Endgame Theory: Old Captain America Was A Skrull

Avengers: Endgame gave closure to Steve Rogers’ arc by having him go back in time to return the Infinity Stones to their rightful places and staying in the past to have the life he always wanted – but that didn’t make much sense. Steve returned at the end of Endgame to pass the shield to Sam Wilson, but could that actually be a Skrull instead of the real Steve? The Marvel Cinematic Universe built its Infinity Gauntlet arc for over ten years, introducing Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his plans and the heroes that would save the universe from them. The MCU reached its peak with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which saw all of its heroes joining forces for the first time.

Avengers: Infinity War was all about Thanos getting the infinity stones and using them to wipe out half of life in the universe, with Avengers: Endgame following the surviving heroes on a mission to travel back in time to get the Stones before Thanos did and bring back all those who disappeared in the snap. Once the Battle of Earth came to an end with Iron Man’s snap, the Avengers sent Steve Rogers back in time once more to return the Stones to the time and place where they were retrieved, but he decided to stay in the past with Peggy Carter, and returned to the present day as an old man, ready to pass on the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson.

As emotional as that moment was, it has been questioned since Avengers: Endgame came out as it seems out of character for Steve to do that and because his return as old Captain America doesn’t fit with what the movie established about time travel. All this, along with the announcement of a Secret Invasion TV show, could point at old Captain America actually being a Skrull, which would explain some things the MCU has planned for the future.

Captain America’s Return Made No Sense

Time travel is not a new concept in the entertainment industry, but every movie and TV show that has dealt with it has created its own rules. The MCU was no exception, and the characters in Avengers: Endgame even addressed that by saying that traveling back in time is not like what movies like Back to the Future show. When the remaining heroes traveled to different points and places in the past to retrieve the Infinity Stones, instead of changing their present through their actions in the past, they created new timelines, meaning that when they returned to their timeline, nothing had changed.

It’s because of this that the appearance of old Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame didn’t make sense. By choosing to stay in the past and live the rest of his days alongside Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers would have created a new timeline, and it wouldn’t have been possible for him to return as an old man in his original timeline. This would have only been possible had he returned to his present through the time machine the Hulk and Tony Stark built, but that wasn’t the case. This inconsistency in the MCU’s time travel logic has drawn a lot of criticism and sparked debate among fans, as well as various explanations on how old man Steve could have returned.

Theory: Old Cap Was A Skrull Imposter

The Skrulls were introduced to the MCU in Captain Marvel, but instead of being a menace they ended up being allies, so much that they lent a hand to Nick Fury in Spider-Man: Far From Home – but that doesn’t mean all of them have harmless intentions. Among the future plans of the MCU is a Secret Invasion TV show, based on the comic book event of the same name. In the comics, the Skrulls are a race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters who form one of the biggest intergalactic empires in the Marvel universe, with a mastery over science and warfare, and their long-time enemies are the Kree and humankind. They were at the front and center of the comic book crossover Secret Invasion, where the Skrulls silently and slowly took over Earth, using their shapeshifting abilities to secretly replace many superheroes.

Now, as mentioned above, the Skrulls are already part of the MCU and their existence is no secret, so much that they have been working closely with Captain Marvel and Nick Fury. Within the MCU timeline, Skrulls have been around since (at least) 1995, and by 2024 they were still close to Fury, so by 2023, the year Avengers: Endgame is set in, the Skrulls and Fury were working together. A Skrull posing as old Steve Rogers could have happened in two ways: either Fury, Carol Danvers, or someone else asked the Skrulls to do so, or some not-so-kind Skrulls with a future invasion in mind decided to do so as part of a bigger plan.

Why Skrulls Would Replace Old Cap

Avengers: Endgame saw Steve Rogers passing the shield and thus the Captain America identity to Sam Wilson a.k.a. Falcon, and the Disney+’s TV show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier covered what happened after that. Overwhelmed by the power the shield represents, Sam Wilson gave the shield up and the government selected a decorated member of the U.S. Army, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), as the new Captain America. This created some conflict between Sam and Bucky Barnes, who had different ideas of what the shield stands for and what should have been done with it. By the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam took the shield back and officially became Captain America, while John Walker was recruited by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and given the identity of U.S. Agent.

It’s possible that De Fontaine’s plans are to form the Dark Avengers, which fits with the comic books as John Walker was part of that team at some point – and De Fontaine could be working for or in alliance with the Skrulls. Building the Dark Avengers around John Walker (and others, as there are already a couple of characters in the MCU who could join that team) could be part of their plans to invade Earth, and giving the shield to Sam through posing as the old version of Steve Rogers was one step as they knew it would mess with Falcon and create conflict with Bucky as well.

Chris Evans’ Rumored Return Could Be In Secret Invasion

In January 2021, news broke about Chris Evans being in talks to return to the MCU as Captain America, and it didn’t take long for Evans to hint at the news being nothing more than rumors. In March 2021, Kevin Feige denied Evans’ return, but if Marvel fans have learned something in over 10 years of the MCU is that they shouldn’t trust Feige and the cast all the time. If Chris Evans does return to the MCU, it could be in Secret Invasion, where the Skrulls’ participation in Avengers: Endgame could be revealed and they could even continue posing as old man Steve if they still need it for their invasion.

Chris Evans returning to the MCU in Secret Invasion for old Steve to be revealed as a Skrull and even possibly have young Steve back for a while would be a much better and more logical way to bring Evans back than have him appear in flashbacks or as old Steve again, for some reason. Avengers: Endgame’s old Captain America being a Skrull would be a fun way to fix that inconsistency in the story while also connecting that part of the Infinity Saga with the future of the MCU, while also adding more conflict across the different branches of the MCU thanks to the impact of their decisions in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and beyond.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3274 Articles Published)

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

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Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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