Is Captain America Dead? What Happened to Captain America After Endgame?

The MCU Phase 4 has built on the mystery concerning what happened to Steve Roger's Captain America after Avengers: Endgame, including suggesting that the former Avenger might actually be dead. Chris Evans' Captain America story ended with his mission to return the Infinity Stones in Avengers: Endgame, but his legacy lives on, most prominently through Sam Wilson, who has now embraced his new role as Captain America. While Steve Rogers was shown to get his happy ending with Peggy Carter, he returned to the main MCU continuity to give Sam the shield, but his whereabouts after this remains a mystery.

While The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+ didn't confirm the status of Steve Rogers in the MCU, his legacy as Captain America weighed heavily over the series, particularly over Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. Sam would eventually come to terms with what being Captain America actually means, but while the MCU has a new star-spangled man-with-a-plan, it's clear the world still doesn't really know what happened to Steve Rogers after Avengers: Endgame. Even so, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and subsequent MCU projects have teased several possibilities for what happened to Steve Rogers' Captain America.

How Old Is Captain America At The End Of Endgame?

Steve Rogers was born, fittingly, on July 4, 1918, and the events of Avengers: Endgame primarily take place in late 2023 following the tragic five-year time jump. That would make Rogers' age in Avengers: Endgame a whopping 105 years old. However, this is before factoring in the fact that Rogers traveled back into the past after completing his Infinity Stones mission and lived a whole other life with Peggy Carter. Endgame directors, the Russo Brothers, confirmed that Steve traveled back to the 1940s, making him approximately 180 years old at the end of Avengers: Endgame.

Is Captain America Dead After Avengers: Endgame?

sam wilson with the shield in falcon and the winter soldier

As a 180-year-old, Steve Rogers is certainly past his prime and probably wouldn't be suiting up as Captain America, and since his whereabouts aren't known to anyone besides Sam and Bucky, this allows for the possibility that Rogers really has died. This would make sense for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, during which Sam donates Captain America's shield to the Smithsonian. Similarly, Hawkeye's Rogers: The Musical could hint at his passing, and Spider-Man: No Way Home featured a shield being fitted to the Statue of Liberty, perhaps in memorandum. However, while the world might think Rogers is dead, he could still be alive in the background of the MCU.

Is Old Captain America Back In Hiding After Endgame?

chris evans as nomad captain america in avengers endgame

If Rogers is alive, then it's possible that he went into hiding after handing over the shield. This wouldn't be a first, as he became a fugitive along with Natasha Romanoff and Sam Wilson following Captain America's Civil War. Rogers presumably has a lot of contacts that would be able to assist him, but even if not, his return as an old man makes him far less conspicuous than his younger, Chris Evans-like appearance. It's possible that Rogers is peacefully living out his days in the background of the MCU, allowing a new generation of heroes to step up and save the day as he once did.

Could Steve Rogers Have Jumped The Timelines Again?

steve rogers and peggy carter in avengers endgame

The appearance of Steve Rogers as an old man in Avengers: Endgame proved that he somehow got a hold of more Pym Particles, enough to allow him to re-enter the main MCU's continuity. Due to this, it's possible that he simply jumped back to his "home" reality with Peggy Carter once again after completing his mission of handing the shield and Captain America moniker off to Sam Wilson. Perhaps there are thousands of Captain America adventures that the MCU doesn't have time to tell, with Rogers bouncing around various timelines and saving the world before returning home; Rogers' infinite resourcefulness means there'd be no better person for the job.

The Captain America Moon Theory

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier posed another, stranger theory about what happened to Steve Rogers after Avengers: Endgame, suggesting that he might actually be on the moon. Joaquin Torres first mentioned this theory, backing it up with the thought that Captain America could be carrying out some sort of secret mission. While this theory might seem like a joke, it could have some basis in reality. MCU projects have proven that there is life on celestial bodies, and in Marvel Comics, the Inhumans reside on the Earth's moon in a grand city, Attilan. Perhaps Steve Rogers has discovered the MCU's Inhumans and is aiding them from their moon-situated home.

Captain Carter/Hydra Stomper Episode Continues Cap's Legacy In What If?

Marvel Studios' What If...? allowed a version of Steve Rogers to return, namely in season 1, episode 1, "What If... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?" This episode showcased a reality where Peggy Carter was given the super-soldier serum instead of Rogers, but Howard Stark designed the latter a Tesseract-powered suit of armor that would allow him to fight in the war, dubbing it the "Hydra Stomper." The fact that Rogers finds a way to be a hero even when there's nothing inherently special about him proves that he was the right person to become Captain America and cements the fact that his MCU legacy will live on.

Sam Wilson's Captain America Appears In Avengers: Quantum Encounter

sam wilson captain america in quantum encounter

Although Sam Wilson is set to make his big screen debut as Captain America in Phase 5's Captain America: New World Order, the MCU's new legacy hero had a test run during Avengers: Quantum Encounter, an interactive film shown on Disney's Wish cruise ship. Quantum Encounter takes place in a world where Thanos' Avengers: Infinity War snap never occurred, and features the likes of Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Shang-Chi, and Ultron, and sees several of them referring to Sam Wilson as "Cap." New World Order will mark Sam Wilson's first major adventure as Captain America, continuing the legacy of his predecessor in the best way possible.

Will Old Captain America Return In The MCU?

Whatever the case may be, Chris Evans may never reprise his role of Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, in the MCU. This follows recent comments made where he mentioned that he'd be "apprehensive of doing anymore," as he doesn't want to tarnish his previous great work. However, the door has been left open for his potential return, though it likely won't be anytime soon. Until then, however, the question of what happened in Captain America's MCU story after Avengers: Endgame could be answered in Phase 5's Captain America: New World Order, or perhaps will remain a mystery for the long haul.