Chris Evans calls return to MCU a real treat: 'I just have such love and affection for Johnny Storm'

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine, which is now playing in theaters.

Leading up to Deadpool & Wolverine’s release, we knew the film was destined to include some incredible cameos but nothing quite prepared us for the returns Marvel managed to pull off in the film namely the return of an iconic member of the MCU who made a surprise appearance… just not in the role anyone saw coming. 

We’re referring to Chris Evans who made his first MCU appearance since Avengers: Endgame in Deadpool & Wolverine, but it wasn’t Captain America that Evans suited up as again this time around. 

Nearly 20 years after originating the role of Johnny Storm in 2005’s Fantastic Four, Evans returned to the MCU playing a variant of his beloved Fantastic Four hero in what was truly one of the greatest cameos Marvel has ever pulled off. Getting to see Evans suit up as the Human Torch within the MCU is a moment that both fans and Evans himself never thought could someday become a reality. 

“I guess I had hoped,” Evans told Bam Smack Pow in a recent interview when asked if he ever thought he’d get the chance to suit up as Johnny Storm again. “You know, we have the multiverse now so you never know. But also you wanna make sure you're respecting the character and like I said, it means a lot to me. So it would have to make sense.” 

In Deadpool & Wolverine, Evans gets to suit up as Johnny Storm bringing the Human Torch to the MCU for the first time as a variant who encounters our title heroes in the most unexpected and fun way. This Johnny Storm was a fun callback to the Johnny we fell in love with during 20th Century’s Fantastic Four movies, and it was Ryan Reynolds’ tongue-in-cheek approach to the character that paved the way for the perfect return. 

“Ryan has a way of making everything kind of tongue-in-cheek and it's almost like with a wink and I think you can pull a lot off in that universe and I mean, just watch [Deadpool & Wolverine],” Evans recalled of getting to suit up as Johnny Storm in the film. “The amount of cameos they had that all worked so well. I know all those actors are really happy to play those roles as well. So, yeah, it was, it was a treat. It was the perfect way to do it.”

Despite playing a smaller role in the grand scheme of the film’s plot, Evans’ return as Johnny Storm was a highlight for fans and is one of the moments that audiences haven’t been able to stop talking about. Evans was absolutely brilliant in the role, showing off a side of Johnny Storm we haven’t had the chance to see before on the big screen while also somehow remaining true to the character fans fell in love with when Evans first originated the role. 

And while we don’t know what the future might hold for Evans within the MCU, for Evans the chance to return to the role in Deadpool & Wolverine was just as much of a treat for him as it was for the millions of fans who have made the movie the most successful R-Rated movie ever! 

“I was so happy when Ryan made the call. I mean, I'd do anything for Ryan but to get to put the Fantastic Four suit back on and to get to yell, ‘Flame on.’ I mean. That was a real early turning point in my career and I just have such love and affection for Johnny Storm. So it was it was a real treat. I was thrilled to do it,” Evans reflected.