Summary
- Chris Evans is open to returning as Steve Rogers, but only if the conditions are perfect and won’t jeopardize the legacy of the character.
- Evans wants to allow time for the character’s previous narrative journey to breathe before potentially returning.
- Bringing back Steve Rogers as Captain America would be risky for Marvel and could tarnish the legacy of newer characters like Sam Wilson.
If recent reports are to be believed, MCU executives are eyeing the possibility of bringing back old characters, but Chris Evans has already revealed his conditions to return as the beloved Captain America. Now that the MCU is halfway through its Multiverse Saga, brand new characters have been introduced in droves alongside a handful of the older MCU lineup, including Bruce Banner and Thor. To get to this point, many of the original lineup have made the ultimate sacrifice, or, as is the case with Cap, grown old gracefully in a journey that saw him return to the 1940s and get his perfect Steve Rogers ending.
With that being the case, it isn’t impossible for Chris Evans’ Rogers to return – but as a much older version of the character. If he does, however, there is little to no chance that he would reprise his role as Captain America, thereby snatching glory from his successor, Sam Wilson, before Wilson had a chance to establish his own legacy. Despite this, Marvel is in a crisis, and executives have allegedly discussed bringing back the likes of RDJ’s Iron Man and a younger Steve Rogers in an attempt to reinvigorate a languishing MCU. Chris Evans will need to be on board, however, which isn’t a sure thing.
What It Would Take To Get Chris Evans Back As Captain America
Chris Evans discussed possibly returning as Steve Rogers multiple times since his departure following 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, and his stance is concrete, if a little noncommittal. In a nutshell, he would entertain the idea, but the conditions “would have to be perfect,” stressing time and again that the role was so precious and well-received that he would loathe to jeopardize its legacy by returning under less-than-ideal conditions. Suffice it to say, this is a commonly held sentiment that illustrates just how treasured of a character Steve Rogers has become.
As for what would constitute the perfect conditions, Evans has given some hints. Speaking to GQ, Evans explained that his return would have to be after some time to let the character’s previous narrative journey breathe a bit. Furthermore, he seems interested in anything that retroactively affects what came before for Steve, saying to MTV News, “I almost don’t wanna disrupt what a beautiful experience [playing Captain America] was.” As such, an appearance as a variant in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Secret Wars may fit the bill.
Why Chris Evans’ Return Is Challenging For The MCU
Short of a cameo appearance, Steve Rogers’ return would be a risky move for Marvel. While reports of trouble behind the scenes are pretty common knowledge (public flops like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania are hard to bury), Marvel would be practically telegraphing its desperation by bringing back sunsetted heroes so swiftly after introducing so many fresh faces like Ms. Marvel and Shang-Chi. A swift reprisal of the role in a movie like Avengers: Secret Wars would be a satisfying nod to their legacy, but placing them front-and-center once again would, as Evans suggests, more likely tarnish it.
Not only that, but Steve Rogers’ story, like Tony Stark’s, had a satisfyingly poignant conclusion that a return would spoil. Part of this, of course, was his decision to appoint Sam Wilson as his successor for the Captain America mantle – a character who only just resolved to take it on in earnest. With Sam Wilson’s first solo cinematic outing yet to be released, it would do his character a huge disservice by giving him little to no chance to make his mark on the MCU as Captain America.