We may only have a few years left with Chris Evans sporting Captain America‘s shield in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’ve suspected for some time that Evans would be saying goodbye to Cap following the termination of his six-picture contract. But while the actor recently admitted in an interview with The Telegraph that he opted for a seventh go for the yet-untitled Avengers 4, his choice of words leaves us concerned for Steve Rogers’ fate.
“I had six films in my Marvel contract, so I could have said after the third Avengers I was done, but they wanted to make the third and fourth Avengers films as a two-parter,” Evans said. “They said they had so many other characters to fit in – Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Ant Man – and couldn’t get them all into one movie. [I agreed] because it made sense. It’s going to wrap everything up.â€
Now before everyone starts hitting the panic button, let us ponder what this means in the grand scheme of things. First, just because Evans is contractually done after Avengers 4 doesn’t mean additional films can’t or won’t be negotiated. After all, Evans was originally only supposed to appear up to Avengers: Infinity War. Maybe he’ll decide to go the Robert Downey, Jr. route and transition to becoming a supporting player instead of starring in his own films.
The other (ostensibly apparently more likely) scenario: Evans and Marvel Studios decide Cap’s story has come to a fitting conclusion and he is written out of the MCU. Everyone can guess the two options if this were to occur: either Captain America dies in the final battle against the Mad Titan Thanos, or Steve Rogers heads off into retirement and hands the red-white-and-blue shield and suit over to the Winter Soldier or Falcon. Both outcomes would mirror similar storylines that have played out in the Marvel comic books. When Rogers died in the “Death of Captain America” story arc, his former sidekick and current Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes, took up the mantle in his place. Another arc saw Falcon, a.k.a. Sam Wilson, replace Rogers after he lost his super-soldier serum. We can argue for days about which would make for the better choice in the MCU.
Another outside-the-box possibility would allow Marvel Studios to recast the role of Captain America. With Doctor Strange introducing parallel dimensions, what if a Captain America from another universe came to our world and fought alongside the Avengers? That would allow a new actor to step in and “claim” to be Steve Rogers, thereby allowing fans to have the best of both worlds.
Which outcome would you most like to see happen? Should the MCU move on from Chris Evans, or is there no Captain America without him? Let us know in the comments below!
Image: Marvel Studios
Tim Adams is a freelance writer who loves comics and the TV and movies that feature them. Follow him on Twitter!
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