Chris Evans Agrees With Quentin Tarantino's Controversial MCU Comments

Former Marvel Cinematic Universe star Chris Evans thinks that Quentin Tarantino has a point about superhero movies, as it turns out.

In a GQ profile, Evans, after saying he really likes a great supporting turn, revealed, "That was the beauty of working on Marvel films. You never really had to be front and center. Even in your own films sometimes. Quentin Tarantino said it recently, and I was like, you know, he's right. The character is the star. You're there, but you don't feel the burden of it."

Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige, also quoted in the article, didn't totally agree, and followed up on Evans' comments, saying, "I think it's something he was telling himself, and I think it's something many of the Avengers, including Robert [Downey Jr.], would tell themselves, which actually was very helpful to the process. But in certain cases, including Chris's, it's not entirely true."

In November of 2022, Tarantino appeared on the "2 Bears, 1 Cave" podcast and expressed his feelings about the entire thing, saying, "Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is...you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters," Tarantino said. "But they're not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I'm not the first person to say that. I think that's been said a zillion times...but it's like, you know, it's these franchise characters that become a star."

Chris Evans only referenced the Quentin Tarantino comments insofar as he said he really loves being a part of a great ensemble, a talent he brought to his scene-stealing role in Rian Johnson's 2019 whodunit "Knives Out" (a major hit that ended up spawning its own franchise). Evans plays Hugh "Ransom" Drysdale, the hot-tempered and constantly rude grandson of the late novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), and — years-old spoiler alert — it turns out he directly contributed to his grandfather's death. The film boasts a truly wild ensemble that includes everyone from Jamie Lee Curtis to Michael Shannon to Toni Collette, and Evans really loved being a part of that.

"Someone like Robert Downey Jr. walks in the room and he owns the oxygen," Evans told GQ. "He's just such a presence, such a force. Magnetic in every way. Let him be the lead. Let him have the mic, let him say the lines. Whatever needs to be said. That's fine. Because as an actor, there's two sides to the profession, isn't there? There's the thing you do on set and then the things you do after. And it's that after stuff that I still struggle with. And it's that after stuff that some people are just phenomenal at and some people are just born to do it. I say: Let 'em. I'm not trying to fit into that box. So if a good supporting role comes along, I'm jumping at it. Just like 'Knives Out.' I'm happy to be in an ensemble. I don't need to carve out some sort of leading man niche for myself."

In an accompanying YouTube video for GQ, Chris Evans expressed total gratitude for the role, clearly putting his feelings about superhero movie culture aside. After detailing the respect with which he approached the role, saying that he didn't want to let fans down, he turned his attention to "Avengers: Endgame," his final appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "There's a lot of fun moments in 'Endgame' because it's a lot of moments that are servicing the fandom," Evans said, before clarifying. "I obviously really like the scene where I pick up Mjolnir for the first time. Just felt good."

"Most of the scenes in 'Endgame,' you're fully aware of what you got to be a part of," the actor continued. "You're really just kind of so grateful every day and trying to absorb it all. I think when you're in the middle of it, it's just like, 'Ah, there's another Marvel movie next year.' Not that you take it for granted, but it just doesn't resonate the same way when you know, 'Wow, we're wrapping in a couple weeks, and I'm putting the shield down, and it's just been such a big part of my life for a decade.' So most of 'Endgame' was a really, really lovely experience." 

Evans also said that leaving the role behind was hard, and that he'll cherish the experience forever: "That last day was emotional. It's like graduating school. I mean, like, you know the day's coming and then it's all of a sudden here and you feel like it went by way too quick. I mean, it's life changing. My life is forever not the same ... The ripple effect of signing up for that role is kind of immeasurable for me, at least. And it was a beautiful time, full of gratitude."

Since leaving the MCU and appearing in "Knives Out," Chris Evans has seriously spread his wings as an actor while still sticking to his roots sometimes — and in the process, he's dabbled in a few genres. In 2020, he starred in the crime miniseries "Defending Jacob" on AppleTV+, and had a small cameo in Adam McKay's Oscar-nominated climate change satire "Don't Look Up" in 2021. The following year, he voiced Buzz Lightyear in the Pixar origin story "Lightyear" — creating a viral tweet in the process, which has since been deleted along with Evans' account — and reunited with MCU directors Joe and Anthony Russo for the action thriller "The Gray Man."

Evans' next attempt at action stardom in "Ghosted," with his "Knives Out" co-star Ana de Armas, was largely panned by critics, but his newest movie "Pain Hustlers," a drama about the American opioid epidemic, will give the star a new shot at critical acclaim when it releases on October 20, 2023. You can stream Evans' role as Captain America on Disney+ now as well, if you want to relive what will probably be his all-time biggest role.