The Chicago P.D. Star That Came So Close To Being Captain America

To play the role of Captain America, one needs the ability to project good old fashioned American gumption, an impressive physique ... and the skill to look convincing while throwing a weaponized shield. That being said, it makes perfect sense why a valiant actor from "Chicago P.D." was in the running to play Marvel's First Avenger while the MCU was still in its infancy. 

Steve Rogers, as played by Chris Evans, is an important fixture in Marvel lore, though these days, Rogers is taking a well-deserved retirement. In a 2019 interview from Variety, Evans was asked about the chances of him returning to the role, to which the actor replied, "There are other things that I'm working on right now. I think Cap had such a tricky act to stick the landing, and I think they did a really nice job letting him complete his journey. If you're going to revisit it, it can't be a cash grab. It can't be just because the audience wants to be excited. What are we revealing? What are we adding to the story? A lot of things would have to come together." 

These days, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) has become the worthy recipient of the famous vibranium shield, as seen in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." However, before Evans' casting as the first iteration of the character, here is the "Chicago P.D." star who came within batting distance of the role. 

According to The Mary Sue (reporting on a now-deleted release from Comic Book Movie), Patrick Flueger was originally part of Marvel's shortlist for actors considered for the iconic role of Captain America in 2011, and even screen tested as the character. 

Others that were part of the aforementioned shortlist were Chace Crawford, Mike Vogel, and John Krasinski. The irony of this shortlist? One, Chris Evans wasn't even on it. And as for John Krasinski ... well, by now, you probably know that we went on to land a vaunted role as another famous Marvel character (though whether it proves a recurring role is yet to be seen).

Flueger plays Officer Adam Ruzek in "Chicago P.D.," of course. The character is known for diving head first into dangerous scenarios because of his intense sense of duty, so had the winds of fate blown a different direction, we would have probably seen Flueger at ease in the role of Steve Rogers. Nonetheless, even though Flueger missed out on that particular role, his character of Ruzek is absolutely integral to "Chicago P.D.," and he has appeared in well over 180 episodes since 2014 (via IMDb). 

Considering the nature of Marvel movies these days, and the introduction of the multiverse, perhaps there still is a chance to see Flueger don the stars and stripes in some alternate world.