Like Robert Downey Jr. and Tony Stark, or Chris Hemsworth and Thor, Chris Evans will always be Steve Rogers for Marvel fans. And that’s been evident during Evans’ press tour for “Lightyear,” as the actor dodges countless questions about his time as Captain America and if he may return to the role in the future. Evans remains staunch in his stance that he’s done with the part, but (of course) the fans don’t believe him. But in a recent interview, he said returning as Rogers would be “upsetting,” and for a good reason: the role of Captain America isn’t even his anymore.
READ MORE: Chris Evans On Reprising Captain America Role: “It Would Be A Tall Order”
On the Disney D23 Podcast, Evans reiterated many points he’s already made on his current press run about the Steve Rogers role before he brought up Anthony Mackie now donning the Captain America mantle. “No, I don’t think [I’ll reprise the role,]” he said on the podcast, “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.” Then Evans shifted over to Mackie. “The role is Anthony Mackie’s.”
When it comes to just a Steve Rogers cameo, as opposed to being Captain American again, Evans continued, “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.” In other words, Evans doesn’t have a lot of excitement about the prospect of being Roger again because of how important he finds that time in his acting career. Evans went on, “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.”
Of course, rumors still abound that Evans may return as Steve Rogers in future Marvel projects. And there’s a good reason for that. Early last year, Deadline reported that Evans would return as Captain American in a future Marvel project. Nothing came of that story, though. Then, in April 2021, Deadline announced that Marvel had “Captain America 4” in development with “The Falcon And The Winter Soldier” showrunner Malcolm Spellman on board. So, with that movie and a “Thunderbolts” movie on the way from director Jake Schreier, there are two forthcoming Marvel films with many characters connected to Steve Rogers. And since Kevin Feige and Marvel have brought back characters before, who’s to say Evans won’t show up somehow to play Steve Rogers again?
The truth is, no one except Marvel knows what they have in store for fans with their future projects. And from the looks of things, Evans is enjoying his post-Marvel life, with acclaimed roles in Rian Johnson‘s “Knives Out” and the AppleTV+ series “Defending Jacob.” So, maybe Evans’ time with Marvel is permanently over. He’s in the actioner “The Gray Man” next, in theaters on July 15 before it premieres on Netflix on July 22.