Chris Evans is now back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the fan-favorite actor’s return was foreshadowed by many exciting teases that show the potential his casting in Avengers: Doomsday has. There is no denying that Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are the faces of the MCU. The actors led Marvel Studios’ Avengers movies together to immense success, starring in some of the MCU’s best movies. Now, both of them are back in the franchise.
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Evans initially returned in Deadpool & Wolverine, playing a version of Johnny Storm from the Fantastic Four, going back to his first Marvel role. After that, Chris Evans joined Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast. So far, the actor’s role is still a secret. However, past teases show that no matter who he plays, Evans’ role in the story of Avengers: Doomsday is bound to be brimming with potential, and the hints at his return have been going on for quite some time.
10 The Original Steve Rogers Is Not Dead
The MCU’s First Captain America Could Make A Comeback
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The first way the MCU set up Evans’ return to the franchise came in the actor’s latest appearance as Steve Rogers. Chris Evans’ Captain America got his happy ending in Avengers: Endgame. Cap stayed in the past to live with Peggy Carter. While the MCU movie killed major characters, including original Avengers members Black Widow and Iron Man, Captain America is still alive in the MCU.
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Related Chris Evans’ Captain America Return Just Received Its Biggest Update & A Major Avengers: Doomday Theory Explains How It Is Possible
A new Avengers: Doomsday theory reveals how Chris Evans could be back as Captain America in the MCU movie after a major Steve Rogers update.
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The only real change to the role is that Steve Rogers is now an old man. Later MCU releases, like Spider-Man: Far From Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, touched on where Steve is. In-universe, the population believes that Captain America either died during the events of Avengers: Endgame or that Steve Rogers left the Earth to relocate to the moon. Simply by being alive, Evans’ Captain America could return in Avengers: Doomsday.
9 Kevin Feige Explained What It Would Take For Chris Evans To Return To The MCU
The Executive Also Commented On Robert Downey Jr. Coming Back
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Chris Evans was part of the MCU’s only 2024 movie, Deadpool & Wolverine. The film brought back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine for the first time since 2017’s Logan, which was originally meant to serve as his final time as the X-Men character. Deadpool & Wolverine grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. It is safe to say that Jackman’s Wolverine return was a major success.
Feige said that it would be a daunting task to bring them back, but like Wolverine, it could be done “if great care is taken.”
During the press tour for the R-rated movie, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was asked about the possibility of Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. following in Jackman’s footsteps and playing Captain America and Iron Man again. Speaking with DiscussingFilm, Feige said that it would be a daunting task to bring them back, but like Wolverine, it could be done “if great care is taken.” With RDJ playing Doctor Doom and Evans cast in Avengers: Doomsday, maybe their original MCU heroes will also appear. Check out the full quote below:
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“That’s the key, right? How do you do it in a way that maintains what has come before, and in a great way? And we’ve been spending, you know, the last two-plus years figuring that out for Wolverine. So, what’s to come? We’ll see. We’re just proud that we, I think, have figured it out for Wolverine. I think Hugh’s appearance and starring role in [
Deadpool & Wolverine
] is a great sign that it can be done — if great care is taken.”
8 Avengers: Endgame Showed How Steve Rogers Could Be De-Aged
Captain America’s MCU Return Has Already Been Set Up
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Chris Evans’ latest Captain America appearance explained how he could return in Avengers: Doomsday as his original version of Steve Rogers. In Avengers: Endgame, before Tony Stark swoops in and masters time travel, the other Avengers try to find a solution on their own. They end up being able to make time pass through Ant-Man’s body, which results in a hilarious sequence that sees Scott Lang become an old man, a baby, and more.
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Related The MCU Already Has The Perfect Excuse To Make Chris Evans’s Avengers: Doomsday Return Very Different From Robert Downey Jr.’s In One Key Way
Chris Evans will star in Avengers: Doomsday alongside Robert Downey Jr., but the MCU stars could have completely different roles in the major story.
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While that was part of a failed time travel test, the technology could be used to bring Steve Rogers back to his prime. Captain America could be de-aged just like Scott Lang was, going from an elderly man to a combat-ready hero in Avengers: Doomsday. Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner is still in the MCU, so he could repeat the process that de-aged Ant-Man.
7 Deadpool & Wolverine Teased Captain America’s Return With A Twist
Chris Evans’ First MCU Return Before Avengers: Doomsday
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Deadpool & Wolverine had the most concrete Captain America return tease in the MCU so far. The reason for that is Chris Evans actually returned to the MCU for the film, and the Deadpool movie knew how to include the perfect Captain America moment. Evans appeared wearing clothes that pointed to him being either the MCU’s Captain America or a variant of his. However, after taking off his cloak, it was revealed he was the Human Torch.
The moment perfectly suited the brand of humor of Deadpool & Wolverine. It allowed Marvel to bring back Evans earlier than many expected for the MCU, while also dealing with the multiverse in a fun way. That Captain America return tease left many wanting Evans to actually appear as the character, and it could now serve as a foreshadowing of his Avengers: Doomsday role.
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6 Chris Evans Said He Would Only Return As Captain America If It Felt Right
Avengers: Doomsday Becomes More Interesting If Evans Plays Steve Rogers
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Since leaving the MCU after 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, Chris Evans has constantly been asked in interviews about coming back as Captain America in the future. The actor’s answers have varied over the years, though Evans often maintains that his time as Steve Rogers was precious, with the actor thinking his MCU arc ended perfectly.
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Every MCU Avengers Movie |
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|---|---|
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Movie |
Release Date |
|
The Avengers |
2012 |
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Avengers: Age of Ultron |
2015 |
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Avengers: Infinity War |
2018 |
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Avengers: Endgame |
2019 |
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Avengers: Doomsday |
2026 |
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Avengers: Secret Wars |
2027 |
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However, in April 2023 at C2E2 in Chicago, Evans revealed there were “more Steve Rogers stories to tell,” though he did not know if he would return. Later, talking with GQ in September, Evans said that he would not want to come back to the MCU “if it felt like a cash grab.” If Evans is back in Avengers: Doomsday as Captain America, then it would mean that Marvel Studios came up with an excellent story that convinced the actor, which would be exciting.
5 Robert Downey Jr.’s Avengers Doomsday Casting Made Chris Evans’ More Likely
The MCU’s Main Stars Are Back Together
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At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Marvel Studios managed to shock the world by revealing that not only was Robert Downey Jr. back in the MCU, but he would be playing Doctor Doom, not Iron Man. The character takes over as the Multiverse Saga’s main villain, a role vacated after Marvel fired Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors. Ever since Downey’s return was announced, it was expected that Chris Evans would follow suit.
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The actors are the MCU’s biggest stars, and with the Multiverse Saga facing many issues, it made sense for Marvel to go back to those who made the MCU the success it is. With the multiverse, Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and other actors’ returns became even more possible. RDJ was the one who convinced Evans to play Captain America in the first place, so he could easily have been the one to get Evans back in the MCU.
4 The Directors Of The Next Two Avengers Movies Have A Close Bond With Chris Evans
The Russo Brothers Directed Some Of The Best MCU Movies
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Just as Robert Downey Jr.’s casting could have been one of the factors that led to Chris Evans returning to the MCU, another Avengers movie change behind the scenes also teased that Evans’ return was likely. The move in question was the decision to bring back Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directors, the Russo brothers, to helm both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Initially, the duo had also departed the MCU with Avengers: Endgame.
After the MCU’s woes and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton left the next Avengers movie, the Russo brothers were brought in. The duo share a long history with Chris Evans. The actor starred in two Captain America movies and two Avengers films helmed by the Russos, plus the non-MCU film The Gray Man. As soon as they were announced, Evans’ Avengers return became more likely.
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3 The Multiverse Saga Has Brought Back Major Marvel Stars
More Are Still To Come Before The Saga Ends
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Throughout the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios has made it clear that fans should expect to see many familiar faces come back as their Marvel heroes and villains in the coming years. The MCU did that in a big way with the characters that came from Fox. Multiple Fox X-Men actors returned as multiverse variants of their characters. The list includes names like Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Kelsey Grammer, and more.
On the MCU side of things, The Incredible Hulk stars finally return to their roles next year in Captain America: Brave New World, while Robert Downey Jr. is back as Doctor Doom, and other returns, like Ghost in Thunderbolts*, add to the tally. With so many past Marvel stars returning for the Multiverse Saga, it would not have made sense if Chris Evans did not come back.
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2 Chris Evans Was Supposed To Star In A Standalone MCU Movie After Avengers: Endgame
The Actor Was Reported To Be In Talks For A Return Years Ago
Custom image by Brennan Klein
In 2021, Deadline reported that Chris Evans was in talks with Marvel to play Captain America again in an MCU movie, with the possibility of showing up in a second film. At the time, Evans debunked the report. However, it turns out that the news had been accurate, serving as the first concrete tease of Chris Evans’ now-confirmed Avengers return. The information was revealed after Evans joined Avengers: Doomsday.
According to Deadline, the 2021 talks were focused on Evans and Peggy Carter actress Hayley Atwell coming back to star in a standalone MCU movie. Perhaps this could have been the story focused on Captain America returning the Infinity Stones that fans had wanted for so long. However, a story could not be nailed for the movie, which fell through. Evans’ MCU return seems to have been coming for years.
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1 Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter Return Makes Steve Rogers Necessary
Avengers: Doomsday’s Cast Continues To Grow
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Finally, Hayley Atwell’s Avengers: Doomsday casting is the biggest tease that Chris Evans’ secret role in the movie will turn up to be that of his original version of Steve Rogers. The report that confirmed Atwell’s casting said the actress is back in the MCU as Agent Carter. That is interesting, as Atwell has become an MCU staple in recent years for her multiverse Captain Carter character, appearing in both live-action and animated projects.
If Atwell is back as a non-powered Peggy Carter, then Chris Evans is likely playing Steve Rogers by her side. Despite coming after Evans had already been announced to join Avengers: Doomsday, Atwell’s casting as Peggy Carter in the MCU movie is the biggest indicator that Chris Evans could be back as his original version of Captain America in Avengers: Doomsday, as Steve stayed with Peggy in Avengers: Endgame.
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Avengers: Doomsday
Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will bring together heroes, new and old, to face off against Victor von Doom – played by the returning Robert DOwney Jr.. Avengers 5 will also mark the beginning of phase 6 of the MCU.
Release Date May 1, 2026 Main Genre Superhero
All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies
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Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025
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Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Release Date July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
Release Date July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027
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