Chris Evans has said he is “sad” not to be returning for the upcoming Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Doomsday.
The star played the first Captain America, Steve Rogers, from 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger until 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. The character was given a happy ending where he went back in time in order to live an ordinary life with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), returning to the present as an elderly man.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for winter 2026, and features the return of Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr, now playing villain Doctor Doom. Many Marvel characters, both from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the Fox-produced X-Men movies, are confirmed to be involved. However, Evans’ Cap isn’t one of them.
While many Marvel characters who have died or retired have since returned to the MCU, the star has remained away from the franchise aside from a cameo as his Fantastic Four character, Johnny Storm, in last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine. In a January interview with Esquire, Anthony Mackie, the new Captain America, said his predecessor was “happily retired”. Evans confirmed that in a statement to the outlet.
Speaking yesterday (June 9) with Screen Rant, while promoting his new film Materialists with fellow Marvel stars Pedro Pascal and Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans was asked about how he felt about production going on without him.
“Yeah, I talk to them all the time” he replied, referring to his former co-stars. “It’s where Pedro is right now. I mean, it’s sad to be away. It’s sad to not be back with the band, but I’m sure they’re doing something incredible, and I’m sure it’s going to be that much harder when it comes out and you feel like you weren’t invited to the party”.
Avengers: Doomsday was recently moved from May 2026 to December, giving the production extra time to finish up but leaving fans impatient. One of the film’s cast, Alan Cumming, confirmed the return of his X-Men character Nightcrawler in the film.