Although Chris Evans has insisted that he is “happily retired” from theMCUand won’t be returning toAvengers: Doomsday, I’m going to take these comments with a generous pinch of salt after Andrew Garfield denied his involvement inSpider-Man: No Way Home. To be perfectly honest, I’m expectingAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Warsto feature a cavalcade of MCU actors, both new and old. For example, we are already certain thatRobert Downey Jr. will be returning to the MCUas Doctor Doom, and I don’t expect him to be the only legacy actor to appear.
While many MCU productions in the Multiverse Saga have sidestepped the multiversal narrative that should be pervading them at this point, it would make no sense forAvengers: Doomsday, the first of two Avengers movies to wrap up the saga, to follow suit. WhileAvengers: Doomsdaystory detailsare still forthcoming, we can be almost certain that it will center on the multiverseand feature variants aplenty. While RDJ’s involvement has given rise to rampant speculation that Chris Evans will join him, the Steve Rogers actor has recently refuted such claims - but I’m disinclined to trust him on this.
Chris Evans Denied Reports He’s Returning To The MCU For Avengers: Doomsday
The Steve Rogers Actor Claims He Is Retired
Reports began to surface in mid-December that Chris Evans was the latest MCU star to jointhe cast ofAvengers: Doomsday,according to a report byThe Wrap. Unsurprisingly, this supercharged the holiday season with speculation over his role, with the prevailing theory positing that he would be portraying a Captain America variant - specifically, an evil one. Two months later,Esquirequizzed Chris Evans himself on the report and gained a response, ostensiblylearning straight from the horse’s mouth that these reports were unfounded and that he is “happily retired” from the MCU. His full quote is as follows:
That’s not true, though. This always happens. I mean, it happens every couple years—ever since Endgame. I’ve just stopped responding to it… Yeah, no—happily retired!
It’s unclear whether the events that Chris asserts happen “every couple years” refer toAvengers: Doomsdayspecifically, but it certainly speaks to his popularity. Despite ostensibly retiring inAvengers: Endgame,Steve Rogers is, for all intents and purposes, still alive in the MCU, so it’s no wonder why fans are theorizing about when Old Man Rogers will pop up again. Still, I think the return of a younger Steve Rogers, capable of getting back in on the action, is the preferable state of affairs.
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Evans also insisted that he “stopped responding” to such reports,evidently referencing the fact that he all but allowed the rumor mill to churn away for two months before speaking out. His silence, for many, spoke volumes, and while I was initially disheartened to see him definitively put a stop to the conversation, I’m now beginning to doubt if he’s being truthful. We have, after all, seen another MCU actor read from this playbook before.
Andrew Garfield Denied Being In Spider-Man: No Way Home - Only To Actually Be In It
He Gave A Very Convincing Performance Before The Movie’s Release
Although he can’t be directly blamed, Andrew Garfield has kind of ruined the credibility of MCU actors who deny their involvement in an upcoming MCU movie. This is because, in the run-up toSpider-Man: No Way Home,Garfield was repeatedly questioned about being brought back as a Peter Parker variant in the movie, which he repeatedly denied. For example, when being interviewed by theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast in May 2021, Garfield repeated that he wasn’t called by Marvel Studios or Sony to return to the role, a clip of which can be seen below via X:
Garfield also said as much toVarietyin September the same year, stating, “…it’s important for me to say on the record that this is not something I’m aware I am involved in.” To be fair to Garfield, he wasn’t the only one fielding off these questions, as Tom Holland asserted toEsquirein February 2021: “No, no, [Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield] will not be appearing in this film.” Nevertheless, it seemed to be Garfield that was asked the most, and gave the most effusive repudiations.
This, of course, turned out to be an act.All but the most skeptical fans were stunned to see Garfield’s Peter Parker appear halfway throughSpider-Man: No Way Homeand go on to play a central role. In fact, Garfield was on top form asthe funniest of the three Peters, and featured in a heart-rending moment with MJ as he successfully saved her life in a tragic callback to losing Gwen Stacy inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2. While I think Garfield deserves praise for successfully throwing fans off the scent, it now puts Chris Evans in an unenviable position.
I’m Having Trouble Believing Chris Evans' Denials About Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel’s Secrecy Policy Makes Believing Its Actors Harder Than Ever
Andrew Garfield’s impeccable acting ability was enough to fend off accurate reports that he’d be starring inSpider-Man: No Way Home, butit has now set a new precedent that other MCU actors will have to deal with forevermore. To put it bluntly, Garfield, Holland, and Maguire have proven that Marvel Studios has sanctioned outright deceit when it comes to dealing with the press. Now, when Chris Evans states, “Yeah, no- happily retired!” I can’t help but doubt him.
Shrouding its projects in mystery has become as much of an MCU trope as the post-credits scene or the superhero landing.
This goes as far as to treat anything but a categorical response to the effect of “I will not be in Avengers: Doomsday” as a tacit acknowledgmentthat Evans will, in fact, be inAvengers: Doomsday. In his interview with theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast, for example, Garfield stops short of outright stating he won’t be inSpider-Man: No Way Homeand instead asserts that he hadn’t received a call. This, of course, could be entirely true. Instead, he omits the part where he might have been asked to star in the film via email or in person.
10 Evil Avengers Who Could Appear In Avengers: Doomsday After RDJ And Chris Evans' Castings
Now that Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans are both returning to Avengers: Doomsday, it’s time to see what other Marvel stars could return evil.
The blame here, of course, is with Marvel Studios and the unparalleled amount of secrecy surrounding its projects. Shrouding its projects in mystery has become asmuch of an MCU tropeas the post-credits scene or the superhero landing. The MCU’s next movie,Thunderbolts*, is a prime example of this, as a firestorm of speculation surrounds what the titular asterisk represents.To be perfectly honest, I think this is good. Quashing a big reveal is infinitely worse than stoking uncertainty, and I’d rather be pleasantly surprised at Chris Evans' MCU return - even if it isn’t inAvengers: Doomsday.
Why Chris Evans Has To Return For Avengers: Secret Wars If Not Doomsday
Marvel Can’t Bring Back RDJ Without Bringing Back Chris Evans
I feel likeit would be remiss of Marvel to reintroduce RDJ to the MCU and not do the same for his co-star, Chris Evans, who is just as synonymous with the cinematic franchise.Avengers: Secret Warsis the perfect place to do this. If it adapts the 2015 run of comics as most expect, it stands to reason that plenty of Steve Rogers variants will populate Battleworld, an eventuality that extends to the remainder of the MCU’s legendary cast. At this point, I’d even be happy withChris Evans returning as another characterentirely.
There was also some confusion around Benedict Cumberbatch’s involvement inAvengers: Doomsday, as the actor said Doctor Strange would not feature before recently walking back those comments.
Chris Evans has already returned to the MCU once as Johnny Storm inDeadpool & Wolverine, and while I would much rather see him reprise his more famous role (preferably as the evil Hydra Supreme),I’m willing to settle for him following Robert Downey Jr.’s lead. The details of RDJ’s portrayal of Doctor Doom is another Marvel mystery, but it ostensibly continues the precedent that actors synonymous with the MCU can return as different characters. With that in mind, there are some interesting routes Marvel could take.
While another Johnny Storm orCaptain America variant(like Nomad or Yeoman America) are the most obvious picks,it would be interesting if Evans mirrored RDJ’s portrayal of Iron Man’s opposite by portraying Steve Rogers’s own opposite, Red Skull. Alternatively,Avengers: Secret Warscould have fun by having him portray another beloved superhero team leader: Cyclops. Whatever the case, I don’t expect he’ll return after the Multiverse Saga, so here’s hoping that Evans is emulating Garfield, and we will, in fact, see him one last time inAvengers: Doomsdayor its sequel.
