Chris Evans Will 'Never Say Never' To A Marvel Return

At this stage, everyone knows the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a tough place. And it's not just about widespread so-called "superhero fatigue": We have far too much of the MCU, but the films have also suffered from lackluster scripts and some truly horrendous CGI that seems to be the product of overworked VFX artists being pushed to produce results in unrealistic time frames. No wonder those VFX artists are fed up with Marvel.

There's also the issue of these ubiquitous Disney+ shows, which seem to come and go without making any sort of impact at all. Joss Whedon even predicted Marvel's modern day MCU woes back in 2015, highlighting the dangers of "serialized storytelling," and its tendency to "turn the motion picture experience into episodic TV," which ultimately just makes every supposed "storyline" feel more like a way to set up some future event.

So, what can save Marvel during such tumultuous times? Whatever it is, the MCU will need to rediscover what made it the juggernaut of a franchise it was from 2008-2019. During the time between "Iron Man" and "Avengers: Endgame," Marvel Studios managed to build previously under-appreciated comic book characters, including Tony Stark himself, into premier superheroes, beloved by all. Many of these foundational MCU heroes have since moved on, with Robert Downey Jr.'s Stark perishing in the aforementioned "Endgame" and Chris Evans' Steve Rogers/Captain America handing his shield to Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson.

While it might seem like a cheap attempt to leverage fan nostalgia and right the ship, we've all thought about what bringing back some of those beloved heroes might do for Marvel's cinematic fortunes. And it seems a Steve Rogers return isn't entirely off the table.

"Ghosted" may have been a misstep so egregious it bordered on offensive, but Chris Evans has been in some great films throughout his career. The actor got the full GQ treatment recently, with a full interview feature and the obligatory "Chris Evans Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters" video. In both instances, the actor conveyed a sense of quiet contentment with his career thus far, which it seems has got him thinking less about acting and more about pursuing other things. Still, Evans won't rule out a return to the franchise that made him a megastar. Asked if he'd ever go back to Marvel, he said:

"Yeah, maybe. I'll never say never, just because it was such a wonderful experience. But I'm also very precious with it. It's something that I am very proud of. And like I said, sometimes I can't believe it even happened. And I wouldn't want the black eye if it felt like a cash grab or if it didn't live up to expectations or if it just felt like it wasn't connected to that original thing."

The actor clarified that he's not imminently planning on returning as Cap ("no time soon"), and stated that he hopes "to just maybe act a little bit less" in general, citing "a lot of other interests." Broadly speaking, it seems Evans is in a grateful, reflective place, as evidenced by his comment that despite not having any Oscars and not being "lumped with other names that are at the top of the mountain," he still feels "very satisfied." That suggests there's not only nothing pushing him to return to Marvel, but nothing pushing him to do much acting in general at this stage in his career.

Previously, Chris Evans spoke about a possible return as Captain America, stating that he's aware of fans' desire to see a story about returning the Infinity Stones that includes his Steve Rogers. But much like in his GQ interview, the actor made clear at the time that it would take a lot for him to pick up the shield again, stating that "it would have to be perfect." That's mainly down to the fact that Evans is clearly protective of his work in the MCU. But there's also the fact that his former co-star Anthony Mackie is now forging a new path for the Captain America character.

After starring in the Disney+ series "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier," in which Sam Wilson finally embraced his position as the new Captain America, Mackie is set to star in the recently retitled "Captain America: Brave New World." That movie won't arrive until late 2024, barring any further delays. All of which is to say that while Marvel pushes ahead with Mackie's Captain America, you can bet you won't see any of Chris Evans to distract from the current course of action.

That's probably a good thing, considering Marvel needs to find a way to get back on track without just shoehorning in elements from previously successful films. But it's nice to know Evans isn't entirely against a return to the MCU, even if it will take the perfect storyline and circumstances to get him back.