Chris Evans is 'happily retired' from Marvel's superhero films
Chris Evans has declared he is "happily retired" from making Marvel superhero movies and insisted he has no plans to return to his role as Captain America for upcoming blockbuster 'Avengers: Doomsday'.
Chris Evans is "happily retired" from making Marvel superhero movies.
The 43-year-old actor insisted he has no plans to return to his role as Captain America for upcoming Marvel blockbuster 'Avengers: Doomsday' after reports suggested he could be coming back to star in the film alongside Robert Downey, Jr. but Chris is adamant it's not going to happen.
He told Esquire magazine: "That’s not true, though. This always happens. I mean, it happens every couple years - ever since 'Endgame'. I’ve just stopped responding to it. Yeah, no - happily retired!"
However, fellow Marvel star Anthony Mackie is convinced Marvel Cinematic Universe [MCU ] fans will see Chris back in action again. He told the publication: "I didn’t know!
"I talked to Chris a few weeks ago and it wasn’t on the table then. At least, he didn’t tell me it was on the table, because I asked him. I was like: ‘You know, they said they’re bringing everyone back for the movie. Are you coming back?’ He goes: ‘Oh, you know, I’m happily retired.'
"I learned that right there. My manager showed me. He’s like: ‘Oh, so I guess Chris is coming back.’ That’s all I know. I haven’t seen a script."
'Avengers: Doomsday' - directed by the Russo brothers - is scheduled for release in 2026 and features Robert Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom.
Chris has previously starred in a number of standalone 'Captain America' movies as well as the Avengers films while he also played the Human Torch in two 'Fantastic Four' installments and recently reprised the role in 'Deadpool Wolverine'.
One star who won't be back for the new movie is Benedict Cumberbatch, who has insisted his character Dr. Stephen Strange won't be in 'Avengers: Doomsday'.
The 48-year-old actor has confirmed his superhero will be taking a hiatus in the 2026 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) blockbuster.
Speaking to Variety, Cumberbatch said: "Is that a spoiler? F*** it!"
The 'Sherlock' star revealed that he will be absent from 'Doomsday' due to "the character not aligning with this part of the story" and confirmed that he will be featuring "in a lot" of the subsequent movie 'Avengers: Secret Wars' - which is slated for release in 2027.
Cumberbatch explained: "He's quite central to where things might go."
Despite his lack of involvement in 'Doomsday', the star is happy with his character's standing in the MCU and the studio's approach as he hinted at a third standalone film for his alter ego.
He said: "(Marvel is) very open to discussing where we go next. Who do you want to write and direct the next one? What part of the comic lore do you want to explore so that Strange can keep evolving?
"He's a very rich character to play. He's a complex, contradictory, troubled human who's got these extraordinary abilities, so there's potent stuff to mess about with."
The actor also recalled how he immediately texted Marvel boss Kevin Feige when it was revealed that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom following his previous turn in the franchise as Iron Man.
Cumberbatch said: "I texted, 'What the f***?' and then quickly added, 'Good what-the-f***. I mean, good what-the-f***."
The actor also recounted how Downey Jr. alluded to the pair's shared portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on the set of the 2019 flick 'Avengers: Endgame'.
He said: "We had a gas about being the two Sherlocks on set. But there was some line of dialogue where someone turns to us and says, 'No s***, Sherlock'.Well, we took out all that meta stuff. We just said, 'No, no, no. Better to leave that for the fan fiction'."
