Right now, the biggest question on Marvel fans' minds is: 'Who will be the new Captain America?'
Will it be another famous face? A complete unknown? Will they be male or female? White, black, latino? The options are endless.
However, we may have recently been given our first major hint as to who will be taking the near-indestructible shield from Chris Evans.
John Cena sparked speculation when he posted a cryptic picture on social media on Sunday. Uploading an image of Captain America's shield with no caption, the wrestler got thousands wondering if he would be the man to delve into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and take on the role.
His Instagram post received mixed reactions from followers, who believed it was confirmation of the new appointment.
Many people were overjoyed and accepted the 41-year-old actor in the Marvel family at once. "My new Captain America is John Cena?," wrote Instagrammer @cassio_luis_riboli. He was joined by @gbosellioporto who expressed his excitement, putting: "OMG!!! Please!!! Let it be real!!"
However, others weren't sold, taking to the comment section to tell Cena to back off. "Nah, we ok! We don't need you. So, no! Thx," wrote @sandnotsin.
Instagram user @vynguyen3001 also had a nasty taste in his mouth about the possibility of the WWE star taking on the role, writing: "Nooooooooo. I like John Cena, but he does not fit, please don't ...". In addition, @ccdilallo made his feelings perfectly clear, saying: "if he replaces cap I’m not watching".
Nonetheless, the post doesn't necessarily mean that the world champion is taking over from Evans. Other Instagram users had different theories on why he would have posted a picture of the shield, with some insisting that he may be playing another role in the next film and others claiming that the image alluded to the New Orleans Saints vs Los Angeles Rams game that took place recently.
"It’s talking about the saints beating the rams because it is the only scratch in the rams’ perfect record like black panther’s claws are the only thing that made a scratch in cap’s shield," wrote @billy_s44.
Speculation about a new Captain America has been rife since Chris Evans seemingly announced he would not play Captain America again on Twitter last month.
"Officially wrapped on Avengers 4. It was an emotional day to say the least. Playing this role over the last 8 years has been an honor. To everyone in front of the camera, behind the camera, and in the audience, thank you for the memories! Eternally grateful," the actor wrote on October 4th.
Explaining his stance further in a previous interview, Evans stated that "You want to get off the train before they push you off".
"Well, you know, my contract is over, so that’s as far as I know," he told Entertainment Tonight. "[I’ll miss] everything [about Captain America]. I mean, it’s not just the character, it’s the people – the experience, such good movies, such wonderful memories. I’ll miss a lot."
So, who will Evans be passing the baton on to? Here's hoping Marvel will let the cat out of the bag soon.