Chris Evans Leaves Room for Captain America Return
Alex Gherzo | Apr 2, 2023 |
He can do this all day… he’s just not sure today is the day. Earlier today, Chris Evans, who played Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appeared at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, where he was asked if he would return to play the leader of the Avengers. Here’s what he said, via The Wrap:
“It’s tough. I love that role deeply. It means so much to me… And I mean, do I think there’s more Steve Rogers stories to tell? Sure. But at the same time, I’m very, very precious with it. It’s like this little shiny thing that I have that I love so much, and I just don’t want to mess up in any way, and I was a part of something that was so special for the special period of time and in a way it really landed so well.
“And you know, I don’t know. As much as I’m connected to that role, and love telling those stories, and working with those people, it doesn’t quite feel right right now.”
What does Evans mean about this not being the right time for him to return? One obvious guess is that he’s talking about Sam Wilson calling himself Captain America now. That’s certainly possible, but I don’t think so. Evans loves to virtue signal to the point where he attacks the potential audience of his upcoming movies. If he were saying this because he wanted the race-swapped Captain America to continue, I think he’d have said so loudly, proudly, and smugly.
Another possibility is that he’s being coy because of the rumors about Captain America returning in at least one of the upcoming Avengers movies, likely Secret Wars. That could also be, or it could have something to do with that, like he’s still negotiating a contract. There isn’t much to give Marvel credit for anymore, but they do at least keep some things secret, unlike Warner Bros., who are revealing as much as they can about the DC movies in a desperate bid to get people to show up. And Evans says that he believes there are “more Steve Rogers stories to tell,” which indicates that he would be open to it under the right circumstances. That statement could be intended to entice fans who want to see him again or let Marvel know he’d be willing to talk about it (or both if he’s still negotiating and would like the former to pressure the latter).
But I think there’s another scenario: Evans might be waiting to see if Marvel is able to get back on track before committing to a return. He’s highly regarded as Cap, and even if people aren’t crazy about a couple of the movies he’s been in, they’ve always liked him. Why would a guy with that legacy want to tarnish it by showing up for the decline of the universe he helped build? This is the most likely reason for his comments, in my opinion. If Marvel figures out how to make good movies again, perhaps he’ll be willing to throw his mighty shield at some more enemies of freedom. (A few more Lightyear-style bombs would probably nudge him in that direction too.) But for now, going back to Marvel would be like jumping back on board the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.
Comments (1)
He’d be a fool not to do it, that is, if the money is there. Like you said, outside of the role, he has not done much. Being typecast is a blessing. Success is not easy to come by.
At the same time, the story ended. I am not that curious to see these characters again because they were already done in excellence, Steve and Tony.
One thing DC does right is Batman. They just do not stop with the writing and production of Batman. Marvel has not learned from DC in that regard. If they did, they would always be putting out Wolverine movies. What’s wild is the sheer amount of youth that I meet with the name Logan, for a boy. Character was that influential.