Chris Evans is back in the spotlight thanks to his role as Pixar's iconic hero Buzz Lightyear in the Lightyear origin movie that's currently hitting the big screen. This is yet another blockbuster outing for Evans after more than a decade of playing Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America, within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Evans last suited up as Captain America in 2019's Avengers: Endgame before handing off the shield and mantle to Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson in the epic adventure's final scene. In the time following his departure, even though there have been small teases pointing to a return, Evans has moved on to other parts of the acting world with stories like Knives Out and The Gray Man.
Even with those rumors in place about a return for Steve Rogers, Evans has remained fairly adamant about putting the role behind him with ten full appearances under his belt as Captain America. Recently, he even discussed why it might not be the easiest thing to bring Rogers back with the way the MCU currently stands.
Could Cap Comeback Be a Mistake?
Captain America star Chris Evans joined the D23 Inside Disney Podcast to share his thoughts on a potential return as Captain America in the MCU.
Although there have been rumors about Cap's return, Evans has come to terms with the fact that the role currently belongs to Anthony Mackie, whose performance Evans has praised since Sam Wilson took the mantle. He remains cautious about bringing his own version of Cap back into play, worried that it "would be upsetting" if he brought a new chapter that didn't land the right way:
“No, I don’t think so. I mean it was a really unbelievable ride and the character’s just so dear to me and I’m just so precious with it. To return to the role, I mean the truth is, the role isn’t even mine anymore. The role is Anthony Mackie’s. So, you know, even if there was a different incarnation, not as Captain America, but you know for Steve Rogers, even that would feel… I’d be very cautious, just because I love that chapter of my life professionally, personally. I love what those movies accomplished and to revisit it and potentially have some weird extension to that legacy would be upsetting if it didn’t land. So it would require a near-perfect recipe and it may just not be in the cards.”
Evans also compared his roles as Captain America and Buzz Lightyear, admitting that they both possess all the qualities of good leaders. He sees Buzz as someone that likely knew about his destiny as a leader "very early on in life," while Cap had to grow into it and figure out what his role was in the world:
“Well, I mean they certainly both are leaders. They’re both determined and selfless and honest and loyal to their friends. Buzz strikes me as someone who probably knew this about himself very early on in life, you know, I imagine Buzz was probably the hall monitor and the boy scout and class president and just always very confident in his life choices. Cap probably took a bit longer to understand his role in life and how to fulfil what he had inside and there was probably more timidity and humility and uncertainty in Cap.”
This is the same stance he's taken for most of the last two years, previously calling a return to the role "risky."
Chris Evans is back in the spotlight thanks to his role as Pixar's iconic hero Buzz Lightyear in the Lightyear origin movie that's currently hitting the big screen. This is yet another blockbuster outing for Evans after more than a decade of playing Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America, within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Evans Content With Leaving Captain America Behind
Even though Evans has admitted to missing certain parts of playing Captain America, he maintains that he made the right choice by stepping away from the iconic Marvel hero.
Steve Rogers was one of the characters that helped build the MCU into one of the biggest franchises in the business, with Evans leading the way in three solo films and all four Avengers outings. But now that he's passed the mantle on to Sam Wilson, it's not surprising that he's being overly cautious about bringing his own character back if it's not the right way to do it.
Whether that happens someday or not, Evans remains as supportive as ever of everything Marvel Studios is bringing, continuing to praise co-stars like Hayley Atwell and promoting the series in which he starred for so long. But even after admitting to being open to a return, the man behind Captain America would be the first one to put a hold on it if it wasn't something that could add a new layer to the MCU.
All three Captain America movies and all four Avengers films are available to stream on Disney+. Evans currently stars in Disney's Lightyear, which is now playing in theaters.
