Sam Wilson's Captain America 4 Costume Honors Steve Rogers Better Than A Chris Evans Return

Nov 04, 2023

Sam Wilson's new blue Captain America costume honors the legacy of Chris Evans' Steve Rogers better than a cameo return by focusing on the new hero.

In Captain America: New World Order, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) will get a new blue Captain America costume, which honors the legacy of Steve Rogers better than a Chris Evans cameo. Sam Wilson already received a Captain America costume at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier when he officially adopted the mantle, taking the shield back from John Walker and the U.S. government. In Captain America 4, Sam Wilson will lead his first solo Marvel Cinematic Universe movie and will get another superhero suit in the process.

Evans, and by extension Steve Rogers, retired as Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame, passing on his shield to Sam Wilson while he lived out the remainder of his life. However, in early 2021, it was reported that Evans would return as Captain America in the MCU. Although the actor was quick to debunk the reports and downplay any possible return, since Steve Rogers remains alive in the MCU, a cameo or return is possible. That said, it's better for the MCU to continue honoring Steve Rogers' legacy in other ways, like Sam Wilson's new blue Captain America suit, rather than bringing back Evans.

Related: Captain America 4 Set Photos: 10 Reveals About The Story, Returning Characters & More

At the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson was gifted a new Captain America costume by the Dora Milaje. The suit was red, white and blue, with white being the dominant color, and featured a set of wings similar to those that were part of his Falcon suit. Perhaps most importantly, Sam's suit was made of vibranium and was constructed to look more like armor than any of Steve Rogers' Captain America suits. The design reflected Sam's new persona as a human Captain America, differentiating him from Steve, who was a super-soldier.

Sam Wilson's new Captain America costume as revealed in Captain America 4 set photos has a much different design, with navy blue being the dominant color rather than white. There are still red accents resembling the U.S. flag's red and white stripes on the abdomen, but the chest and shoulder area appear to be slimmer and more blue than white. Sam still has shoulder pieces that look like attachments for his wings, but the new Captain America costume for New World Order looks a lot more like those worn by Steve Rogers.

In particular, it looks like the stealth suit Steve Rogers wore while working for SHIELD in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. That suit dropped red entirely from its design, instead featuring a blue tactical suit with white accents, like the star and stripes on his chest. Sam Wilson's new Captain America costume still has certain red accents, on his boots and wrist guards, but the design is much closer to the suits Steve Rogers wore than the one that debuted in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. This works as a way of visually passing the torch from Steve to Sam in Captain America 4.

Sam Wilson is the first true test of how well the MCU can pull off using its legacy characters as replacements for original members of the Avengers. He's set to be the first of the legacy characters to headline his own movie without an appearance from the character whose mantle he's taking over. As such, it's incredibly important for Marvel, the writers and the director on Captain America: New World Order to establish Sam Wilson's Captain America as a leading hero in his own right.

If Evans' Steve Rogers were to return, even in a small cameo, it might distract too much from Sam Wilson, who is meant to be the focus of New World Order. Evans' Captain America held the title for more than a decade, and he's beloved by many - both in the MCU and in the real world - so any kind of return would be extremely exciting. If it were to be revealed prior to the movie's release, it would entice viewers to see New World Order, but risks detracting from selling Sam Wilson as the new Captain America. Even if it were to be a surprise cameo, the post-release hype might focus too much on Evans' return rather than Sam Wilson's first Captain America adventure.

All that's to say, it would be better for Evans' Steve Rogers to stay in the past and let Sam Wilson step into the limelight alone. Beyond not distracting from Sam Wilson's story in New World Order, it would also preserve Steve's ending from Avengers: Endgame, which saw him travel back in time and live out his life with Peggy Carter. It offered Steve Rogers a peaceful ending, even if he's technically still alive in the present-day MCU, and bringing him back could disrupt or tarnish that ending. So, to ensure Captain America 4 is properly Sam Wilson's movie and to preserve Steve Rogers' ending, it would be best if Evans didn't return.

It's unclear why Sam Wilson gets his new costume in Captain America 4 - it could be needed for a stealth mission or his white vibranium suit may have been reclaimed by Wakanda after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, it's certainly a departure from the white suit revealed in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and is much closer in design to those worn by Steve Rogers during his tenure as Captain America. That makes it the perfect bridge between Sam Wilson's Captain America and Steve Rogers', honoring what came before while still updating it for the new superhero.

Sam Wilson's blue Captain America suit isn't an exact replica of one worn by Steve Rogers - it's neither the stealth suit nor the red, white and blue suits worn by Steve in any of the Avengers movies. Aside from the color scheme, it also has shoulder plates and spots for his wings, so it's clearly a new suit. That said, the costume's design does appear to be an homage to the many suits worn by Steve Rogers as it much more closely resembles the stealth suit and the Avengers: Age of Ultron suit. Since it's unknown why Sam gets this new Captain America costume, it's impossible to know how intentional that is, but the suit change will no doubt be addressed in New World Order.

Whatever the reason for Sam to ditch the white costume, it's a shame considering it was much closer to the character's costume in the comics - and was tied to his journey in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, since Sam is getting a new Captain America costume in New World Order, it makes sense to use it as a way to honor Steve Rogers' legacy while still putting a new spin on it. It's a much better way of honoring Evans' character than bringing him back, allowing Captain America: New World Order to focus on Sam Wilson as he continues Steve Rogers' legacy with nothing to distract from Sam's story.