Marvel fans saw Captain America leading a support group in Avengers: Endgame, five years after the “decimation”, but there might be a sadder reason behind it than just helping those who survived. The Marvel Cinematic Universe reached its highest point with Avengers: Infinity War, which saw Thanos collecting the Infinity Stones and wiping out half of life in the universe with the snap of his fingers, and later with Avengers: Endgame, where the surviving heroes teamed up to undo Thanos’ snap.
Avengers: Endgame included a time-jump of five years, giving viewers a glimpse at what the Avengers and the rest of the heroes had been up to: Tony Stark retired and had a daughter with Pepper Potts, Ant-Man was trapped in the Quantum Realm, and Thor spent his time drinking and playing video games in New Asgard. Captain America, on the other hand, kept working with Black Widow while also running a support group for those coping with the aftermath of the snap.
The support group only appears once and isn’t mentioned again, so there’s no more story to it – but some fans believe there might be a sadder reason behind it.
The Sad Reason Behind Captain America’s Support Group
A Reddit user found a connection between Steve’s support group in Avengers: Endgame and a particular scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In the latter, Steve arrives to a support group for veterans suffering from PTSD, led by Sam Wilson aka Falcon. Steve compliments Sam on how he helped a veteran suffering from visions of IEDs in the roads, with Sam telling him about his time in Afghanistan and how he lost his friend during a mission, which made him lose his passion for serving in the military. Sam adds that he found a new purpose in life by helping veterans readjust to returning to their homes, hence why he runs the group.
The theory says that Steve started the support group as a way to honor Sam, who did the same for veterans. Though Steve has always been one to help those in need, it makes sense that he would start a support group for those coping with the losses brought by the snap as not only a way to help but also honor one of his fallen friends. This connection gives more meaning and emotional charge to the support group scene in Avengers: Endgame while also adding to the characters of both Captain Americas: Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson.