Chris Evans’ Captain America Is The MCU’s Biggest Victory So Far

Chris Evans’ casting as Captain America is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest victory so far. The MCU has had great success with its casting department, spearheaded by Sarah Halley Finn, over the years. The universe hinged on the original Avengers team, and the actors Marvel got for their roles did not disappoint, with the exception of Edward Norton, who was recast with Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk. As the universe grew, two characters emerged as the faces of the MCU, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Evans as Captain America. Downey Jr. had the benefit of starting the MCU with 2008’s Iron Man, quickly becoming Marvel’s fan-favorite character.

On the other hand, Evans had to carve out his space little by little. Eventually, the actor managed to transform Captain America into one of the most popular superheroes, with Captain America’s MCU trilogy amassing a total of over $2.2 billion worldwide. The biggest sign of Evans’ success in the role was his last appearance as the character. 2019’s Avengers: Endgame was the MCU’s most ambitious movie, and the reactions in theaters to Captain America’s “Avengers Assemble” order and the hero fighting Thanos with Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, were the movie’s most significant. Avengers: Endgame cemented Evans’ Captain America as the MCU’s biggest victory.

Chris Evans Had A More Difficult Job Than RDJ To Become Captain America

Evans’ journey to becoming one of the MCU’s two leading characters was more difficult than Downey Jr.’s. One of the reasons was the instant connection audiences felt with Iron Man, bonding over the fact that the character started the MCU and with his first solo movie teasing the formation of the Avengers, which would include Evans’ Captain America, in a post-credits scene with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. RDJ was a major gamble at the time due to the actor’s turbulent personal life in the years before Iron Man, but it was also a match made in heaven, as Downey Jr. and Tony Stark’s personalities perfectly blended together.

Evans had a harder time becoming Captain America, as he did not share such a personal bond with how the hero should be portrayed as RDJ did with Stark. Besides, there was the fact that Evans had already played another Marvel superhero shortly before he joined the MCU as Captain America. Evans gave life to Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, in Tim Story’s Fantastic Four duology. Evans’ last time as Human Torch had been in 2007, just four years before his MCU debut in Captain America: The First Avenger. The actor turned down the MCU’s offer multiple times due to that before ultimately accepting and making history.

Captain America Was A Hard Character To Adapt In Live-Action

Evans had a difficult job with Steve Rogers, as Captain America was a hard character to adapt in live-action. One of the reasons for that is related to the character’s nature in the comic books. Before the MCU, most people saw Captain America as an old-fashioned hero with no real nuance, a simple “do-gooder”. Evans’s portrayal of Captain America changed that, with the character’s arc in the MCU starting with Rogers as a firm believer of the US government, only to have the character gradually change his views in face of several disappointments.

Evans’ take on the iconic Marvel character kept Rogers’ ideals intact, with the MCU still maintaining Cap’s well-known bravery, humility, perseverance, leadership, and most of all, his good heart. Every MCU hero who came into contact with Captain America knew what he stood for and admired Rogers, which is why he became the Avengers’ leader. The MCU also allowed Evans’ comedic talents to shine through at times, which added some necessary personality so that Rogers did not feel stiff. Evans did such a great job that Captain America, a character deeply rooted in US iconography, became a worldwide sensation.

Chris Evans’ Captain America Trilogy Became The MCU’s Best

Iron Man might have been the hero who started the MCU, but no other character has managed to top Evans’ Captain America trilogy. While certain heroes have fantastic entries that could individually beat out one of the MCU’s Captain America movies, the hero’s trilogy is overall the strongest in the MCU. Every solo Captain America movie has managed to outdo the last at the worldwide box office, something that Anthony Mackie will try to continue with next year’s Captain America: New World Order, his first movie as the Sam Wilson version of Captain America.

Evans’ Captain America trilogy has no clear flaws, with every movie managing to switch tones and stay interesting. His MCU journey started with a war epic in Captain America: The First Avenger, moving on to a political thriller with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and ending with a superhero morality crisis in Captain America: Civil War. Evans’ second and third Captain America movies had the Russo Brothers as their directing duo, while Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely penned the entire trilogy. That creative team ended up making the duo of blockbusters Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame, which gave Evans’ Captain America a perfect ending to his iconic MCU arc.