Ever since Chris Evans officially hung up his Captain America shield at the end of Avengers: Endgame, the one question that’s been on the minds of MCU fans is whether we’ll ever see him play in that universe again. The subject came up once again during a recent Actors on Actors interview between Scarlett Johansson and Evans for Variety, and the star’s view on the question of a comeback is decidedly mixed, with Chris saying the following:
“To Marvel? Wow. Everything clicks when I get up. Recovery is not the same. You never say never. I love the character. I don’t know.”
It’s certainly true that the almost inhumanly muscular physique Evans sported throughout his action-packed run as Captain America would be difficult to maintain as he nears his forties. But physical limitations are not the only things the 38-year-old actor has to consider while contemplating a return to his star-spangled tights, with Chris saying that he’s not ruling it out, but he’s also not super eager to head back to the MCU.
“It’s not a hard no, but it’s not an eager yes either. There are other things that I’m working on right now. I think Cap had such a tricky act to stick the landing, and I think they did a really nice job letting him complete his journey. If you’re going to revisit it, it can’t be a cash grab. It can’t be just because the audience wants to be excited. What are we revealing? What are we adding to the story? A lot of things would have to come together. “It doesn’t feel, at this time, that would be a thing.”
So, it seems that while Evans is open to the idea, he’s also reluctant to return to the MCU purely in the interest of fan-service or to cash in on his iconic status within the superhero ranks. The actor’s concerns about telling a good Captain America story echo what fans have been saying ever since the first Cap movie was announced, too.
Many viewed the hero as the most straight-laced and uninteresting member of the Avengers roster, and it was considered almost a minor miracle when the two sequels to Captain America: The First Avenger transformed the character into a Jason Bourne/Ethan Hunt amalgamation with some of the best solo films in the MCU. As such, pulling off future Cap storylines that can top what’s happened in the past would be a tough task indeed.
Finally, it was the cathartic ending to the hero’s arc that was served up in Endgame which makes Evans believe they shouldn’t do anything to mess with the character’s legacy:
“It’d be a shame to sour that. I’m very protective of it. It was such a precious time, and jumping onto the movie was a terrifying prospect to me. I said no a bunch of times, and there’s a million and one ways it could have gone wrong. It almost feels like maybe we should let this one sit.”
So again, while Chris Evans hasn’t shut the door entirely on the possibility of an MCU return, the circumstances would have to be very special and compelling for the actor to once again take up the mantle of Captain America. Of course, there’ve been reports surfacing as of late that say Marvel indeed plans on bringing him back at some point down the road, but with the studio keeping characteristically quiet for now, all we can do is speculate.
