Well, the finale of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has released and as incredible as it was, it still left out on detail fans have been craving since the first episode — where is Steve Rogers?
Signs pointed to Steve being dead from the first episode, but would they confirm what fans already assumed? Turns out that answer is no. Now, they could save this for a potential season 2 or wait to reveal it in a future film, but in terms of timing there seemed to be none better than in a series featured around events born of Steve’s final moments — handing the shield to Sam.
This marks yet another unceremonious goodbye to a prominent character, with only Tony Stark having any sort of fan fare to end his tenure in the MCU. The losses of Pietro, Gamora, Natasha, Vision, Loki, and now Steve all seem to have been nothing more than cogs in the wheel.
The question of Steve’s status overshadowed some events of the series, particularly after episode 5, which was a disservice to the characters featured in the show. Celebrations of Sam getting a mystery package from Wakanda, Torres taking the wings, and even Bucky gaining a little peace were all taken over by questions of just where Steve was following the penultimate episode.
The real salt in the wound is that it’s already been said Chris Evans has retired from his role as Captain America, and despite some low-evidence claims that he’s planning to return (and a no from the man himself, along with Kevin Feige) it seems like a detriment to Steve’s character to let his status go unknown, even if the answer seems obvious.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier tore apart Steve’s legacy and doused his iconic shield in blood, but couldn’t deliver on full closure surrounding the whereabouts of one of the MCU’s most beloved heroes, instead letting him fall into a bottomless pit of ambiguity.
At least we can now take solace that Steve’s final wish is being fulfilled and Sam Wilson is our new Captain America. That’s something we can all rally behind.
