The Avengers: Doomsday Theory Could Perfectly Explain Chris Evans' Casting

In July 2024, Marvel fans were rocked by the announcement that Robert Downey Jr. — Iron Man himself — would be returning to the MCU in the role of Doctor Doom in "Avengers: Doomsday." Now, TheWrap has reported that Chris Evans has also joined the cast of the fifth "Avengers" installment, but there's no guarantee that he'll be playing the Captain America we know. Audiences were sad to see Steve Rogers' sendoff in 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," and with the First Avenger now a senior citizen, it's unlikely that Earth-616's Cap will take back his shield from Sam Wilson. Instead, we might get another variant of Steve Rogers — and not a very nice one. 

In 2016, comics readers who cracked open the first issue of "Captain America: Steve Rogers" were stunned to learn that the Star Spangled Man has become an agent of Hydra. It turns out that a variant of Cap from Earth-61311 with much darker sensibilities has taken the place of the iconic Avenger. In the "Secret Empire" storyline, this Steve ends up working with Hydra to take over both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the United States government, becoming known as the Hydra Supreme in the process. He's finally defeated when the real Steve Rogers returns thanks to the sentient Cosmic Cube known as Kobik.

If Evans does return as the Hydra Supreme, or any other villain for that matter, it's likely that he and Downey would team up once again. This time, though, they'd be squaring off against a version of the Avengers that's missing several of their founding members. Heroes like Spider-Man and the Winter Soldier would have difficult times fighting evildoers that share their friends' faces.

Of course, there's no guarantee that Chris Evans is playing a villain. After all, the actor already shocked "Fantastic Four" fans in 2024 when he made a surprise return as Johnny Storm in "Deadpool & Wolverine." It's possible that Evans could be preparing to revisit the Human Torch once again — but if he is, he probably won't be playing the same variant that met an unfortunate demise in the Void.

If Evans does return as Captain America — and not a villainous version — it would likely be as a different variant, of which there are plenty throughout the multiverse. He could be the Steve Rogers of the Ultimates universe, Earth-1610, or even the Cap that's was combined with Doctor Strange to become the Soldier Supreme like he did in the "Infinity Warps" storyline. The possibilities are endless, especially because there's still a chance that Evans is playing none of these characters at all. No one predicted that Robert Downey Jr. would be playing Doom, so it's feasible that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige is preparing to throw fans another major curveball. There's only one thing we know for sure: no matter who Evans is playing, we'll definitely be watching.