Just because we know something terrible is coming doesn’t make dealing with it any easier.
Captain America star and Best Chris, Chris Evans, has made no secret that his contract with Marvel was coming to an end in 2019. He laid it out in an interview with The New York Times that his days as The Star Spangled Man with a plan were numbered. So, we knew that we would be saying farewell to Chris as Steve Rogers. But even knowing that, I had suspected that he would perish in Avengers: Infinity War.
I was delighted that he didn’t, and it makes sense that as the credits began to roll that it was “the old guard” who remained to fight one last battle in Avengers 4.
I am still not, nor will I ever be, over this look.
I’m sure he’s enjoyed his tenure as Steve Rogers, but Evans has clearly wanted to focus on some new endeavors. Plays, directing, not wearing tights – this man contains multitudes and he needs the freedom to explore all of the things that he wants to do in his career!
And even knowing all of that, this Tweet hurt.
https://twitter.com/ChrisEvans/status/1047896966410190849
It’s long been speculated how Steve Rogers’ story will end in the MCU. Whether this means he meets his end come the credits of Avengers 4, or that Steve simply gets to live out the rest of his days in peace and quiet in some way, we don’t know. But this Tweet sure feels like a farewell. And that’s probably because it is.
More than any character and actor combination in the MCU, Chris Evans has embodied Steve Rogers right from the get-go. He has been an intrinsic part of the MCU, certainly on the same level as Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, if not more so (I’ve got a lot of feelings about how Marvel handles Tony Stark in the MCU, but that’s not RDJ’s fault … I don’t think).
Although I will miss photo shoots like this!
Since 2011 it’s been impossible for Evans to escape Captain America (though as evidence provided above indicates it’s not always necessarily a bad thing). I can’t speak from personal experience here, I’m not one of the most recognizable faces in cinema right now, but I imagine being tied to a franchise, tied to a character like this can get exhausting. Especially if, like Evans as mentioned, he wants to do other things.
I don’t think he’s ever been in danger of being typecast, his range is too broad and he’s far too talented, but the last thing I would want is to see his legacy, his career, be tied to Captain America and Captain America alone.
And let’s look on the bright side here. If he’s not Steve Rogers anymore, maybe he can bring the moustache back!
I will die on this hill. This was A Look and I was here for it.
Don’t get me wrong – I am absolutely gutted about the prospect of no longer seeing Chris Evans as Cap in any new Marvel projects. But, the MCU does need to start making some radical changes, they can’t hitch their carts to the same actors and characters forever.
We’ll always have the first two and a half Cap movies, and the Avengers films. And who knows? With Evans likely finished his tenure as Captain America, this might mean that someone else will wield the shield.
