Kevin Feige recalls casting Chris Evans as Captain America
By Erik Swann
Kevin Feige reflects on Marvel Studios’ decision to cast Chris Evans as Captain America.
Captain America has become one of the most endearing characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks in no small part to the performance of Chris Evans. Although the actor has proven to be perfect for the role, he wasn’t an obvious choice for Marvel.
In Evans’ recent cover story for THR, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige discussed the actor and his contributions on and off camera. He also spoke on Marvel’s decision to cast him as the Star-Spangled Avenger. While Evans was on the studio’s initial list, his previous role as the Human Torch took him out of the running for a while:
"“We thought, OK, well, he’s that character. Let’s keep looking.”"
But ultimately, the studio opted for Evans, citing other major actors who’ve played multiple iconic roles as precedents for the move:
"“And as we [continued] not finding people, we went back to the initial lists. And that brought us back to Chris. And I thought, well, Patrick Stewart played Jean-Luc Picard and Charles Xavier. Harrison Ford played Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Who cares?”"
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As evidenced by the audience (and box office) response, the casting has paid off for Marvel Studios in the long run. In Evans, Marvel has a capable and likable leading man, who has defined a character that was once thought to be dated and unrelatable. From a financial standpoint, he’s lead a film trilogy that has grossed over two billion dollars. And that’s not including the other three massive films he’s appeared in thus far.
When it comes to casting Marvel has been shrewd, and Evans is definitely one of their best decisions. It’s honestly hard to imagine anyone else wielding the red, white and blue shield at this point. But the actor’s time in the MCU will soon come to a close, as he plans to step away from the role after the upcoming Avengers: Endgame.
Next. 15 characters most likely to die in Avengers: Endgame. dark
There’s no telling what Feige and the rest of the creatives at Marvel have planned for Cap in Endgame. But one thing that can be said is that Chris Evans will be greatly missed in the world of superheroes.