Chris Evans has decided to part ways with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and will not be returning as the star-spangled Captain America after the untitled sequel, presently dubbed Avengers 4, releases in the foreseeable future.
Speaking with The New York Times in a recent interview, the actor confirmed his departure soon after he is done with scheduled reshoots for the concluding second installment in the saga — the last contractual obligation to Marvel Studios. Beyond that, he has no current plans to return to the franchise.
“You want to get off the train before they push you off,” Evans stated.
Evans is not alone in his desire to move on from the comic book genre. The other original cast members for the Avengers have also shared similar notions about retiring in the past, including Robert Downey Jr. for Iron Man.
Evans made his debut as Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and has since then been returning to the silver screen in costume nearly every year. The actor followed up with The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and Captain America: Civil War (2016). This does not include special appearances in a few other installments such as the most recent Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).
The confirmation about Captain America hanging his shield comes at a time when it is known that at least one major character is going to die at the hands of Thanos and his Dark Order. It should be noted that there have been multiple Captain Americas in the comic book lore. This includes Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, and the Falcon. Both characters are already part of the MCU and hence, one of them (Sebastian Stan or Anthony Mackie) could pick up the shield down the line.
Avengers: Infinity War will open in theaters on April 27, 2018. Avengers 4, on the other hand, is slated to premiere on May 3, 2019.
