Chris Evans stopped portraying Captain America in 2019, and yet his highest-grossing movie since then is yet another MCU movie. Evans ostensibly bowed out of the MCU when Steve Rogers retired at the end of Avengers: Endgame after having lived a long life with Peggy Carter. Still, the conspicuous fact that the Multiverse Saga has featured MCU variants aplenty (a concept that was technically introduced in Avengers: Endgame) has raised many eyebrows over the permanence of Steve Rogers’ departure, especially now that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom.

Whatever the case, Chris Evans would have everyone believe that he is “happily retired” from the MCU as he continues to refute suggestions that he will return in a future MCU installment. It is no surprise that these suggestions are so rife, as Chris Evans’ tenure as Steve Rogers is among the most celebrated within the MCU. Furthermore, there may be added incentive for Evans to return to the franchise, given his MCU roles are always his biggest money-spinners.

Chris Evans’ Highest-Grossing Post-Endgame Role Was In Another MCU Movie

Chris Evans Portrayed Johnny Storm In ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine

Chris Evans has starred in ten movies since Avengers: Endgame was released in 2019, proving that, while the MCU may have supercharged his career, he is far from a one-trick pony. Among his most successful roles since he last portrayed Steve Rogers were as Ransom in 2019’s Knives Out and as Buzz Lightyear in 2022’s Lightyear. Still, the global box offices for these movies pale in comparison to what Chris Evans’ most recent MCU movies were taking in, with the last three taking over $1 billion apiece.

Five years after Chris Evans starred in Avengers: Endgame, he went on to cameo as Johnny Storm in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine. While ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine grossed less than half of Avengers: Endgame‘s mind-blowing $2.7 billion, its $1.3 billion worldwide gross dwarfs everything that came between, with Evans’s highest-grossing non-MCU movie, Free Guy, earning $323 million worldwide. Interestingly, even 2005’s Fantastic Four, where he portrayed Johnny Storm for the first time, grossed more with $333 million total.

Why Chris Evans’ Post-Endgame Movies Haven’t Been Big Box Office Hits

Half Of Chris Evans’ Movies Went Straight To Streamers

The performance of Chris Evans’ post-Endgame movies are indicative of the MCU’s continued profitability, even in the Multiverse Saga, which has played host to some of the MCU’s lowest-grossing movies. ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine‘s $1.3 billion is an exceptionally high bar to clear, after all. Still, even Chris Evans’ second-highest-grossing movie after Avengers: Endgame grossed less than the MCU’s third-lowest-grossing movie, Captain America: The First Avenger, and only surpᴀssed The Incredible Hulk and The Marvels with its worldwide box office total. With that in mind, here are some reasons why Chris Evans’ filmography falls short of MCU standards.

Five Of Chris Evans’ Movies Were Released On Streaming Platforms

The Red Sea Diving Resort, Ghosted, and Pain Hustlers were released straight to streaming platforms, while The Gray Man and Don’t Look Up had limited theatrical releases before swiftly migrating to Netflix. While The Red Sea Diving Resort and Pain Hustlers were relatively underwhelming, receiving generally negative reviews from critics, Ghosted was Apple TV+’s most-watched movie debut, and Don’t Look Up was Netflix’s second-most-watched movie within 28 days. Nevertheless, high streaming viewership does not translate to a global box office.

Chris Evans’ Highest-Grossing Non-MCU Movies Were Original Properties

While the MCU benefits from a reputation cultivated over nearly two decades and its overall family-friendly accessibility, original movies like Free Guy and Knives Out aren’t typically expected to reach the same figures. In fact, both of these movies were considered financial successes, despite still falling short of Chris Evans’ lowest-grossing MCU movie, Captain America: The First Avenger, which grossed $370 million worldwide in the earliest days of the MCU. Unfortunately, it is difficult to ascertain how much more Glᴀss Onion: A Knives Out Mystery would have fared compared to the prequel, as it was only in theaters for one week.

Lightyear Fell Short Of Expectations

Although Lightyear was generally well-received by critics and audiences, several factors conspired to make it one of Pixar’s lowest-grossing movies. In 2022, audiences were generally accustomed to seeing Disney Pixar movies appear on Disney+ immediately, which wasn’t the case for Lightyear. The movie also faced particularly stiff compeтιтion, with Jurᴀssic World Dominion, Top Gun: Maverick, and Minions: The Rise of Gru all releasing around the same time. It was additionally a confusing Pixar installment for Toy Story fans as it was a spin-off film-within-a-film instead of a direct prequel or sequel.

Red One Was A Straight-Up Flop

Chris Evans’ recent Christmas movie, headlined by Hollywood superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, only grossed $186 million against a reported budget of at least $200 million. While it was evidently expected to dominate the holiday season box office, generally unfavorable reviews from critics likely quashed any momentum it might have gained from its star-studded cast and kid-friendly spectacle. Red One proved to be particularly divisive, with its audience score on Rotten Tomatoes sitting at a highly respectable 90%, though this simply did not translate to ticket sales in 2024.

Does Chris Evans Need The MCU?

Chris Evans Seems To Be Happy Taking Roles He Wants

If Chris Evans was particularly concerned about banking as much as possible in the next few years, then he might be tempted back to a role in Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars. The fact that none of his recent movies’ box offices come close to the inordinately vast box office gross of his most recent MCU movies would suggest that Evans would leap at the chance to contribute to yet another $1 billion movie. Then again, his recent acting choices might tell a different story entirely.

Chris Evans’ star power has been significantly bolstered by his MCU career, and it stands to reason that he would be one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors now that he has ostensibly left the MCU. Nevertheless, Red One notwithstanding, Chris Evans doesn’t appear to be especially concerned with securing acting credits for surefire blockbusters and is instead more liable to have fun and focus on creativity and range. His upcoming movie, Honey Don’t! (directed by Ethan Cohen), in which he plays cult leader Reverend Drew Devlin, is indicative of this.

Furthermore, Chris Evans has already stated that he is “happily retired” from the MCU and would only return if it felt particularly justified. While it therefore isn’t impossible that he would return as a Captain America variant in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, it doesn’t seem to be a surefire bet, regardless of its profitability. Still, until further details about the Multiverse Saga’s climax emerge, Chris Evans fans can only hope that he will reprise his iconic MCU role.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday

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  December 18, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

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  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  December 17, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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Sources: Rotten Tomatoes & The Numbers