Steve Rogers can no longer hold his mighty shield, so the role of Captain America must be passed on to another superhero. On Wednesday night (July 16), Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Jon Quesada announced on "The Colbert Report" that the new Captain American will be African American.
"Steve [Rogers] had to hand the mantle over," Quesada told Colbert, revealing that Sam Wilson aka The Falcon will now don the iconic costume, Comicbook.com reports.
Quesada also said that Wilson taking over the role will only happen in the comic books and not the movies. Currently playing Captain American on film is Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie is The Falcon. Comic fans will be able to see the new Captain America when Wilson takes over the role in Captain America #25.
Wilson made his first comic debut in Captain America #117 in 1969 and became the first African American superhero. The character has played a major role in many of Marvel's comics ever since. Wilson as the new Captain America will mark the first time an African American took over the role full-time, but not the first time a black man has donned the costume.
According to Vulture, Isaiah Bradley briefly took over in 2003's Truth: Red, White, and Black. Wilson is not the first character to take over as Captain America. Others have held the shield including Bucky Barnes and US Agent, Comicbook.com reports.
"I've been having a lot of fun writing Sam. It's a completely different attitude. The fact that he's not a soldier shifts things up a bit. Sam's not going to be Steve. Steve can be very rigid. That can be kind of joyless at times, whereas Sam is absolutely not that," said writer Rick Remender to Marvel.com
This announcement was made just one day after Marvel revealed that the new Thor will be a woman.
What do you think of Sam Wilson as the new Captain America?
