If Chris Evans' Captain America Returns To The MCU, We Want To See These 5 Things

Captain America in Avengers: Endgame

As emotional as it was to say goodbye to Chris Evans’ Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame, surely some part of all fans has known that he would someday be back. After all, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has worked incredibly hard to bring the experience of reading the comics to live-action cinema, and a big part of the books’ charm is always knowing that characters are milling around the universe ready to make a surprising comeback (even after a noteworthy departure and/or death). Now it appears that it’s actually becoming a reality, as Evans is reportedly back in talks with Marvel Studios about another go-round as the patriotic, moral-driven hero.

If this turns out to be true, we have no idea what capacity we’ll see him in or what project – but that hasn’t stopped us from already putting together a checklist of things that we’d like to see from his return. Clearly the circumstances of his arrival will have a massive impact on his future role, but reflecting on the character’s big screen past and potential for the future, there are certain moments and stories that we would love the Marvel Cinematic Universe to bring to life. Whether it’s all of them, some of them, or one of them, here are five things we want to see if Chris Evans’ Captain America does make his way back to the big screen.

Red Skull in Avengers: Endgame

Captain America Reunited With Red Skull

It’s downright impressive how Avengers: Endgame successfully folds the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon into its narrative, including many awesome reunions, but if there’s any single one that we wish could have made it into the movie it’s Captain America and Red Skull meeting face-to-face approximately 80 years after they first clashed during World War II. There’s no way that they don’t reunite in the aftermath of Endgame, as Cap has to go to Vormir to return the Soul Stone and repair the timeline, and it would be wonderful if part of the star-spangled hero’s return could include a peek at what went down during that little get-together. Of course, it’s possible that the larger context mentioned in the intro might make this impossible, but if that’s the case it should be noted that we would also totally accept seeing the same reunion under completely different circumstances as well.

Cap and Peggy dance in Avengers: Endgame

How Captain America Dealt With The Great Tragedies Of The Late 20th/Early 21st Centuries

Steve Rogers making the decision to stay with Peggy Carter in the 1940s following his time travel mission makes for a beautiful end note to the character’s journey through the Infinity Saga, but what can’t be ignored is the darker side of that choice. By choosing to live a normal life with his true love through the 20th century, he takes on the burden of knowing when terrible things are going to happen and the capacity to do nothing about it. This includes not only major world events, like the Challenger Explosion and September 11th, but also specific elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as Hydra’s infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. This material might be a tad too dark to explore in a PG-13 blockbuster, but we’d be lying if we said it wasn’t something that we’ve been thinking about ever since Avengers: Endgame came out in May 2019.

Peggy's photos Captain America The Winter Soldier

Does Captain America Have Kids? Let’s Find Out!

Sticking with Captain America’s extended relationship with Peggy Carter for a moment, it would also be nice to know if Steve Rogers has any progeny in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, there are multiple photos of Peggy with young children next to her bedside, and while it’s possible that these are just nieces and nephews (like Sharon Carter, for instance), it makes us wonder if Steve and Peggy possibly started a family with all of the extra time given to them. If there are children, they would be full-grown adults in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would be amazing if audiences had the chance to meet them, and it would be fascinating to discover if they were passed down any gifts as a result of the Super Soldier Serum running through their fathers’ veins.

Old Man Cap Avengers: Endgame

Old Man Cap Suits Up For One Last Fight

Marvel Studios is playing things incredibly close to the chest when it comes to the conversation of what everything in the franchise is building towards now that the Infinity Saga has come to an end – but whatever it is will have to be rather epic to compete with the power of Thanos, and very much could create a kind of “all hands on deck” situation for every hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This could even include those that are in retirement – like Steve Rogers. This has comic book precedent, as there was an arc very recently that saw Rogers become an old man and still suit-up for The Fight, and it would be awesome to see Old Man Cap fight alongside Sam Wilson in their respective Captain America uniforms.

Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm Fantastic Four

Captain America Meets Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm

Our last entry here is what could be called a moon shot, but considering that we’re just speculating in this feature it seems like a fair inclusion. Late last year the comic book movie world was rocked by the news that characters from the older Spider-Man films are going to be making a comeback in the next chapter of the on-going Spider-Man series, and it has gotten a lot of fans thinking about what might also be possible as a result of resurrecting non-canon versions of major Marvel heroes. In this regard, one of the most fun ideas is the concept of having Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers meet Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm from the pair of Fantastic Four movies that were made prior to the existence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We have no idea how that connection would be made story-wise, but as great as it was to see Cap vs. Cap in Avengers: Endgame, having Captain America meet what appears to be a clone of himself as the Human Torch would be even better.

Do you agree with our list? Are there moments that we don’t mention but that stick out in your mind as having great story potential? Hit the comments section with all of your thoughts, feelings, and reactions to our list and this huge news, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for future updates about Chris Evans’ and Captain America’s potential returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.