Some People Think Steve Rogers Faked His Death After 'Avengers: Endgame'
Updated March 19 2021, 5:17 p.m. ET
The Marvel Cinematic Universe never shies away from trickery and twists, and the return of Steve Rogers could be a major one. Steve Rogers' future is a bit ambiguous at the end of Avengers: Endgame, so now, as we enter the world of his two best friends, we need to know if he’s alive or dead.
If Steve Rogers is dead, as many presume him to be after he passed his shield onto Sam Wilson aka The Falcon, then we likely won’t be seeing him in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, there is the possibility that Steve Rogers isn’t dead, so let’s dive in.
As far as we know, Steve Rogers is dead.
Based on what has happened so far in the MCU, Steve Rogers is dead. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers returns to the 2023 timeline to pass his shield onto Sam. Throughout the film, he was tasked with returning the infinity stones to their rightful timelines, and in doing so, kept himself in the 1940s so he could live out a peaceful life with Peggy Carter.
When he returns after the final Battle of Earth, he is an old man. The camera zooms out on old Steve Rogers looking out on the lake after passing down his iconic shield to Sam. We’re left wondering if he stays alive or dies. However, Spiderman: Far From Home begins with an “In Memoriam” montage that includes Steve Rogers, so if he’s not physically dead, then he is still dead in the eyes of the public.
It is possible that Steve Rogers isn’t dead, and here’s how.
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, old Steve had two options. He could go back to the timeline he came from and live out his old age there, or he could stay in the present-day 2023 world. Either way, he’s super old, and even though he’s a superhuman, he’s probably not the ideal Captain America anymore.
If he is alive, it would make sense that he’d want to live a private life since he had basically lived his entire life in the public. Plus, people could get mad at him for leaving their world to go be happy and in love instead of continuing to protect them (but hey, the guy is like 100 years old, so he has a right to do his own thing)!
Regardless, Sam and Bucky, the protagonists of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, are Steve’s best friends. It’s possible that they know he’s alive, but helped him fake his own death so that he can mentor them in secret. This would actually be in canon with the Marvel comic books, in which Steve Rogers becomes a mentor to Sam after passing down his shield.
There are rumors Chris Evans could be making a return as Steve Rogers in the MCU.
The other hint that Steve Rogers could still be alive is that it’s reported that Chris Evans will be reprising his role as Steve Rogers in some capacity. Deadline reported that the MCU is working on a deal with Chris Evans to return, not in his own franchise, but as a supporting role.
While this could simply mean flashbacks with Sam and Bucky, it could also mean more old man Steve (since Chris Evans also played his older self with some killer CGI). However, Chris responded to those claims with a tweet, which said, “News to me,” with a little shrug emoji. He likes to tease fans though, so he could be playing coy.
Either way, whether the Captain is fully back or not, we can’t wait to finally get an answer as to if Steve Rogers is really dead.
New episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are streaming as of March 19 on Disney+.