Will The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Show Captain America's Funeral?
Avengers: Endgame truly lived up to its name by giving several beloved characters the send-offs they deserved. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) may have begun the franchise as a selfish billionaire, but he ended up making the sacrifice play to save the universe from Thanos (Josh Brolin). When we're first introduced to Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), she's pretty much a loner, but she gives up her life on Vormir to save the family she became a part of. And even though Captain America (Chris Evans) ended up surviving the final battle with Thanos and his forces, he chose to walk away from the superhero lifestyle, leaving his fate in the MCU somewhat up in the air.
The super soldier went on one final mission to return the Infinity Stones to their respective timelines, but he chose to stay in the past with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and live the life he'd always wanted. Last time we saw him, he was "Old Man Cap" handing over his shield to Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and that transition of power will likely be a central focus of the upcoming Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Last time we heard from Cap in Spider-Man: Far From Home, he was part of a student-made slideshow depicting the heroes who gave their lives to defeat Thanos. Among those heroes was Captain America, so it would appear that the public believes he's passed away. The question is whether he's actually dead or he just wants the world to believe that, so he can be left in peace. Regardless of the answer to that question, one eagle-eyed viewer seems to have discovered an emotional scene that will be included in the upcoming Marvel Studios series.
Some stills from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier trailer appear to show a funeral or memorial service for Captain America
The most recent trailer for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier that aired during the Super Bowl provided our best look yet at the show. In addition to providing glimpses of Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp) and Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl), there's also a few scenes that depict a more somber moment. As @marvelsfalcon explained on Twitter, there are several scenes showing various uniformed men, as well as Falcon himself, dressed in all black. Given the massive mural of Captain America present, it seems to suggest there will, in fact, be a scene in which we witness the MCU mourning the loss of the Star-Spangled Man.
Whether the funeral is for real or just for show, Marvel fans have had some very strong reactions to the possibility we may have to say goodbye to Cap for good. Just look at a comment from @ghcstofbarnes, who wrote, "[Don't], don't do this to me marvel pls." The sentiment is shared several other times throughout the thread with people saying things like, "DON'T EVEN START" and "NO NO NO [I'M] IN PAIN."
Then again, there are other fans attempting to figure out what precisely they're looking at. For example, @AshbRenee seems to recognize the specific location of the scene. They explained, "I think this Cap picture is from the Smithsonian, so doubt it's at a funeral." A remembrance ceremony of some sort at the Smithsonian would make for a good callback to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and perhaps we'd see some additions to the Cap exhibit, showing what the world believes happened to the hero, which may or may not agree with Falcon and Bucky's (Sebastian Stan) truth.
In light of this observation, rumors suggesting Evans might return to the role are all the more intriguing. Undoubtedly, more answers will come to light when the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier airs on Disney+ on March 19, 2021.