Long time Marvel movie actor Chris Evans announced today that he's surrendering his stars, stripes, and sheild as The First Avenger, Captain America. As a way of paying tribute to his near decade-long run as the free world's favorite super soldier, Evans posted an emotional goodbye to the character on his personal Twitter account, which read "Officially wrapped on Avengers 4. It was an emotional day to say the least. Playing this role over the last 8 years has been an honor. To everyone in front of the camera, behind the camera, and in the audience, thank you for the memories! Eternally grateful,"
You can see Evans' post for yourself below:
Evans first arrived as the brawny blue-eyed wonder in 2011 with the release of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. From there, Cap appeared in a number of other Marvel-related films, including THE AVENGERS (2012), CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLIDER (2014), AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015), CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016), AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2017), in addition to cameo roles in other installments belonging to the MCU.
Evans' retirement from the role should come as no surprise to fans, as the actor has been quite open about his plans to move on. In fact, Evans spoke about his exiting the part back in March when talking with The New Yorker. As a part of the revealing article, THE LOSERS and SNOWPIERCER actor confessed that "You want to get off the train before they push you off," with regard to his time as Cap.
Regardless of Evans remaining so open and chill about his departure from the role, fans of his version will no doubt be heart-broken by the loss, I know I am. That said, Marvel reportedly has big plans for the future, of which no longer involve Evans as the iron-willed warrior of social justice. Now, just because Evans is retiring, that doesn't mean that another beloved Marvel character won't pick up the shield. My money is on Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) or Falcon (Anthony Mackie) being up for the momentous task.
Who do you think will take up the legacy of Captain America in the MCU going forward? Let us know your predictions in the comments section below.
Meanwhile, Evans will return as Cap for one last mission when AVENGERS 4 smashes into theaters on May 3, 2019. So long Cap, and thank you for your service.