The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is now in its 17th year and hopefully moving toward its next big moment—six years after Avengers: Endgame and at least four years too late. One painful lesson Marvel Studios has learned in the meantime, with some box office losses to show for it: Audiences want new stories, but with their old favorites. And those favorites don’t necessarily need to return in their original roles. The important thing is that they return at all and push the so-called no-names off the screen.
Robert Downey Jr. is making a comeback and will cause serious trouble for the Avengers as Doctor Doom—despite having previously been one of them as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Before that, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were brought back for Spider-Man: No Way Home to draw generations of Spidey fans to theaters—and it worked, with a global box office of over $1.95 billion. No other MCU, Marvel, or comic book movie after Phase 3 was more successful. Another major cash grab was Marvel’s decision to pull Hugh Jackman out of his superhero retirement for Deadpool & Wolverine. The MCU hit became the second-highest-grossing film of 2024, earning over $1.3 billion. Clearly, those declared “done” tend to stick around longer when there’s money involved.
Marvel Studios has obviously caught on to this and, after the aforementioned stars, reportedly wants to bring another MCU icon back into the Marvel multiverse: Chris Evans. In late 2024, rumors surfaced that the 43-year-old—who previously fought for good as Steve Rogers, aka Captain America—would appear in Avengers: Doomsday. However, it was explicitly stated that it was unclear whether he would return as Captain America or in a new role.
This rumor was likely fueled by the fact that Avengers: Doomsday is being directed by Joe and Anthony Russo—the same duo behind Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and two Captain America films. They also worked with Evans on the Netflix action thriller The Gray Man. His return could be seen as a favor. He’s even already listed for Avengers: Doomsday on IMDb.
But now, Evans himself has shut down the hype. In an interview with Esquire, he denied any involvement in upcoming MCU productions:
“That’s not true. This happens all the time. I mean, it happens every few years—ever since Endgame. I’ve just stopped responding to it. Yeah, no—I’m happy in retirement!”
Evans is definitely not part of Captain America: Brave New World, in which Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson takes over Steve Rogers’ mantle (set for release on February 13, 2025).
No MCU Comeback: Is Chris Evans Just Playing Along?
With all this, one can’t help but suspect a deliberate misdirection. Hollywood stars have often denied involvement in films, only to appear in them later. Just think of Andrew Garfield’s months-long denial. Many surprise Marvel cameos started as rumors. While not all come true, there’s often some truth behind them.
Industry insider Jeff Sneider even claims his sources say Evans will return as Nomad.
Ultimately, fans will only know for sure once concrete details about Avengers: Doomsday emerge—or when set photos start circulating online. If you’re in the mood for an MCU movie night, you can stream the films on Disney+.
