Classic Marvel star will return in Avengers: Secret Wars in TWO roles, reports say

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is over halfway through its Multiverse Saga storyline now and the endgame of it all seems clearer than ever. That's not because it's at the halfway point. The franchise had been having more downs than ups until earlier this year when the game-changing release of Deadpool and Wolverine was matched in its awesome response by the announcement that Robert Downey Jr. would return to the franchise as the saga's new major villain, Doctor Doom.

Anything is possible in the multiverse, including replacing your major villain with a new one (as Downey's Doom will now replace Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror), so bringing back the Iron Man star in a new role was doable (and expensive, it seems!). And as surprising as it was in many ways, in others it wasn't, because expectations are high for the upcoming two Avengers movies, with fans already expecting to see some major returns in both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Now a new report claims that we can expect to see another original cast member of the MCU return in more than one capacity, potentially confirming two ongoing rumors about the actor's future in the franchise.

Chris Evans will reportedly appear in Avengers 6 as both Johnny Storm and Captain America

A new report from Marvel scooper account Marvel Scoops (formerly known as Marvel News) has claimed that Chris Evans will return to the MCU to reprise his roles as both Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, and Johnny Storm, a.k.a. The Human Torch. When asked by a fan about whether this would take place in Avengers: Secret Wars, the scooper responded with a "Yes".

This comes after Evans just recently returned to the franchise, appearing in Deadpool and Wolverine as an alternate version of Johnny Storm, the character he played in both 2005's Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Technically, that made it the Human Torch's MCU debut, as that character had never appeared in the franchise before that point (those two aforementioned movies were made when Fox had the rights to the characters).

His other character, Captain America, is an MCU staple. Evans first portrayed The Star-Spangled Man With A Plan in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger before going on to reprise the role in two direct sequels, all four Avengers movies, as well as cameo appearances in Thor: The Dark World, Ant-Man, and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The leader of The Avengers and the MCU's other face alongside Iron Man, Steve Rogers remained a central figure in the franchise until 2019's Avengers: Endgame, when the character travelled back in time to live a long, happy life with his love Peggy Carter. He then reappeared in the present as an older man, gifting longtime friend and ally Sam Wilson with the Captain America mantle and shield. Though the character was mentioned in Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the MCU has yet to directly reference if Steve has died, retired to a quiet life, or went back to another timeline.

As both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are expected to bring about an end to the Multiverse Saga, audiences are anticipating some major cameos from all across the Marvel Multiverse. There have been ongoing reports and rumors about a potential Endgame-esque final battle featuring cameos and returns from a number of classic MCU projects, be that MCU-related or prior to that time.

As a result of that, Evans' name has come up in conversations among fans constantly, with rumors of a return as Johnny Storm or Captain America. Now that he did cameo as the former in the Deadpool and Wolverine film, it is less necessary to see him in that role again (especially as Joseph Quinn will debut the MCU's version of the character in 2025's The Fantastic Four: First Steps). That said, if he were to play the same version he played in the original Fantastic Four movies (and perhaps even be joined by some of his castmates from those movies), that would be another story altogether. And it goes without saying that seeing him back in the role of Captain America - even if it's an alternate version - is also a very, very wonderful one.