Chris Evans' return in Avengers: Judgment Day is undeniably exciting, but I have some reservations about how negatively it might affect other characters in the MCU. Evans' return in the next MCU film has been confirmed in December 2024, although it's unclear what exactly his role would be. This naturally increased enthusiasm for the long-awaited story of Avengers: Judgment Daywhich is still scheduled for worldwide release in May 2026, with its sequel – Avengers: Secret Wars – arriving a year later, in 2027.
The addition of Evans to the film makes Avengers: Judgment DayA cast that causes extreme excitement has been confirmed. Evans will not only reunite with his former co-star, Robert Downey Jr., but also the heroes of the 2025 Marvel films such as The Fantastic Four: Getting Started and Rays* are also confirmed to be part of the story. While I can't wait to see how all of these heroes, both familiar and unknown, are woven into the story of Avengers: Judgment DayI have some concerns. Above all, my main reservation is that the film's big MCU returns will overshadow other characters in the franchise.
Chris Evans' Avengers: Doomsday casting is good news, but it makes it even harder for other Marvel characters to shine
The leaders of the new Avengers will probably take a backseat
As I alluded to, Evans' return in Avengers: Judgment Day It's good news. The actor is a cornerstone of the MCU and played one of the most beloved characters in the Infinity Saga. For these reasons alone, Evans will always be welcomed back into the franchise by myself and countless other Marvel Studios fans around the world.. What makes Evans' return even more exciting is the lack of clarity regarding who he will play. Will it be Captain America, an evil version like a HYDRA agent or something else? We can't wait to find out.
That said, Evans' return – combined with Robert Downey Jr.'s – risks taking the spotlight away from other Marvel characters. Many expected that Avengers 5 and 6 it would allow other Avengers who received less focus in the Infinity Saga to gain prominence. Whether it's Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Black Panther, or Anthony Mackie's Captain America, that now seems less likely as a lot of focus will be placed on Evans and RDJ. The return of two great actors will cause this unconsciously, making it more difficult for other MCU characters to shine.
I'm Worried Chris Evans' Avengers: Doomsday Role Will Overshadow Anthony Mackie's Captain America
Captain America Deserved to Lead an Avengers Movie Without Other Distractions
Perhaps the biggest victim in all of this is Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson. While Avengers 5 always presented the chance to highlight many other Avengers, it was a personal hope of mine that this would position Sam's Captain America as the true leader of the team in Steve Rogers' absence. Of course, I'm aware that this could still happen if Evans is brought back in a villainous role or as another multiversal hero, but the involvement of someone so synonymous with Steve Rogers' Captain America will undoubtedly shift focus away from Sam.
I still think Mackie's hat will be important to the film, but the subconscious connection the audience will make between Evans and Steve Rogers will be prevalent throughout the film. Avengers 5the story…
Avengers: Judgment Day presented the chance to give Sam Wilson massive development after his first solo MCU outing in Captain America: Brave New Worldthe story. Again, I still think Mackie's hat will be important to the film, but the subconscious connection the audience will make between Evans and Steve Rogers will be prevalent throughout the film. Avengers 5the story. This, combined with the already huge event of his return to RDJ's side, may not allow Avengers: Judgment Day to give Mackie's Captain America the public focus he deserves.
The announcements of Mackie and Evans joining Avengers: Doomsday make me even more worried
Admittedly, these concerns could be dismissed as personal reservations I have about Avengers: Judgment Day. However, the casting announcements of Evans and Mackie joining the project only reinforced my belief that the latter could go unnoticed in the film. Reports that Chris Evans would return in Avengers: Judgment Day were released by media outlets at almost exactly the same time as similar reports that Mackie had also signed on to the film. This caused a lot of discussion and discourse online, but the vast majority of it was directed at Evans and his return to the MCU.
It's not lost on me that this is simply due to Evans' return in Avengers: Judgment Day was highly unexpected, with many predicting that Mackie would have a major role in the film. Without considering, most of the conversation being directed towards Evans' return rather than Mackie's reinforces the idea that Avengers: Judgment Day could put too much focus – intentional or not – on the first. If Mackie's role in Avengers 5 Had it been announced on a different day than Evans, I have no doubt audiences would have been excited and theorizing about Captain America leading the team. However, Evans' announcement gained prominence.
How Chris Evans' Return Could Still Allow Anthony Mackie's Captain America to Shine
The MCU has enough story to tell
Despite my worries, I believe Avengers: Judgment Day – and Avengers: Secret Wars — could balance Evans' return in a way that allows Mackie's Captain America to take the spotlight as he deserves. The main element of the initial report that gives me this hope is that the extent of Evans' role in the film has not been clarified. It has not been reported that Evans is the film's main character or will have as large a role as Downey Jr. This leaves the door open for Avengers 5 to focus on Mackie's Captain America and other MCU heroes.
As everyone knows, Avengers 5 will directly configure the story of Avengers: Secret Wars. In Marvel Comics, the story of Secret Wars involves Doctor Doom merging the surviving worlds of a collapsing multiverse into a singular plane of existence: Battleworld. This meant that various Marvel characters from across the multiverse combined to defeat Doom and restore the multiverse. With that in mind, Evans' appearance makes more sense for Avengers: Secret Wars what you do to Avengers: Judgment Day.
Avengers: Secret Wars following this comic would explain how the likes of Deadpool, Wolverine, and potentially Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Men may appear as rumors.
Therefore, Evans' return in Avengers: Judgment Day could simply be a post-credits moment or a cliffhanger, teasing his larger role in Avengers 6. This would not only drastically increase the expectation of Avengers: Judgment Daysequel, but it would also explain why reports haven't been able to clarify his screen time in the prequel film, as it's only a brief scene at the end. This way, Avengers: Judgment Day could focus entirely on the cap of Anthony Mackie and his team, before Avengers: Secret Wars allows for great appearances.
Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will bring together heroes, new and old, to face Victor von Doom – played by the returned Robert DOwney Jr.. Avengers 5 will also mark the beginning of phase 6 of the MCU.
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February 14, 2025
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July 25, 2025
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July 24, 2026
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