The news that Chris Evans was officially returning to the MCU to portray Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday came with a lot of controversy, but a lot of what fans are saying is not warranted. Steve Rogers has been absent from the franchise since he was given a storybook ending in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. For anyone who needs a refresher, Steve went back in time to return the Infinity Stones to their rightful places, but while doing so, stayed in the past so that he could have a quiet life with Peggy Carter.
The first official teaser for Avengers: Doomsday, which will be shown ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash screenings in theaters, recently leaked online. The footage confirmed that Steve would play a major role in Doomsday and that he would have to leave his perfect life behind to join the fight against evil once more. A lot of fans were excited at the thought that the OG Avenger would be back. Certain reports from industry insiders even revealed that Steve will be one of the main characters in the movie.
However, others have listed some issues they have with his return that stem from the same place: Marvel left Steve in the past (in-universe and in real life) seemingly for good, but now it is having to revert back to him for the next Avengers entry.
In short, many fans are claiming that bringing Steve back causes two main issues. One is that the MCU has spent a TV show and a feature film trying to establish Sam Wilson as Captain America, just for the original Captain America to come back and overshadow him. The other is that Steve's highly emotional sendoff in Endgame has now been undermined.
Steve's return may not be the best idea. Of course, fans will have to see the final cut of Doomsday before forming a valid opinion, and whatever opinion is formed after the movie releases is justifiable because fiction is subjective. However, the controversies that fans are bringing up are nothing short of overblown, as certain steps could be taken to prevent fans' biggest gripes with the character's return from coming true.
Steve's Avengers: Doomsday Return Doesn't Have to Overshadow Sam
As mentioned, one of the biggest controversies surrounding Steve's return in Avengers: Doomsday is that it will negatively affect Sam Wilson's journey as Captain America. Granted, it could happen, but it all depends on how Marvel handles it.
It is entirely possible (and even likely) that Steve will only strengthen Sam's claim as Captain America. When the two are reunited, fans can go all in on there being a scene where Sam tries to relinquish the Captain America title back to Steve, but there is almost no way he will actually accept it.
The old version of Steve in Endgame specifically told Sam that the mantle of Captain America and the shield belonged to him from that point forward. Therefore, he is not going to go back on that and have Sam give him the shield back. That goes against everything Steve stands for and everything that Marvel has built between those two characters.
There have been plenty of instances where more famous versions of superheroes have helped newcomers grow into their roles. For instance, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Men did not get in the way of Tom Holland's in No Way Home. Instead, they only strengthened his claim to being Spider-Man and helped him through the toughest loss of his life, making him stronger on the other side. Similarly, Peter Parker was the catalyst for Miles Morales to become Spider-Man in Into the Spider-Verse.
Fans don't know how Marvel will handle Steve and Sam's reunion in Doomsday. However, it is almost a guarantee that Chris Evans will only be playing Steve Rogers in the film, not Captain America. Yes, Steve's character traits will still be there, and he will still have the powers of a super soldier, but he will not be calling himself Captain America, and definitely will not try to get in Sam's way.
It is also worth noting that plenty of Marvel comics have featured Steve and Sam together while Sam is Captain America, and there are no issues in their dynamic there. Therefore, if the comics can make it work, so can the MCU.
Will Doomsday Undermine Steve's Endgame Ending?
Another complaint many fans have with Steve's return is that it ruins the ending he was given in Endgame. Once again, that does not have to be true. However, if it is, and he has to leave the past and the perfect life that he built, it would kind of be Steve's fault in the first place.
"You mess with time, it tends to mess back." That was one of the most important quotes from Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame, and it paid off immediately. They messed with time, so a more brutal Thanos made his way to the present time to fight the Avengers. However, Steve messed with it again at the end of Endgame when he stayed in the past, and the repercussions of that were never explored.
Since Steve did something he was not supposed to, it would have undoubtedly caused some major issues. What those issues will be remains to be seen, but it would almost be unfair to allow Steve to freely run through the Multiverse or through time and not have to pay any price for it.
At the end of the day, his return is just that. He made a poor choice, so now he has to suffer the consequences. It is the oldest cause-and-effect scenario in existence. For example, in certain religions, Adam and Eve chose to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, so, as a result, they were cast out by God. In a sense, that is exactly what Steve did.
If Steve going back in time leads to Doom getting involved in the Multiversal war, then Steve made an even bigger mistake than anyone thought, and his own decision would have led to everything that has occurred in the Multiverse Saga. If that is the case, Steve should help fix things since he was the one who caused the issues.
At the end of the day, Marvel likely has a good reason for bringing Steve Rogers back. When the film is released, there could very well be some issues with his return, and fans may bring their pitchforks and torches to Marvel Studios and the Russos. However, until the movie is released, it would probably be best for fans to sit back and at least see what kind of journey Doomsday takes them on.
