How Avengers: Endgame should write off Captain America

Is Avengers: Endgame the end of Captain America’s arc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Captain America is an American Icon. Throughout the incredible journey of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or the MCU, Chris Evans has brought this patriotic symbol to life in a way that will be hard to top when Cap is inevitably rebooted in the future. From The First Avenger to Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame at the end of April, Evans’ portrayal of Steve Rogers has been a highlight of the MCU, as Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly recently explained.

Avengers: Endgame will likely end Rogers’ time in the MCU. While other main characters will similarly depart the stage, the loss of Captain America will be particularly impactful. However Marvel decides to write the character off, Rogers’ exit will be one of the most important moments in this grand saga. Ultimately, there are two options: in Endgame, the Avengers will grieve Rogers’ death or the First Avenger will return to the past and live out the rest of his days in peace.

The option of allowing Rogers to be happy with Peggy Carter must sound pretty appealing. Who doesn’t love it when then the hero gets to ride off into the sunset? In some ways, this option would be a satisfying end for Captain America’s arc. When Carter died in Civil War, many Marvel fans cried because they felt Rogers’ pain.

Since then, many fan theories have speculated that Endgame will end with Rogers going back in time so he can be with Carter. By doing so, Rogers would finally be happy, right? But it’s fair to argue this ending isn’t true to Rogers’ character. He’s a soldier who fights for justice and seeks to protect innocents as long as he’s still breathing. Even if Rogers went back in time, he would still help people however he could. In that case, it’s likely the same cycle would repeat itself ― he would sacrifice himself in order to stop another threat and, in the process, he’d give up his chance to be with Carter.

For this reason, there’s a more satisfying option on the table. Captain America must die. In Infinity War, when Thanos dusted many of the MCU’s heroes, the moment lacked the gravity it should have held. On some level, viewers knew that most of these characters would be back in the next movie. So, other than Gamora’s death at the hands of Thanos, the MCU hasn’t featured the genuine death of a major hero.

Endgame can change this pattern. If Rogers actually dies in the struggle to stop Thanos, the conflict would have some legitimate stakes. Death is notoriously meaningless in comics but this movie can buck that trend. In this scenario, the Avengers would have a tangible cause to fight for; the team would seek to avenge Rogers. As it now stands, the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are trying to stop Thanos and bring back the victims of the snap. Endgame will likely undo these “deaths,” but the movie needs a truly heartbreaking moment to reinforce the stakes.

Whichever path the MCU takes, it’ll likely satisfy many fans. Plenty of viewers want to see Rogers get the happy ending he didn’t get in The First Avenger. Others think the character’s death would hold more meaning for Endgame and the future of the MCU. Either way, have a box of tissues ready when Rogers exits the screen for the final time.