WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "Captain America: Civil War."
The key members of the Avengers learn a lot about one another and themselves throughout the events in "Captain America: Civil War." By the film's conclusion, many characters have undergone a lot of personal change. But no character is more different than the titular Captain when the credits finally role.
Steve Rogers begins the film as everyone's favorite star-spangled Avenger. But at the end of the film, when he leaves behind his shield, he's signifying the end of that journey.
The climactic scene of "Civil War" sees Rogers and the Winter Soldier taking on Iron Man. Tony Stark, now aware that the brainwashed Bucky killed his parents, is aghast at his former friend's decision to hide this information form him and protect the man responsible. Defeated, Stark states that Rogers doesn't deserve his shield and that it belongs to his father. This leads to Rogers leaving his iconic weapon behind.
Co-director Anthony Russo explained how significant this decision was for the character.
"Dropping the shield is a rejection of the Captain America identity and a choice to embrace the Steve Rogers identity," he said.
This leads us to wonder if the next time we see Roger, will he still be Captain America? According to Russo, probably not. There have been instances in the comics when Rogers has abandoned the Captain America persona, and Marvel may be playing out a similar storyline on screen.
If so, what does that mean for the future of the MCU?
It's doubtful that Rogers will give up his heroic ways. Even in the comics, he continued to dole out justice and help people under different aliases such as Nomad and The Captain. But now that the government has more control over the Avengers and the Shield is in Stark's possession, will they anoint a successor to the Captain America mantle?
We can safely assume that the character will be back in action by the time "Avengers: Infinity War" begins. But until then, your guess is as good as ours.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
