Sam Wilson has become the new Captain America, picking up the shield by the end of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. But he’s going to have to earn it.
During an interview with ComicBook.com, Marvel producer Nate Moore explained that Wilson is going to have to prove himself in Captain America 4.
“I think, he's not Steve Rogers and I think that's a good thing,” he explained. “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.”
At the conclusion of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, we saw Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) take up the mantle of Captain America. But it wasn’t without resistance.
“What happens with this guy who announces publicly, kind of without the support, ‘I'm the new Captain America’?” asked Moore. “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.”
The recent TV show really pushed that aspect of Sam Wilson, forcing him to be creative in his approach to taking on super-powered villains. Unlike Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson hasn’t been subjected to the Super Soldier serum. And that’s going to mean the new Cap has to push himself a lot hard to get to where he needs. That’s a long way from his humble beginnings in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
“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,” he continued. “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.”
Captain America 4 will star Anthony Mackie in the role of Sam Wilson, the new Captain America. The film will be penned by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's head writer and creator Malcolm Spellman, as well as series staff writer Dalan Musson.
Disney and Marvel announced a ton of new shows and first looks of upcoming Marvel shows today for Disney+ Day. Check out IGN's recap of everything announced at Disney+ Day here.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.