Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are ahead!
As the final chapter of the Infinity Saga, Avengers: Endgame both marked the end of an era and set the stage for the next iteration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, fell into the former category, as after Thanos and his forces had been defeated, the Star-Spangled Avenger decided to leave his superhero life behind and go back to the past to be with Peggy Carter.
Because Steve Rogers is still alive in the present day, albeit now over a century old, it seemed like there was still the possibility for Chris Evans to play the character again. However, according to directors Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Endgame did indeed mark Evans’ last appearance as Steve. As Joe Russo put it:
No, I think Chris — Chris is a very emotional person. I think maybe it’s evident if you follow him on Twitter, because he does put his heart into what he says. But I feel like he has to close the door on things and emotionally move onto the next thing.
To be fair, it’s not as if Chris Evans didn’t invest a lot of time into playing Captain America. He was cast as the patriotic superhero in early 2010 and he appeared in a Marvel movie every year from 2011 to 2019. That’s nine movies total, just one shy of Robert Downey Jr.’s MCU run. That’s a tremendous accomplishment! Throw in his time as The Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies, and Evans has more than enough superhero material on his resume.
As far as endings go, Steve Rogers’ definitely struck one of the biggest emotional chords in Avengers: Endgame. After Tony Stark’s funeral, Steve ventured into the Quantum Realm to put the Infinity Stones back in their proper time periods, and from the perspective of Hulk, Falcon and Winter Soldier, he was only supposed to be gone for a few seconds. Instead, he decided to go to the 1940s after his task was complete and stay there, living a “beautiful” life with Peggy Carter.
But there was one more thing the elderly Steve Rogers needed to do: pass on the Captain America mantle. He chose Falcon, a.k.a. Sam Wilson, to carry the vibranium shield in his place, a plot thread that will almost certainly be explored in the upcoming Falcon and Winter Soldier series on Disney+.
Maybe Chris Evans might change his mind down the line and be willing to make a cameo appearance as Old Man Steve in an MCU project, but as the Russos said during their visit to the Happy Sad Confused podcast, for now, he’s moving on to new endeavors. Fortunately, MCU fans got to watch his arc unfold across nearly a decade, and though we won’t be seeing Steve Rogers again, his legacy will continue to be felt in the years to come.
Avengers: Endgame is still playing in theaters and making a Titanic-toppling amount of money. If you’re curious about what Marvel movies are on the way, look through our comprehensive guide.
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