Doomsday Makes a Big Change to Endgame's Captain America, Ending Chris Evans Return Theory

Captain America's MCU ending is revisited in a huge new theory that perfectly explains Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell's returns in Avengers: Judgment Day. Chris Evans' Steve Rogers and Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter were at the center of one of the MCU's oldest and most complex love stories. This could now continue into Phase 6 as Evans and Atwell have been confirmed to be cast Avengers: Judgment Daywhich should kick off the final chapter of the Multiverse Saga when it hits theaters on May 1, 2026.

Chris Evans' return to the MCU is especially exciting, as he previously played Steve Rogers' Captain America, one of Marvel's cornerstone heroes, in 2011. Captain America: The First Avenger and 2019 Avengers: Endgame. Evans recently reprized his classic Human Torch role of Johnny Storm in Deadpool and Wolverineand now he is expected to debut as a new character in the MCU. It has not yet been revealed who Chris Evans will play Avengers: Judgment Daybut while theories suggest he could play an evil Captain America, there is one clear character he would be much better suited for.

Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell to reunite in Avengers: Judgment Day

Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell debuted in the MCU in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger

The romance between Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter is one of the most iconic in the MCU, and it's especially touching since they ended up getting a semblance of a happy ending. After he was frozen in ice at the end of Captain America: The First AvengerRogers woke up in the modern era having missed his dance date with Carter in 1945. He had to care for his lost love and eventually passed away in Captain America: Civil Warso it seemed that Rogers would never end up with what he was looking for.

Avengers: Endgame changed everything, as Steve Rogers took the opportunity, after returning the Infinity Stones to their respective timelines, to retire as Captain America and remain in an alternate past. He reunited with Peggy Carter and the two were seen dancing together for the last time, completing Rogers' arc. perfectly. Now, however, it has been confirmed that Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell will return in Avengers: Judgment Dayand perhaps it makes more sense for them to simply pick up where they left off, reprising their original MCU roles.

Steve Rogers' final retirement must have caused problems for the multiverse

Steve Rogers shouldn't stay in the past

As beautiful as Avengers: Endgame the ending was for Steve Rogers, this was never supposed to be his journey in the MCU. The revelations and transformative events of the Multiverse Saga have seemingly confirmed that The longer Rogers stays in his newly created timeline with Peggy Carter and the bigger the footprint he leaves, the greater the risk to the stability of this entire reality.. Rogers returning as an elderly man in End of the game suggests nothing went wrong, but Marvel Studios could easily use the multiverse to rewrite that.

It makes sense that Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter's new reality could fall victim to an incursion caused by Rogers' own existence there.. Steve Rogers living in the 1950s is an epic deviation from the “proper” flow of things, so it's bound to cause problems. One popular theory suggests this could come to a head in The Fantastic Four: Getting Startedas the film's 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic world may be the cause of Rogers' existence in the 1950s. However, Avengers: Judgment Daywith Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell in the cast, it's the most obvious place for this damage to be seen.

Chris Evans Could Return in Doomsday as His Original MCU Hero

Chris Evans played Captain America in 10 MCU films (and made 2 more cameos)

Currently, the most popular theory about Chris Evans' return in Avengers: Judgment Day suggests he will play a version of Steve Rogers who was indoctrinated by HYDRA from a young age. It would be brilliant to see this in live action, but it's much more convincing that Chris Evans is actually playing his original version of Steve Rogers. This still makes sense for the Multiverse Saga, as Rogers found himself in a branching timeline in Avengers: Endgameand would also clearly explain Hayley Atwell's return.

Chris Evans has repeatedly expressed his reluctance to return as the original version of Steve Rogers, feeling very protective of the role and its ending. However, this heartbreaking ending would cause significant problems for the multiverse, and later Deadpool and Wolverine began with Deadpool digging up Wolverine's grave, clearly messing with the beautiful ending of Loganit would be subversive to see this happen again. The adorable timeline created by Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter in the 1950s could be destroyed by an incursionbringing the original Captain America back to the MCU.

How Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter Could Be Different in Judgment Day

Hayley Atwell gets the chance to play a whole new Peggy Carter

Although Chris Evans could easily return as the original version of Steve Rogers, the original Peggy Carter died peacefully in her bed in Captain America: Civil War. The version of Peggy Carter at the end of Avengers: Endgame was a branched timeline variant created when Rogers decided to stay, and his story was not explored. This gives Hayley Atwell the chance to play a whole new version of Peggy Carter in Avengers: Judgment Dayperhaps even bringing his super soldier, Captain Carter, back to live action for a more complete adventure.

After debuting in animation And if…? series, another variant of Captain Carter appeared in live action as a member of the Illuminati of Earth-838 in 2022 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She was quickly killed by Scarlet Witch, along with many of her teammates, but Hayley Atwell could play a new version in Avengers: Judgment Day. That would be amazing because Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell could play formidable super-soldiers side by sidestrengthening their relationship with the MCU seven years after they both left.

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  February 14, 2025
  

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  July 24, 2026
  

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