Captain America had a streak in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that no other character has achieved, and with the loss of that, the Multiverse Saga has yet to find a new central figure to rely on. Chris Evans’ Captain America trilogy is regarded by many as the best in the MCU, and that makes sense, as every movie Evans led as Captain America was exciting. 2019’s Avengers: Endgame was the end of the line for three original Avengers: Evans’ Captain America, Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow.

While the actor has been frequently asked about coming back as Captain America, a return as Steve Rogers in future MCU movies is currently out of the cards for the star, at least until Avengers: Secret Wars pulls out the big guns. The Multiverse Saga has received the most criticism in the MCU so far, with the loss of major franchise stars leaving a mark. While Iron Man’s death was the biggest aspect of the Infinity Saga’s ending, Captain America had a more special role in a key way, and Marvel has yet to make up for losing it.

Chris Evans’ Captain America Held The MCU Together For Years

The Actor Had A Unique MCU Streak

Evans’ Steve Rogers was the heart of the MCU. Captain America interacted with several heroes and villains throughout the Infinity Saga, with the MCU hero being respected by pretty much everyone he crossed paths with. Captain America also served as the leader of the Avengers, and had he and Iron Man not broken up the team due to their falling out in Captain America: Civil War, then the MCU’s heroes would most likely have been successful against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Still, Steve Rogers led all the MCU’s heroes into battle in Avengers: Endgame, and they were successful.

Besides being the leader of the Avengers and the face of the MCU’s best trilogy, Evans held a unique franchise streak that cements how Captain America was the glue that held the MCU together. The actor debuted in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, with his last movie being 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. From 2011 to 2019, Evans appeared in at least one MCU movie a year, meaning he was onscreen every year of his MCU tenure, a feat no other actor has achieved. That led to Captain America’s growing importance in the franchise and a vacuum forming after he left.

The MCU’s New Captain America Has Barely Appeared

Sam Wilson Will Now Get His First Solo Movie

While Evans exited the MCU, the actor did leave behind a successor. Avengers: Endgame‘s ending saw an old Steve Rogers pass on his shield to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson. After facing a few obstacles in Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam ended up donning his classic white Captain America costume from Marvel Comics and becoming the MCU’s new Sentinel of Liberty. However, Sam Wilson’s Captain America has barely appeared in the MCU since Avengers: Endgame, with Marvel going from a Captain America who was present every year to one who debuted in 2021 and will return in 2025.

Captain America’s MCU absence becomes even worse when putting only Marvel films into question. While the hero was known before for appearing in at least one movie a year, Mackie’s new version of Captain America has been MIA from Marvel films since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Coming back to theaters only in 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World, audiences who missed Marvel’s TV shows will have gone six years without seeing Captain America. Important characters being absent for long periods is one of the main issues of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, but Marvel seems finally ready to fix it.

Brave New World Can Set Up An Important Role For Sam Wilson’s Captain America

The Hero Could Become A Major MCU Leader

Before the release of the movie’s first trailer, exclusive CinemaCon footage of Captain America: Brave New World revealed that Harrison Ford’s Thunderbolt Ross asks Sam Wilson to start a new Avengers team. After being a sidekick for most of his time in the MCU as Falcon, Sam Wilson now has the chance to become one of the faces of the franchise as the new Captain America. Instead of bigger characters like Doctor Strange or Spider-Man, having Sam lead the new Avengers like Steve Rogers did would be Marvel’s way of betting on the success of the new Captain America.

After his weird MCU absence, with characters like Wong appearing more than the new Captain America in the Multiverse Saga so far, Marvel seems to be preparing Sam Wilson to grow in importance in the MCU. As the first Captain America: Brave New World trailer showed, the movie will be very similar in tone and action to the beloved Captain America: The Winter Soldier, with the serious storyline presented for the film being perfect to raise Sam’s MCU status. While Evans’ streak remains undisputed, perhaps the new Captain America could start to appear more consistently across the MCU’s new releases.