While the main purpose ofAvengers: Endgamewas to bring the MCU’s Phase 3 to a fully-realized conclusion, it also served as a preliminary introduction for Phase 4, with several scenes throughout the film hinting at Marvel Studio’s future projects. Perhaps one of the most pivotal moments occurred near the end when a much older Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) presented Captain America’s shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) while Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) watched from a short distance. Out of that very scene was born the latest series to arrive at the Disney Plus (and arguably one of the most anticipated this year):The Falcon And The Winter Soldier.
The new show will follow the adventures of Captain America’s closest allies—Wilson’s Falcon and Barnes' Winter Soldier—as they navigatethe post-Avengers: Endgameworldwithout their fearless leader. When plans forThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierwere first revealed, fans were thrilled that their story would be continued beyondEndgame.But perhaps the two people who were most surprised by the news were Mackie and Stan themselves, who apparently found out about the shield handover in different ways.
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In a new interview withEmpire, Mackie said that he found out about the scene directly fromCaptain Americastar Chris Evanswhile they were watching a football game with a group of other Marvel co-stars. Stan, on the other hand, wasn’t at thatparty, so he didn’t find out about it when Mackie did. Stan quipped that he wasn’t there because he hadn’t been invited, but Mackie joked that Stan simply didn’t show up because he isn’t a sports fan.
Mackie then explained that whileGuardians of the Galaxy’s Chris Prattwas entertaining everyone upstairs, Evans asked him to go downstairs so he could show him the final script. Mackie sat on the couch flipping through the pages, while Evans paced back and forth, saying, ‘Oh my God, oh my God!’ as the secret was being revealed. Mackie said it was “a fun, emotional moment that [they] shared with nobody else.”
In contrast, Stan found outon the daythey were shooting the scene when someone nonchalantly handed him the script on the spot as he was waiting to film; in his costume, no less. Naturally, he was surprised when he found out, but he had no hard feelings that the shield went to Mackie’s character instead of his, saying that he never expected the shield would actually end up going to Bucky. “It never really made sense to me,” he said. “He was just not in a place for that mentally. I’m not sure where the character would have even gone if that had happened.”
Despite being handed the shield, Mackie has indicated Sam Wilson will be reluctant totake on the Captain America mantle. In fact, previews forThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierclearly reveal that Wilson believes the shield belongs to “someone else.”
The Falcon and the Winter Soldierwill premiere on Disney Plus on June 06, 2025.
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