The spoiler-free set-up: Mackie’s character, a military veteran, counselor and former “Avengers” sidekick named Sam Wilson, has traded in his Falcon alter-ego (and his deep reservations) to finally accept the Captain America mantle.

Death and rebirth is a significant recurring event in the world of comics, and the original Captain America is no stranger to it. The assassination of Steve Rogers in the wake of

Brave New World. In the years since Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has lost its way. Debates about exactly what went wrong and why have raged for years, but to me, one of the major reasons the Marvel Cinematic Universe has felt so slapdash is that it's lacking cohesiveness.