A great character is forever attached to the actor that gave them life. Captain America has been brought to life by Chris Evans, and as goes the actor, so goes the character... at least to some extent. As the MCU enters its eighth year, we have to wonder just how long actors like Evans will continue to play these parts. The man behind the Captain America mask says that he’s game to do whatever Marvel requires of him for the story. If they’re ready for a change he’ll walk away, but if they want to keep going, he’s up for it.
In the past, Chris Evans has given very different answers about what his plans are with Captain America. Sometimes he sounds ready to hang up the shield, while other times he sounds like he’ll carry it forever. Collider asked him what his current feelings were and Evans made it clear that he loves making these movies and so he’ll follow Marvel’s lead and do whatever they need the character to do
We'll see. I know in the comic books that the shield gets passed off. And what you do know, more than anything else in this process — meeting fans, experiencing these junkets and people who love the character — the character is bigger than you and whatever the character needs, whatever Marvel needs for that arc, I'm willing to do. So if that is me passing it off, you pass it off. But if they want to make more, I'm ready.
It’s commonly known that most current contracts with the main Marvel characters will only run through the end of Avengers: Infinity War and there’s no guarantee that every character will even survive that long. In his over 60 year history Steve Rogers has ceased being Captain America a number of different times. At various points, he’s lost his powers, died, or simply decided that he couldn’t carry the weight of the name anymore.
Due to the unfortunate fact that Chris Evans is mortal (as far as we know), the day will certainly come when he will no longer play the role of Captain America. The good news for fans of the MCU is at this point, it looks like the day that happens it will be because Marvel decides that’s the story they want to tell, and not because Evans doesn’t want to do it anymore. And if that is not the story Marvel wants to tell anytime soon, it means that we could be in for a lot more Captain America for a long time to come. We’re ok with that.
With the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we've finally seen definitive versions of some of our favorite heroes on the screen. The problem with movies, however, is that unlike a comic book, they don’t simply create the characters, they also link actual people to those parts. Eventually, the shield will pass on. We know this to be true. However, we’re in no hurry to see that happen. Hey Marvel, hurry up and get Chris Evans to extend his contract while he’s still in a good mood. We’re looking forward to seeing him again in Captain America: Civil War next month.
