Falcon Will Not Be Captain America in the Third Movie

Falcon fans, prepare to have your wings clipped (sorry): Despite recent developments in Marvel Comics’ Captain America title which will lead Sam Wilson, the Falcon, to take over the mantle of the Star-Spangled Avenger, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have told SFX that the Falcon will not be replacing Steve Rogers as Cap in Captain America 3.

With the inclusion of both the Falcon and Captain America’s former sidekick Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier, many fans and critics speculated that filmmakers were using those characters as Captain Americas-in-waiting, heroes to fill the role should Chris Evans decide to reprise his role as the Avengers’ leader after his contract with Marvel Studios is up.

After all, with Falcon taking over for Cap in the comics in November, both men will have worn the Super Soldier’s reds, whites, and blues. (Bucky took over for Cap at one point when Steve was presumed dead.)

Markus notes that while the Marvel Comics stories of Captain America have been around for several decades, the narrative featuring Steve Rogers has only been running for less than ten years. As such, there’s less of a need to reinvent the wheel and invoke change in the story quite yet.

Another character who won’t make an appearance in Captain America 3: M.O.D.O.K. The villain, whose name is an acronym of Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, is, essentially, a giant head in a floating suit.

As Markus notes, “There are people that I’m always wanting to bring in. I want to put M.O.D.O.K. into something, but you can’t just drop a giant floating head in! It’s not like ‘Oh, we have to go talk to this guy – there’s something I should tell you about him first…’”

But think of the marketing possibilities, Marvel! Plush dolls that kids can carry around! I mean, look at that face.

You know what, scratch that.

Captain America 3 premieres in theaters May 6, 2016.

Jed Harris-Keith is a pop culture junkie, but insists he can stop whenever he wants. He currently resides in Camarillo, California, with his wife and their two bassets, Otto and Igor.