“I can’t see myself pursuing acting”: Before Passing the Torch to Anthony Mackie, Chris Evans Almost Quit Acting if it Meant He Could No Longer Work With Marvel
Chris Evans is unquestionably one of the best actors in Hollywood. He has been part of various successful films but rose to fame after starring in Marvel as Captain America. The actor has won over millions of hearts with his powerful acting skills. Evans’ nearly ten-year tenure as Captain America began with Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and ended with Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Marvel has had a significant impact on his ranking as one of the highest-paid actors in the world. But there was a time when the media was flooded with the news of Chris Evans thinking of quitting acting after ending his tenure with Marvel. In the MCU, Captain America passed his shield to Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie, after the Avengers: Endgame.
Chris Evans almost quit acting after ending tenure with Marvel
Over the years, Chirs Evans has become synonymous with Captain America. He played Captain America for nearly ten years, making his debut in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and his final appearance in Avengers: Endgame (2019). However, in 2014, the entertainment industry was hit by the news that Evans was thinking of quitting acting after ending his tenure with Marvel.
The actor, in an interview with Variety, shared his intention to retire from being in front of the camera. He had an ambition beyond the superhero costume. During that time, the actor was working on pursuing filmmaking and made his directorial debut with a microbudget romance film titled 1:30 Train. The film ignited his passion for filmmaking, but he was unable to pursue filmmaking due to his busy schedule with Marvel.
The Gifted actor laying out his vision for the future said,
“If I’m acting at all, it’s going to be under Marvel contract, or I’m going to be directing. I can’t see myself pursuing acting strictly outside of what I’m contractually obligated to do.”
It’s been over nine years since that revelation, and the actor is still in the industry and has been part of various successful films like Knives Out (2019), Defending Jacob (2020), and the action film The Gray Man (2022). For his Captain America character, Chris Evans passed on the shield to Anthony Mackie, who plays Sam Wilson in the MCU. The actor will be seen playing Captain America for the first time in the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World.
Also Read: Disappointing Update on MCU’s First Chris Evans Less Captain America Movie
Chris Evans’ career as Captain America in MCU
Before starring as Captain America in the MCU, the actor played Human Torch from Marvel Comics in two Fantastic Four films. He made his debut as Steve Rogers/Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011.
Evans character’s follows Rogers’s story from being a skinny, bullied orphan in the 1940s to transforming into the muscular Captain America thanks to a top-secret serum manufactured by the government. He further leads the American Army in a successful battle against the Nazis.
The 42-year-old played the character for eight years in various Marvel movies and decided to retire from his duties in a shocking turn of events in Avengers: Endgame(2019).
The duties were passed on to Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, as seen in the 2019 movie where Rogers gets a happy ending with Peggy Carter and chooses Wilson as the new Captain.
The world is excited to see Anthony Mackie take up the mantel of Captain America in the upcoming film Captain America: New World Order, which will mark the first Cap movie in the MCU that does not star Chris Evans as Steve Rogers.
Captain America: New World Order comes out in 2024.
Also Read: Disney CEO Seemingly Confirms Chris Evans’ Future After His $225M Box-Office Failure
Source: Variety
