Why Chris Evans shouldn’t return to the MCU as Captain America

Rumor has it Chris Evans could be returning to the MCU as Captain America, but is that really a good thing?

It’s been nearly two years since we said goodbye to our beloved Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame. However, there are now rumors circulating the internet about Chris Evans being in talks to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

According to a source via Deadline, “Chris Evans is cleaning the dust off his Captain America attire as he is expected reprise the role in the MCU in some form.”  To put a stop to these rumors, or to fuel the fire even more, Mr. Evans took to Twitter himself to subtly address them (or perhaps to leave us even more confused).

https://twitter.com/ChrisEvans/status/1349835808497229824?s=20

But why? We already have Captain America.

If you recall, Endgame resulted in Steve Rogers passing along the shield to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson (Falcon) to carry on the legacy that is Captain America. He is Captain America going forward. Steve Rogers is in the past and he has now laid out his legacy and chose to pass the torch. To bring him back in the MCU would overshadow Falcon’s planned arc as Cap in the upcoming The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

While the Russos arguably gave Steve Rogers’ arc a decent ending, he got what he wanted in the end. Now, this writer is a big fan of Cap, and I have always loved Steve Rogers, but to bring him back for anything besides a simple flashback would be pointless. It’s in the past, and should stay that way.

There is no “New Captain America, there is just Captain America”

In the same way Taika Waititi confirmed that Natalie Portman isn’t “Female Thor”, but the “The Mighty Thor,” Sam Wilson isn’t “The New Captain America,” he is  Captain America. To suggest anything different would take away from the title that he rightfully earned himself.

Representation matters. We all remember the wave of young fans who loved to see the late, great Chadwick Boseman on the screen with Black Panther. To see another superhero on the big screen that looks just like you means so much to people out there.

Sam Wilson is Cap, and with all respect, but to bring Chris Evans back as Captain America takes away from the significance of Steve Rogers passing down the shield. The world has never seen a Black Captain America on their screens, and it is about time we see that.

What about Falcon and The Winter Soldier?

In the upcoming Disney Plus series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson plays the series titular role of Falcon. So what does this mean for his Captain America role? It could go one of a few ways, maybe Sam realizes he is not fully ready to accept the shield yet. Perhaps imposter syndrome is getting in his way, causing looming doubt? Maybe he hasn’t fully accepted that Steve is gone (if he really is gone), and that’s holding him back. Whatever the case may be, we all know he’s up to the challenge.

From what we know, the trailer shows a quick shot of him holding the shield, but we see him wearing an upgraded Falcon suit in most of the fight scenes. But who knows, maybe we’ll see him in his own Captain America suit towards the end of the first season?

Either way, Sam is Captain America going forward and it should remain that way.

Directed by Kari Skogland, the six-episode original Disney+ series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will be hitting the Disney+ platform on March 19th. You can sign up for Disney+ here.

Would you like to see Chris Evans return as Captain America? Are you looking forward to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier? Let us know in the comments below!