogers."
"And I think he's going to take the skills from this film and figure out how he can be helpful as the Avengers fight a new threat," Moore added.
It's previously been confirmed that there is no official Avengers team when Captain America: Brave New World begins, with President "Thunderbolt" Ross eager for Sam to assemble a new team. Hopefully, a post-credits scene will set the stage for that.
How long Mackie will wield the shield remains to be seen. Another solo movie will hinge on Captain America: Brave New World's success and reports are swirling that Chris Evans is set to reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday. He's denied that and his successor claims to have been kept in the dark about these return plans.
"I didn’t know!" he told the site with a laugh. "I talked to Chris a few weeks ago and it wasn’t on the table then. At least, he didn’t tell me it was on the table, because I asked him. I was like, 'You know, they said they’re bringing everyone back for the movie. Are you coming back?'"
"I learned that right there. My manager showed me. He’s like, ‘Oh, so I guess Chris is coming back.’ That’s all I know. I haven’t seen a script."
The Russo Brothers - who cast Mackie as The Falcon in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier - appear keen on putting Mackie's Cap front and centre as Anthony has said, "[Sam] represents a unique space in the Avengers spectrum. And that’s the greatest thing, because sooner or later the collective storytelling is going to be in that space he occupies."
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released in May 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive in May 2027.