I disagree. The world did not collapse in on itself like some fans would have us believe prior to the Avengers coming out. Few people actually seemed to care beforehand and I didn't see many being bothered by it afterwords.
Personally I think Falcon is similar to War Machine because he is not A list and is often seen as more of a sidekick. That and you've still to introduce founding members from the comic and other bigger name Avengers makes me think that Falcon should be bumped down the list for recruitment.
Not every superhero is going to turn up in Avengers because then the team would be too large for one movie to cope with. I think people like WM and Falcon should sit them out until the bigger names get their turn.
They're not going to introduce Avengers into the MCU based on the order of the Founders; that much is clear by now. And they're not going to introduce Avengers into the MCU based on how important or iconic they are to the Avengers comics. As a *very* dedicated Avengers comic fan since 1974, I'd like to see them go either (or both) routes as well; but realistically, that's not gonna happen.
Instead, I think Marvel/Disney is going to look at the opportunity for diversity here, and expanding to new markets -- er, audiences. The world is still waiting for a really good black superhero --- box office success of
Hancock and the Blade trilogy prove that --- and Avengers is the perfect opportunity for Marvel to capitalize on that. Neither War Machine nor Falcon gained a huge fanbase in comicdom (let's be honest here --- comic book fandom's demographic has always been overwhelmingly young, white and male), but the movies are an entirely different story. In just five short years, Marvel Studios has opened doors for black actors and audiences with Sam Jackson, Terrence Howard/Don Cheadle, Idris Elba, Derek Luke, Damion Poitier, Triple A, Aldis Hodge, and Zoe Saldana (still unconfirmed, but widely reported); and there's still a good chance that we might soon see more black heroes in Marvel films with Luke Cage, Black Panther, Misty Knight, and the return of Blade.
I want to see other key comic-book Avengers make the roster, too, but in terms of box office appeal, it makes more financial sense to expand your core audience to minorities and females, so you don't get stuck in the YWM stereotype demographic that comics has been guilty of for half a century.
