2026 will be a big year for comic book fans. DC Studios will release Supergirl, Clayface and Lanterns. Prime Video will release the final season of The Boys as well as season 4 of Invincible. As for Marvel Studios, there’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Punisher Special Presentation, Vision Quest, and season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again. There’s also this little movie called Avengers: Doomsday that seems to be getting a lot of buzz. If you couldn’t tell, the last sentence was sarcasm, for it's already shaping up to be the biggest movie of the year (and likely one of the biggest of all time).
Ever since fans learned that not only is Victor von Doom finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that he’s being played by Robert Downey Jr., Avengers: Doomsday has been on everyone’s radar. And why wouldn’t it? Comic book readers have been waiting for Doctor Doom, and the Avengers franchise is incredibly popular. Speaking of the Avengers, we could see the return of the greatest Avenger for a pretty significant role.
Chris Evans' rumored MCU return in Avengers: Doomsday could lead to more
During their September Q&A with fans (via The Cosmic Circus), insider Alex Perez was asked if Chris Evans' rumored return in Avengers: Doomsday would really be the MCU veteran's last appearance as Steve Rogers? Perez simply responded with: “Don’t count Cap out just yet.”
Needless to say, that is an answer that should give fans hope for the future, especially since Chris Evans has repeatedly stated that he’s not returning to the MCU. And, yes, performers have bent the truth when being asked if they're appearing in superhero movies, but Evans' commitment to the "No" of it all has had fans worried that Cap might not appear in the upcoming movie. However, recent photos of the actor in incredible shape have resulted in fans predicting that he was back in Captain America shape for Avengers: Doomsday filming (which took place around that time in the UK).
It really does sound like Evans will have some involvement in the movie (and potentially its 2027 sequel Avengers: Secret Wars) but, as Perez said, there is still seemingly potential for him to return beyond that.
That being said, it also can't go unnoticed that Perez said "Cap" and not Chris Evans. When you’re reading reports, paying close attention to what’s being said is crucial. It’s the difference between getting an accurate description of what’s going on and being given false hope. If you’re an admirer of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, you may not have noticed that Perez never said the actor’s name in their answers. Could we see an alternate version of Captain America down the line? Is the insider referring to Sam Wilson's current Cap? We'll have to wait and see.
As for what Cap's role could be in the upcoming Avengers movies, the insider said: “Multiple people caused incursions. Steve just happens to be one of them.” We all know that if Steve is responsible for something bad, he will feel obligated to set things right. So, maybe this will be enough to keep your hope alive.
With that, it looks like Steve Rogers - the one we know and love from the previous MCU movies - will indeed be involved in the plot of Avengers: Doomsday and perhaps even Avengers: Secret Wars. That could also lead to the heavily-rumored return of Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, as Steve likely caused the incursion when he went back in time to be with her.
Here's hoping that he might even find a way to return down the line as well. Seeing Evans reprise his other Marvel role of the Human Torch / Johnny Storm in Deadpool and Wolverine was awesome, but Captain America will always be his role - so we'd love to see Steve Rogers back a few more times as the MCU heads into its next phases.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow’s social media pages on Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter for more Marvel comic book, TV, and movie news, opinions, and rumors as they come out.