Anthony Mackie Confirms His Future as Captain America Beyond 'Avengers: Doomsday'

Marvel created a ton of questions about its next big crossover event when the first teasers for Avengers: Doomsday rolled out back in December and confirmed Chris Evans' return to the MCU. The franchise has since passed the shield to Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson, who even got his own movie last year in Captain America: Brave New World, while Steve Rogers got to live the life he missed out on with Peggy Carter. Making matters more curious is the shot showing the former Sentinel of Liberty holding a child in his hands. This won't be a brief stay for the seasoned Avenger, as Evans himself has confirmed he'll be in the sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, next year to some degree, but his successor's fate has been a bit more up in the air.

Mackie, for his part, has been a bit more ominous in his teasing. Doomsday will pit teams of superheroes, from the New Avengers to The Fantastic Four, the Wakandans, the old 20th Century Fox X-Men, and other assorted figures against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, who, as the trailer shows, may be an even bigger threat than Thanos. All signs are pointing to a much darker MCU outing than usual, a feeling further driven home by Mackie assuring that "everyone is expendable" in Anthony and Joe Russo's latest movie, which he says will end on an impactful cliffhanger. Does that include the former Falcon himself, though?

Evidently not. During a conversation with Deadline about his return to play Macbeth on Broadway next year, the star confirmed that he'll be back for Secret Wars shortly after he wraps his time playing Shakespeare's legendary villain. "So once I finish on Broadway, I'll go to finish up all the Avengers stuff for Secret Wars," he said. That should ensure Sam's safety through the encounter with Doom, at least, though what lies afterward for him remains up in the air. While Mackie will have to suit back up next year to finalize his time in the crossover, the Russos are expected to get started on the production even sooner, given how massive an undertaking it will be and how critical it is to the MCU's future.

Who Else Is Confirmed to Appear in 'Avengers: Secret Wars'?

Marvel is still a ways off from revealing the full Secret Wars cast, but there are a few confirmations beyond the two Captain Americas. The Fantastic Four are all set to return, including Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, as well as Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, and Letitia Wright as Shuri. Peggy will also be joining Steve for the adventure, as Hayley Atwell is confirmed to appear in both films. In terms of newer characters, Sadie Sink's Jean Gray will join the fight after being introduced in the recent Spider-Man: Brand New Day and ahead of her joining Jake Schreier's X-Men movie, though the bigger surprise is Noah Jupe. The Hamnet star was only recently announced to be appearing in a mystery role, and there's been speculation he could be playing either another young mutant or a grown-up version of Franklin Richards.

Avengers: Doomsday releases on December 18, while Secret Wars premieres one year later on December 17, 2027. Stay tuned here at Collider for more updates until their release.