In interviews surrounding today’s release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have talked about what it’s like to work for Marvel Studios and create films that not only stand on their own, but are also part of a grand design that leads from one movie to the next.  Thus the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier sets the stage for next May’s Avengers: The Age of Ultron.
 
It appears that the as-yet-unreleased title for the third Captain America film, according to Joe Russo, "has been in place (in Kevin Feige’s brain) probably for ten years.  It’s all part of the roadmap he has laid out, and it’s all part of the bigger plan."
 
Russo explained the Marvel Studios method to Crave online: "I think the way Kevin does it is there are big pieces that he knows he wants to build towards, but the way that you get there is open to interpretation and improv a little bit.  That’s defined by who gets involved with the project, the writers and directors involved in the project.  The big thing we knew we had to deal with in Cap 2 was the fall of Hydra.  Similarly there is a very, very big idea at the center of Cap 3.  But how we get there is all up to us.  And I think why Marvel has been so successful is because it’s been such a clear plan, that everything is interconnected and they’re building emotional capital with each movie that you can then trade off of in the next film."
 
How confining is the Marvel system?  Russo told Crave that he and his brother had broad latitude on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, saying that Marvel Studios’ participation mainly amounted to creating the overarching concept that unifies the films: "Usually it’s just one big idea that alters the universe as a whole in some way, that has interconnectedness that he’s grabbed on to.  That’s the case with Cap 3, but as far as villain and story arc and tone, all that stuff is left up to us."
 
As for Chris Evans, is he ready to hang up the shield after Cap 3?  Judging from Evans’ comments to MTV, it doesn’t seem likely: "Who’s handing off the shield?  Don’t take my job from me prematurely dude.  I’m sure it’ll happen at some point, all good things have to come to an end.  But I’m really happy playing the character."