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Credit: MarvelIn 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was born with the release of Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr. Since then, nearly three dozen Marvel movies have been made, and fans have come to adore classic superheroes like Thor, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and Captain America.
In the sixteen years since the release of Iron Man, the MCU has earned The Walt Disney Company billions of dollars in revenue, with fans waiting overnight at fan conventions for the chance to catch a glimpse of their favorite Marvel stars.
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Although the films were wildly successful for years, Marvel has been struggling to release a hit recently. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), and The Marvels (2023) all failed to perform at the box office. Movies have been pushed back, and alterations have been made, something that Marvel rarely had to do in the past.
However, fan excitement was rejuvenated when Disney and Marvel announced that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU as Dr. Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, which will be released on May 1, 2026.
And now, we have learned that RDJ is not the only original Avenger returning for Marvel’s newest movie!
According to an exclusive report from The Wrap, Chris Evans — who played Captain America — will also have a role in Avengers: Doomsday.
Chris Evans is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as part of the cast for “Avengers: Doomsday,” the highly anticipated sequel that will also star Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, The Wrap has learned exclusively. Evans will be involved in some capacity, but the extent and exact nature of his role is unknown.
Evans return to the MCU has long been rumored in fanboy circles, but Marvel declined to comment. The circumstances of his return are of particular interest given that his Steve Rogers character was an old man by the end of “Avengers: Endgame.” But Downey Jr. is returning to Marvel as a Tony Stark variant after his onscreen version of Stark died in “Endgame,” so all options are on the table.
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Avengers: Doomsday was not originally a project that was going to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was originally slated to be Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and have Jonathan Majors reprise his role as Kang The Conqueror. However, Marvel was forced to change things drastically when Majors got into some serious legal trouble.
Back in March 2023, the Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star was arrested for allegedly beating and strangling his ex-girlfriend. Majors denied the charges but was found guilty of assault and harassment in December of that year. Before his guilty verdict, Disney parted ways with Majors and removed Avengers: The Kang Dynasty from its slate.
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Evans last appeared in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, when his character’s story appeared to be over, since Steve was now an old man. He also passed the torch to Sam Wilson, AKA Falcon. Wilson — played by Anthony Mackie — will be the new Captain America, whose story will continue in Captain America: Brave New World, which is scheduled for release on February 14, 2025.
Evans did make a brief appearance in Marvel’s most recent hit, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), but he did not play Captain America. Instead, he revived his character Johnny Storm, from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007).
Are you excited to hear that Chris Evans is returning to the MCU? Would you like to see him return as Captain America, Johnny Storm, or play a brand-new character? Share your thoughts in the comments!