Steve Rogers is No Longer Captain America in The Marvel Cinematic Universe

After brawling with Iron Man at the end of Captain America: Civil War, Chris Evans' Steve Rogers leaves his shield behind and walks away with Bucky. In an interview with The Huffington Post, co-director Joe Russo revealed that Cap is no longer officially Cap in the MCU:

“I think him dropping that shield is him letting go of that identity. [It’s] him admitting that certainly the identity of Captain America was in conflict with the very personal choice that he was making.”

Evans is coming back for Avengers: Infinity War, so he'll likely suit up in the red, white, and blue once again. But HuffPo posits a theory that before he does, he might mirror the character's journey in the comics and wander around with the name Nomad, an identity Rogers adopted when he was disillusioned by the government in the '70s. There's also the chance, of course, that Bucky or Falcon could take up the shield in his place (maybe Thanos kills Steve in the opening minutes of Infinity War, and that's the inciting incident that reunites the Avengers?). But it might be a while before Bucky wields the shield, since he's currently on ice in Wakanda.

We'll find out when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018.