In the wake of Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has begun to lose some of its original stars. Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man lost his life to defeat Thanos; Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow made the ultimate sacrifice to obtain the Soul Stone; Chris Evans' Captain America took early retirement with Peggy Carter in the 1940s, bringing his heroic career to a peaceful end.
Evans has been open about his willingness to return to the MCU for the right project, and there have already been mumblings about a deal being in the works. For now, the former MCU star has moved on to other roles, including Knives Out, The Gray Man, and most recently, the Toy Story spin-off Lightyear.
On the press circuit for his vocal role as Buzz Lightyear, the topic of the MCU has naturally proven to be a common one for Evans, even with Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson now firmly in place as the new Captain America. During one recent podcast appearance, Evans took part in a lightning round to reveal some of his favorite things in Marvel.
Chris Evans Talks His Marvel Favorites
Captain America actor Chris Evans recently made an appearance on the D23 Inside Disney podcast to discuss Lightyear, and the topic of his favorite Marvel heroes and movies came up.
During a lightning round, Evans surprisingly confirmed Captain America isn't his favorite Marvel character, it's Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. The MCU star previously told CinemaBlend in 2020 that "Spider-Man was [his] childhood hero:"
"I love Captain America, but Spider-Man was my childhood hero. I would have loved doing scenes like attaching myself to the sides of buildings and trying to spring from one building to the next."
With regard to his favorite MCU entry that he's worked on, Evans called it "a toss up between Winter Soldier and Endgame." The answer is a switch-up from what the Captain America actor told Men's Journal in the wake of Avengers: Endgame, as he previously claimed his solo sequel to be his favorite:
“I have soft spots for different reasons. I’d say Captain America: Winter Soldier. It was the first time working with the Russos. Winter Soldier was the first one where I felt like I had my feet on the ground, and actually started to understand the character. I really liked that story, the cast, [and] the Russo brothers… I’ll say Winter Soldier.”
Evans told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019 that his favorite MCU fight scene comes from The Winter Soldier, in which his Avenging hero took on a horde of HYDRA agents in an elevator, sharing his belief that the "scene came out really great:"
"I’m partial to that fight scene in the elevator. That was, uh, the first scene we shot in the second Captain America movie. It was my first time working with the Russos; it was the first time where it felt like Cap was kind of on his own. In the first Cap movie, you know, you really felt like everyone was holding my hand and the first Avengers movie, I just did my best to not get in the way. The second Cap movie is the one that I really kind of felt, I suppose, pressure and that first elevator fight scene came out really great in my opinion.”
When asked who the best actor to verbally spar with is, Evans was certain that you "can't beat Downey."
The MCU's Most Iconic Duo
Captain America was a historical icon and a hero of the past; Iron Man was a modern innovator and a man of the future. Despite being almost polar opposites in their fighting styles, arsenal, and personalities, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark grew to become close friends and now sit among the MCU's most iconic duos.
With the two having shared the spotlight in four Avengers movies and Captain America: Civil War, it's unsurprising that Evans would hold Downey Jr.'s Iron Man in high regard. Unfortunately, while the door is still open for a comeback from Evans, Downey Jr.'s days in the MCU look to be behind him for now.
In terms of Evans' favorite movies, the former Marvel star clearly has a soft spot for The Winter Soldier - a movie many fans still hold in their own top five MCU entries. The highly-regarded sequel was packed with action, twists, emotion, and everything that makes a Marvel Studios project great.
The Captain America sequel was a game-changer for the MCU story as a shocking twist revealed HYDRA to be embedded within SHIELD, leading to the fall of the secretive organization. But it was also significant behind the scenes as it marked the MCU debut of the Russo Brothers, who went on to helm Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame.
Who knows what the future looks like for Evans in the MCU, but the Russo Brothers are all on board for him to take on another heroic role as Wolverine. For now, the former MCU lead takes the lead in Lightyear, which is playing now in theaters around the world.
