( CNN ) -- Move over , Steve Rogers . Let the Falcon take wing . The Falcon , aka Sam Wilson , is taking over as Captain America from Rogers , Marvel announced Wednesday . The new hero is n't just far younger than Rogers , who `` must surrender his blues for a sturdy cane , '' Paul Montgomery wrote on Marvel.com ; he 's also an African-American very much in tune with the modern world . `` While Sam shares many of Steve 's beliefs in a general sense , he 's also a very different person with a very different background , '' editor Tom Brevoort said on the website . `` He did n't grow up in the 1930s , he 's a modern-day man in touch with the problems of the 21st century . For most of his professional life , Sam has worked as a social worker , so he 's seen the worst of urban society up close , and how crime , poverty , lack of social structure and opportunity can affect the community . '' The Falcon debuted in 1969 in `` Captain America '' # 117 . He was Marvel 's first mainstream African-American superhero . Right away he found himself going against Captain America 's nefarioius Nazi foe , Red Skull , when a trip to a tropical island pitted him against the `` Exiles , '' a group of former Nazis who had been affiliated wtih the archvillain . Wilson triumphed in that adventure and became friends with Captain America . Over the years , with the help of his faithful falcon friend , Redwing , Wilson has fought crime on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D . and other Marvel organizations . In the 2014 movie `` Captain America : The Winter Soldier , '' the Falcon was portrayed by Anthony Mackie . Rogers is n't leaving the fold . He 'll be a `` remote strategic advisor , '' according to Brevoort . This is the second time in a week that Marvel has changed up its universe . On Tuesday , the company announced that the new Thor will be a woman .
The new Sam Wilson will be Captain America , the Thor . The Falcon has been friends with Captain America for decades . `` A very different person with a very different background , '' says Marvel editor . Marvel also introduced a new Falcon decades .