Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige says that Chris Evans originally wasn’t considered for the role ofCaptain America. Even when Evans was approached to take on the iconic role, he turned Marvel Studios down twice. The Marvel Cinematic Universe would be a lot different without Evans on board to bring Cap to life on the big screen and it’s beginning to look like next month’sAvengers: Endgamewill be his last time playing the superhero, though the Russo Brothers haves teased that he’s not done just yet.
In a new interview, Kevin Feige andChris Evansdiscussed his first interactions with Marvel Studios. The studio started looking for an American actor to portrayCaptain Americain 2010 and Evans was cast in March, with production starting in June. However, before that, Evans' name wasn’t even on the list due to the fact that he had played the Human Torch in twoFantastic Fourmovies, according to Feige. He explains.
“We thought, OK, well, he’s that character. Let’s keep looking. And as we (continued) not finding people, we went back to the initial lists. And that brought us back to Chris. And I thought, well, Patrick Stewart played Jean-Luc Picard and Charles Xavier.Harrison Ford played Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Who cares?”
AfterMarvel Studios decided that Chris Evans was the manfor the gig, which included nine MCU projects, the actor wasn’t so sure about it. So the studio made a counteroffer with six movies instead of the nine, but Evans still turned it down. As for why he kept turning the studio down, you’re able to read what Evans had to say below.
“Getting the offer felt to me like the epitome of temptation. The ultimate job offer, on the biggest scale. I’m supposed to say no to this thing. It felt like the right thing to do… You see the pictures, and you see the costumes, and it’s cool. But I’d now woken up the day after saying no and felt good, twice.”
While Chris Evans clearly wasn’t interested in taking on the role ofCaptain America, Marvel Studios only wanted him more andbrought out the big guns. Robert Downey Jr. called up Evans to help persuade him and in the end, whatever he said made an impact on the young actor. He then talked with close friends and decided to take the life-changing role. Since then, Evans has appeared in seven MCU movies, not including cameos, withAvengers: Endgameset to possibly be his last, even though he extended his contract to do it.
Robert Downey Jr. also spoke about working with Chris Evans over the years. TheIron Manactor is often considered to be the godfather of the MCU, which is something that he never grows tired of hearing. However, Downey Jr. believes that it’s really Evans who came “in terms of team building " to help make the “most successful creative relay race in the history of cinema.” Downey Jr. finishes by saying that Evans is the “critical leg” in that relay race. It looks likeAvengers: Endgamecould be the last time that we see Tony Stark and Steve Rogers together on the big screen, but as with anything having to do with Marvel Studios, we’ll just have to wait and see. The interview with Evans, Downey Jr., and Kevin Feige was originally conducted by The Hollywood Reporter.
