Chris Evans spent years refusing to reopen Steve Rogers’ story after Avengers: Endgame, even as Marvel Studios continued bringing him ideas for another Captain America project.
The actor revealed during San Diego Comic-Con that he heard “at least a dozen pitches” over approximately eight years before agreeing to return in Avengers: Doomsday.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and co-president Louis D’Esposito first approached him after production on Endgame concluded in 2018.
His position changed after learning that Robert Downey Jr. was discussing his own Marvel comeback. Joe Russo then presented the Doomsday story, bringing together Downey’s return as Doctor Doom, the Russo brothers and a pitch Evans finally believed justified revisiting Steve Rogers.
Marvel Kept Bringing Evans New Steve Rogers Ideas
Evans told Entertainment Weekly that Feige and D’Esposito took him to dinner shortly after Endgame and proposed making more movies with Steve operating as Nomad. The first pitch impressed him, but Evans remained protective of the character’s conclusion. “I was a little precious. I wanted to preserve it,” he said.
He nevertheless encouraged Marvel to keep contacting him with new possibilities. The studio did exactly that. Evans estimated that he heard at least 12 ideas during the following eight years, but each one left him questioning whether Steve’s story had already reached its natural endpoint.
In Endgame, Steve returned the Infinity Stones to their proper places in time before remaining in the past with Peggy Carter. An older Steve later gave his shield to Sam Wilson, setting up Anthony Mackie’s eventual transition into the Captain America role.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Marvel Return Changed His Answer
Evans began reconsidering when his representatives told him that Downey might be speaking with Marvel. Downey had appeared to complete his MCU run when Tony Stark sacrificed himself during the final battle against Thanos.
Marvel did not reverse Iron Man’s death. Instead, Downey returned as Victor von Doom, giving him a new character inside the franchise and prompting Evans to wonder what the studio was building.
Joe Russo then delivered the Doomsday pitch. With Downey involved and Joe and Anthony Russo directing, Evans said the combination finally felt right after years of hesitation.
Filming Felt Like Making the First ‘Avengers’ Again
Evans compared his experience on Doomsday to filming the original Avengers in 2011, when he was still relatively new to Marvel’s expanding cinematic universe.
He recalled occasionally becoming distracted while watching Downey perform as Tony Stark before realizing he also had dialogue in the scene. The scale and cast of Doomsday produced a similar feeling as Evans watched performers and characters he had been eager to see brought together.
The ensemble includes established Avengers, members of the Fantastic Four and actors returning from the earlier X-Men films. Evans and Downey are joined by Mackie, Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, Letitia Wright, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, Kelsey Grammer and James Marsden.
Marvel Has Not Explained How Steve Rogers Returns
Marvel Studios has confirmed that Evans returns as Steve Rogers, but the studio has not revealed how the character reenters the story after his final scene in Endgame.
Mackie is also returning after taking over the Captain America identity in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World.
Evans briefly rejoined Marvel as Johnny Storm in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, but Doomsday marks his first appearance as Steve Rogers since Endgame. Avengers: Doomsday opens exclusively in theaters on December 18, 2026.