Captain America's 19-Project Absence From Marvel's Multiverse Saga Raises Eyebrows
MCU fans will recall that Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) took up the Captain America mantle in the finale of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." But after putting down Carly Morgenthau's (Erin Kellyman) Flag Smasher group and telling some politicians to "do better," Sam has been missing from the Marvel Cinematic universe. That might not seem like a big deal until you notice that there have been a whopping 18 MCU projects since that appearance. On Twitter, a tweet from @MCUMarvels noting the new Cap's absence drew significant attention, with many fans wondering what might explain the streak of Sam-less movies and streaming series. While the tweet claims Sam hasn't shown up for the past 18 MCU projects, it's actually 19. "They better have some good character development for him [because] that's wild," replied @TheBoKmb29.
Cap's next project, "Captain America: Brave New World" (formerly subtitled "New World Order," a title that drew concern for the antisemitic tropes associated with that phrasing) wrapped on June 30, 2023, but won't bow until July 2024. In the meantime, multiple other MCU projects are slated to release, including "Loki" Season 2, "The Marvels," "Echo," and "Deadpool 3."
However, some fans don't think the sheer number of movies and shows without Sam is a big deal, given that more MCU content is being released than ever before. "He has a whole movie coming out next year man good grief," replied @YaQDog7. "We don't [need] cameos just for the sake of cameos if it isn't going to serve the story."
When will Sam Wilson's Cap return?
The next MCU project we can be certain Sam Wilson will appear in as Captain America is "Captain America: Brave New World." The project finished filming a mere two weeks before the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, meaning it will see no delay as a result (though studios have been delaying finished projects, such as the long-awaited "Dune Part Two," likely as a way of kicking the can down the road while bargaining continues). None of Marvel's other upcoming projects are likely to feature the new Captain America. Season 2 of "Loki" will see its titular character (Tom Hiddleston) tracking down Kang (Jonathan Majors), "The Marvels" will have its hands full with its own trio of heroes, and both "Echo" and "Deadpool 3" seem like their own thing, though a jokey cameo from Sam isn't out of the question in the latter.
Since Sam Wilson's last appearance in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," the projects released to date are: "Loki," "Black Widow," "What If...?" "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "Eternals," "Hawkeye, "Spider-Man: No Way Home," "Moon Knight," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," "Ms. Marvel," "Thor: Love and Thunder," "I Am Groot," "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," "Werewolf By Night," "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special," "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3," and "Secret Invasion."
Even so, with the MCU expanding into maddening multiverses and always adding new characters from the source comic books, we're likely to see more major characters fall by the wayside for extended periods of time. But since Sam Wilson is so new to the title of Captain America, fans are understandably excited to see him in action once more.