MCU Phase 4: Is Captain America Still A War Criminal?

Despite helping to save the world at the end of the Infinity Saga, Captain America may still be a war criminal in Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4. After the threat of Thanos was finally neutralized in Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers decided that it was time for him to retire and live the life that he was denied. Before doing this, however, he accomplished one final key mission: returning all six Infinity Stones to their original place and setting and another more personal endeavor of pick a Captain America successor.

Rogers left the main MCU timeline and went back to the 1940s where he lived his life with Peggy Carter. While specifics about his final adventure and all of the subsequent ones essentially as a time-traveler are unknown, the important thing is that he got the ending he deserved. Interestingly, he’s also the only hero who capped off his Infinity Saga journey on a high note, with fellow founding members Iron Man and Black Widow sacrificing themselves for the cause. That said, his ending may not be as perfect as initially presumed, with his public image potentially still in tatters following the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Captain America and his allies refused to sign the Sokovia Accords imposed by the United Nations in an effort to control the Avengers’ operation following the events in Sokovia and Lagos. While the rest of Team Cap was imprisoned at sea in the raft, Steve and Bucky bust them out and from there, they basically operated under the radar, with the government deeming them vigilantes as confirmed by Spider-Man: Homecoming. By the time they re-emerged during the events of Avengers: Infinity War, there’s a more pressing issue to address, with the film focusing on that. Endgame simply followed suit, which makes sense considering the ramifications of Thanos decimation. So while the Avengers made amends internally and Captain America playing a pivotal part in the defeat of the Mad Titan, he has yet to be entirely vindicated publicly, which means that he could still be deemed as a war criminal.

On top of Marvel Studios not explicitly clearing Steve’s name, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier also hints that the issue of Captain America’s legacy will be at the center of its story. While Steve clearly picked Sam Wilson as his successor, the government doesn’t seem like it’s going to honor that as they bring in John Walker as their next Star-Spangled hero. As seen in the promos for the upcoming Marvel Studios’ Disney+ show, Walker, who’s also known as U.S. Agent in the comics, seemingly wields the very same shield Steve left to Sam. While set videos reveal him actually fighting with it, it’s also possible that the government is using him as a mascot for them, similar to how Steve was used as a propaganda personality at the height of World War II. There’s even a chance that the introduction of Walker is an effort to further tarnish Steve’s legacy and delegitimize Sam’s claim to the Captain America title.

The big question for Phase 4 is whether there’s any planned resolution to this issue concerning the tarnished image of Steve Rogers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As someone who’s devoted most of his life serving the people, it’s an understatement to say that he doesn’t deserve to be remembered as a war criminal, especially since he was as involved in Thanos’ defeat as everyone else.

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