Chris Evans dropped a bomb on Marvel fans in an interview, explaining that he has no plans to return to making Marvel movies after Avengers 4.
The New York Times recently sat down with Evans to talk about his career and his aspirations, and when the topic of the MCU came up, Evans seemed to confirm our worst fears. Avengers 4 will very likely the last time we’ll see Chris Evans as Captain America.
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The article said of Evans future in the MCU, “For now, he has no plans to return to the franchise, and expects that planned reshoots in the fall will mark the end of his tenure in the familiar red, white, and blue super suit.” The article goes on to quote Evans himself saying, “You want to get off the train before they push you off.”
MCU fans have long suspected (or feared) that of all the original Avengers, the one who would be ready to move on after their original contract ended would be Evans, but this isn’t necessarily Cap’s death knell. Indeed, Cap did look as though he was in very dire straights in the latest trailer for Infinity War, but Evans statement does leave a bit of wiggle room here.
After all, the article says that Evans expects to be done after Avengers 4, and he has no plans to return to the franchise. It doesn’t say he is definitively done, and with how little he’s able to say about Infinity War and Avengers 4, he could be speaking ambiguously on purpose, right? It’s not much, but that’s a tiny thread of hope you can hang on to if you can’t yet wrap your mind around the MCU without Chris Evans.
Of course, fans of the comic books know there are two individuals known to have taken up the Captain America mantle in Steve Rogers’ stead that we’re already well acquainted with in the MCU. Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier, and Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, have both been Captain America in the comics, and both characters are in a prime position to take over should Evans step down. With Avengers 4 signaling a clear end of an era in the MCU, crowning a new Captain America could be a big part of that.
We’ll be sad to see Chris Evans go if Avengers 4 is indeed his final film in the franchise. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect Captain America, and his hard work helped make the character and the MCU what it is today. We’re with you till the end of the line, Cap.