Like the ticking of so many doomsday clocks, the knowledge that Chris Evans is ready to hang up the shield and be-ear-holed helmet of Captain America has been a reality for what seems like an eternity, slowly moving towards a midnight we couldn’t quite pin down. Fans speculated he’d be on his way out following Avengers: Infinity War, but as our recent Nerdist News pointed out, it seems like Steve Rogers will survive that movie. But it’s not looking good for the following Avengers film, from a recent profile in The New York Times (via ScreenCrush).
The piece details how Evans has filmed his final two back-to-back appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, being Infinity War and Untitled Avengers, the follow up coming in 2019. Initially, Evans’ contract was for six films, which included all three Captain America movies and the first three Avengers movies. However, when Infinity War was split in twain, he extended it by one film, presumably to give his character–arguably the heart and soul of the franchise–a proper ending. So, if you were worried Cap wouldn’t make it through his initial fight with Thanos, you can at least rest assured he’ll be back for one more…but then, he’s out.
The Times profile goes on to say: “For now, he has no plans to return to the franchise (“You want to get off the train before they push you off,†he said), and expects that planned reshoots in the fall will mark the end of his tenure in the familiar red, white and blue super suit.”
While I’ve certainly been one of the countless fans who’ve maintained the Captain America story arc has been the most compelling in the MCU, I also completely get Evans’ desire to move on. He started directing with his 2014 feature Before We Go and has expressed interest in pursuing that career path. And from a purely Watsonian perspective, the loss of Steve Rogers could be the kick in the narrative butt the MCU needs to set up the next phase full of new characters. Plus, we’ve got Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson, both of whom have been Captain America in the comics.
What’re your thoughts? Would you rather we have 100 more Chris Evans Captain America movies?
Images: Marvel
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!
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