Chris Evans introduced audiences to his version of Steve Rogers/ Captain America in 2011 with Captain America: The First Avenger . Ironically, "The First Avenger" was the last Avenger to get a solo film in Phase One, but the actor nonetheless won fans and general audiences over with his endearing performance.
Evans went on to portray the iconic hero in ten more movies after that, and through Cap's many MCU appearances, Chris Evans was able to establish himself as one of the best on-screen portrayals of any superhero in the comic book film genre's long history.
With Evans passing on the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson at the end of Avengers: Endgame , the Marvel actor is now free to pursue other projects and continue the rest of his prolific career. While the thought of leaving a secure franchise could be frightening for some, Chris Evans seems to be taking on the challenge head-on.
NEWS
In an interview with Backstage , Captain America actor Chris Evans spoke in length about his overall acting process and his approach to bringing Steve Rogers to the big screen while promoting his new Apple TV+ series Defending Jacob .
On the topic of how the actor navigates fan expectations when adapting a popular character, Evans said:
There was this enormous expectation that these people already had in their minds, this idea of who this character was, and you have to respect that. Audiences are part of what will make [these films] work, and I owe that group my understanding of what they see.
When speaking about leaving Marvel and retiring the character of Captain America, Evans later stated:
I absolutely loved my time with Marvel; I already miss it, but there’s no denying that it is very exciting to just have complete freedom to pursue whatever my creative appetite wants.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Chris Evans has clearly made peace with his time at Marvel Studios. While time travel or alternate realities or prequels could make for an easy way to bring Steve Rogers back to the MCU, it will probably be a long time before Evans ever entertains the notion of picking up the virbanium shield once again.
The Marvel actor has already detailed all the anxiety he experienced in making the decision to accept the role of Captain America, but aside from a Robert Downey Jr. phone call, it seems Evans also used decades of character research to ease his fears of portraying another iconic comic book character.
Evans' statements on making sure he understood a character that fans had known for years explains how he was able to successfully represent Steve Rogers in his first outing as the superhero, eventually fusing the characterization with himself so much that Evans became synonymous with the quintessential Captain America.
Even though fans would love to see Steve Rogers reappear at some point in the MCU, it seems that for now, both Chris Evans and Marvel Studios are ready to embark on the next chapter of their respective journeys.
