Whenever a hero decides to pass the torch to another hero or just decide to live the rest of their lives as their alter-ego, it’s a pretty big thing. But what happens when there is no one to pick up the shield in your absence. That is going to be the big question going into the Marvel Cinematic Universe post-Captain America: Civil War as one of the most prominent members of the Avengers will no longer be recognized by the patriotic moniker.

Civil War directors Anthony and Joe Russo recently revealed the fate of Steve Rogers’ status as a hero, and what it may mean for the future of MCU. More on the story below, oh, and of course, spoilers below if you haven’t already seen it.

After that iconic airport battle scene between Team Captain America and Team Iron Man, we see the leaders of the two teams engage in battle amongst themselves fighting for much more than ideals. Iron Man had just learned that Winter Soldier, aka Bucky Barnes, killed his parents, and he wants more than just a piece of Steve’s best friend. On the flip side of that coin, Steve will do anything to protect Bucky, even if that means fighting a fellow Avenger. It’s hard to say who won, but in the end, Captain America drops his shield and walks away from the hero life, then returns to The Raft to free his comrades in a daring prison break. But leaving his shield behind and taking amnesty in Wakanda tells us that Steve will no longer be Captain America, and that is what the Russo Brothers are confirming.

In an interview with The Huffington Post, the Russos spoke about what it meant for Cap when he dropped that shield:

Undoubtedly leaving something so personal behind meant a lot to him. That shield was his identity, but not necessarily his philosophy on what it meant to be a hero. Remember, Civil War was about government oversight on when nations would dispatch the Avengers instead of the Avengers acting as their own agents. Government oversight did not sit well with Cap, and because it passed, it made it that much harder for him to be the hero that he was capable of being.

That’s not to say that Steve will return to the mantle. He will obviously have to in Avengers: Infinity War. But if he does make a return, it’s unlikely that we will recognize him as Captain America. And it’s not possible that he could hand the shield off to Falcon (whereabouts unknown, although if we did know, it’s not like he’s welcomed back considering he is a fugitive) or the Winter Soldier (cryogenic sleep) since they are otherwise indisposed.

Captain America: Civil War will hit Digital HD on September 2nd and Blu-ray and DVD on September 13th.

[Source: The Huffington Post]