WARNING: This post contains SPOILERS for Avengers: Infinity War.
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Infinity Stones and complete his Infinity Gauntlet so he can complete his mission to bring balance by wiping out half the universe.
As the biggest villain in MCU's history, Thanos proves to be an especially formidable foe for the Avengers and their allies. However, since Avengers: Infinity War is a massive event film uniting the entire MCU, there were bound to be characters who took a backseat to others so the movie could have a cohesive story. As a result, some fan-favorite Marvel heroes received less screen time and less to do in Avengers: Infinity War. One of those heroes is Steve Rogers, aka. Captain America, played by Chris Evans.
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Compared to the likes of Iron Man, Thor, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America plays a relatively minor role in Infinity War. His main story entails saving Vision from the Black Order, then helping to lead the battle against Thanos on Earth. Although Captain America gets a cool moment when he takes on Thanos with his sheer strength alone - and one of the best jokes in Infinity War - we were expecting one of the original Avengers to have a much bigger role in this movie.
However, Captain America taking a backseat in Infinity War makes sense when we acknowledge that the film's story largely revolves around Thanos. Since much of the movie's plot is driven by Thanos' quest for the Stones, and Steve doesn't have a history with the Mad Titan, it makes sense for other characters to be the focus. Iron Man's PTSD from the Battle of New York is the result of Thanos, Gamora and Nebula were raised as his daughters, Drax and Thor's families were slaughtered by him, and Doctor Strange and Vision possess Infinity Stones. Meanwhile, Steve Rogers has no direct connection to Thanos and, consequently, only an indirect connection to the main storyline.
Related: Did Marvel Change Hulk’s Story In Avengers: Infinity War?
By the Avengers 4 hits theaters. As a result, it follows that Captain America will play a much bigger role in Avengers 4.
In fact, Avengers: Infinity War co-writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely told Captain America survives the culling of half the universe, it seems we'll get to see much more of Steve Rogers in Avengers 4.
So, while fans of the Star-Spangled Man may be disappointed he didn't play a bigger role in Avengers: Infinity War, he's sure to be a more central figure in Avengers 4. What that will entail exactly isn't clear since we don't know much about the plot of Avengers 4, but it will surely deal with Steve trying to save his oldest friend, Bucky Barnes.
