Outside of Robert Downey, Jr, who clearly doesn’t really have a way to return to the MCU after the events of “Avengers: Endgame” (and please don’t have him voice some new AI or something), Chris Evans is the only other original ‘Avengers’ member that is likely done with the Marvel Universe. And according to a new interview with Variety, he’d like it to stay that way.
In the interview, where he’s discussing “Knives Out” and other things with his ‘Endgame’ co-star Scarlett Johansson, Evans is asked flat-out if he’d be willing to come back to the MCU. He doesn’t count the possibility out completely but definitely hints that it would take something pretty massive for him to grab the shield one more time.
“To Marvel? Wow. Everything clicks when I get up. Recovery is not the same. You never say never. I love the character. I don’t know,” explained the actor.
He added, “ It’s not a hard no, but it’s not an eager yes either. There are other things that I’m working on right now. I think Cap had such a tricky act to stick the landing, and I think they did a really nice job letting him complete his journey. If you’re going to revisit it, it can’t be a cash grab. It can’t be just because the audience wants to be excited. What are we revealing? What are we adding to the story? A lot of things would have to come together.”
Evans went on to explain that the ending that was given to the character in “Avengers: Endgame” is actually the perfect way to close out the story of Steve Rogers. And if the folks at Marvel already nailed an ending for a character, why would they bother potentially ruining it?
“It’d be a shame to sour that [ending],” said Evans. “ I’m very protective of it. It was such a precious time, and jumping onto the movie was a terrifying prospect to me. I said no a bunch of times, and there’s a million and one ways it could have gone wrong. It almost feels like maybe we should let this one sit.”
As for the question of the day, week, month, and year (apparently), Evans is aware of what Martin Scorsese said about Marvel films, but his response is fairly simple — there’s room for all sorts of films in the industry.
“I think original content inspires creative content,” said Evans. “I think new stuff is what keeps the creative wheel rolling. I just believe there’s room at the table for all of it. It’s like saying a certain type of music isn’t music. Who are you to say that?”
Evans will next be seen in “Knives Out,” which arrives in theaters on November 27.