We've still got to wait until April 2019 before we get to see the as-of-yet untitled Avengers 4, but that hasn't stopped fans of the Marvel cinematic universe going a little crazy waiting for some news on it.
It's been rumoured over the last few weeks that a teaser trailer would be dropping, but so far we've got the trailer for Captain Marvel instead - a highly-anticipated movie for sure, but not quite at the same level as the Avengers sequel.
One of the reasons everyone is so interested in the next movie is that, seeing as it's the culmination of a 10-year-long story, there's bound to be some big moments to bring certain character arcs to an end. Infinity War brought its fair share of character deaths, but there's one that many think they're holding back for the end: Captain America.
After his own trilogy and appearances in three Avengers movies, we've seen plenty of Chris Evans in the role. Many thought he would bite it back in Captain America: Civil War (as he did in the original comic), but he made it through once more. However, a lot seems to be pointing to the fact that Evans would be giving his last performance in Avengers 4.
"You want to get off the train before they push you off," Evans said of the role last year, which started off the speculation in the first place. Then, he tweeted about he was "eternally grateful" to have played the role over the last 8 years on his "emotional" last day on set.
After he posted this, fans went a little nuts - all assuming that the high emotions of the last day on set for the movie meant he wasn't coming back. In the comics, the mantle of Captain America was passed down to other heroes, such as Bucky and Falcon - but one suggestion no one saw coming was... John Cena.
The wrestler (and now actor) posted a cryptic photo of Cap's shield on his Instagram in early November. He added no caption to the photo, which led the internet to speculate whether he could wield the shield in the future.
Now that people have started talking about it, it appears that Cena is open to the idea. During a recent appearance on the Ellen Show, Cena said he would be happy to take on the role in the future:
"If it’s out there, if the Captain America people are listening and you’re watching right now, I’d totally do it.
"I totally will, because I think I’d be a good Captain America…and I’ve already ruined everyone’s childhood, so it can’t get any worse!"
What throws a spanner into the works is that the directors of the upcoming Avengers 4 have recently said that this wouldn't be Evans' last time in the role.
In a recent interview, Joe Russo, one of the director brothers who worked on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, said:
"I think it was more emotional for him than us. Only because he’s not done yet. And I don’t want to explain what that means but the audience will soon understand what I’m talking about."
This could mean that no one is going to take on the role - but it could also simply be a lie. After all, why would they let us know what was going to happen in the movie months before it comes out?
In all fairness, I'm pretty sure that if the shield were to be passed down to anyone else - it'd probably be either Bucky or Falcon, who as it turns out are reported to get their own TV show...
