As Lightyear prepares to blast off toward box office success on June 17th, it's worth wondering if star Chris Evans will become just as synonymous with the iconic Pixar character as he has Captain America. After all, Steve Rogers passed the mantle to Sam Wilson, making Evans' reign as Captain America a thing of the past. Lightyear, however, is all about the future and beyond.
To get a pulse on where Evans' filmography stacks with regards to his portrayals of Captain America, the fans at Ranker have put in their two cents, highlighting a top-heavy MCU slate balanced by smaller indie movies that prove Evans' convincing acting chops.
Note: Ranker lists are live and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing
Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer (2007)
Rent On Apple TV
Given the massive success of Evans' run as Captain America, it's easy to forget he played Johnny Storm aka Human Torch in two Fantastic Four films. In the sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, Storm and his cohorts The Thing, Invisible Woman, and Mister Fantastic do their best to take on and eventually join forces with Silver Surfer to ensure Earth remains safe from Galactus.
While many fans and critics felt the movie surpassed its predecessor as an eye-popping marvel of exquisite special visual effects, others felt the scant 92-minute runtime left a lot to be desired. Even so, the film became popular enough to earn a nod for the 2008 Best Science Fiction Film Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, losing out to Cloverfield.
The Nanny Diaries (2007)
Stream On Amazon Prime, The Roku Channel, Crackle, & Vudu
Based on the novel of the same name, Evans stars opposite Scarlett Johansson in the underrated 2000s romantic comedy The Nanny Diaries, in which he plays her love interest Hayden the "Harvard Hottie." With electric chemistry that carries the delightful movie a long way, the story concerns the growing pains of Annie (Johansson), a recent college grad navigating personal and professional hurdles after taking a nanny job for an affluent New York couple.
With solid supporting turns by Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti, the film proved that Evans could handle more sophisticated comedy than he showed in Not Another Teen Movie, and marked the second of eight movies that Evans has made with Johansson to date, proving what terrific screen partners they've made for more than a decade.
Fantastic Four (2005)
Stream On Disney+
While many moviegoers felt Rise of the Silver Surfer slightly trumped its predecessor, Ranker fans feel quite the opposite. Also directed by Tim Story, the origin tale of the superpowered space travelers Johnny and Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Reed Richards hewed to the old cartoonish superhero movie formula that Iron Man helped to redefine for the better three years later as the MCU came into its own.
While most critics panned Fantastic Four as being too dim, boring, unconvincing, and boasting a mediocre origin story, those who enjoyed the film did so for it favoring rich characterizations over a streamlined plot, allowing viewers to get to know the Fantastic Four in the way true origin stories should.
Gifted (2017)
Stream On Tubi & The Roku Channel
Evans gives one of his most tender performances in Gifted, in which he plays Frank, the uncle and unofficial guardian of a child math prodigy named Mary (Mckenna Grace). When Frank's estranged mother wants to legally adopt Mary and use her brilliant mind for her own financial gain, Frank undergoes a litigious battle to win custody of his niece while severing ties with his mother.
A difficult subject matter to navigate, the film gets to the heart of what it means to be an unconditionally loving family member, and the profound sacrifices required to find happiness. Aside from Evans' touching turn, the film was praised for its sincerity and a deft balance of comedy and drama.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Stream On Disney+
Of the three Captain America movies to date, Ranker fans feel Civil War is currently the weakest. Indeed, the story itself is quite polarizing, as it sews major division within the Marvel superhero ranks and pits the pure and altruistic Steve Rogers versus the snarky Tony Stark.
With trenchant political subtext that was hailed for mirroring the current events of the time, Civil War shows Evans at his most comfortable and confident inside the iconic superhero costume, with his experience shining brightly upon having to make difficult decisions waging war against Team Iron Man. While more of an ensemble piece, the crowd-pleasing action sequences, gripping story, and scintillating big-scale spectacle drew near-universal praise.
What's Your Number? (2011)
Rent On Apple TV
Directed by Mark Mylod, What's Your Number? stars Anna Faris as Ally Darling, a lovelorn thirtysomething who recollects her 19 past lovers to figure out where her romantic dalliances went wrong. As she stumbles down memory lane and hopes to make her 20th lover her last, Ally meets her musician neighbor Colin Shea (Evans in one of his most iconic roles), who begins helping her track down her former lovers. Soon, the two can't help but fall for each other.
Despite most critics dismissing the story as formulaic, predictable, and uninspired, most of the praise for the film singled out Faris' witty comedic timing but lamented how few scenes she and Evans shared despite the charming chemistry they demonstrated onscreen.
The Avengers (2012)
Stream On Disney+
Thanks to Evans playing a key cog in The Avengers, it's hard to overstate the massive popularity and satisfaction of the big-scale blockbuster. Earning more than $200 million on opening weekend (per Box Office Mojo), the landmark pop-cultural event not only altered the sheer business model of theatrical movie releases but also led to Infinity War and Endgame, arguably the finest MCU movies on record.
For his part, Evans plays Steve Rogers with a much darker tone than in the Captain America films as he struggles to grasp the modern world and reconcile the fact that he's in a new time and place where most of his friends are dead. The arc that Cap undergoes from a lonely fish out of the water to a confident team member and heroic savior is part of what makes the character's mythology resonate with so many fans.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Stream On Disney+
Evans donned the Captain America shield for the first time in The First Avenger, essentially serving as a character-based origin story. The plot introduces Steve Rogers as a repudiated military soldier who, as a way of proving his worth, imbibes a super serum and slowly morphs into Captain America en route to thwarting a global terrorist hellbent on starting a war.
With the size, scale, and scope of a blockbuster handled admirably by the experienced Joe Johnston, the film was hailed for restoring the light, breezy touch of comic book movies that fell out of favor when darker superhero movies were being released. Moreover, the romance between Rogers and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) was singled out for being as authentic and germane to the plot as any comic book movie of 2011.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Stream On Disney+
Despite having a somewhat smaller role in Infinity War, Evans continues to credibly depict Captain America struggling with the decision to care for himself or look after others. Of course, the quest to stop Thanos from obtaining all of the Infinity Stones becomes a paramount plot point, allowing for the full gamut of MCU characters to contribute in some capacity.
After producing a decade of standalone and crossover superhero films, the way in which directors Joe and Anthony Russo are able to expertly tie all of the various strings and loose strands together to create one single unified MCU vision that pays fan service as one grand gestalt is simply beyond reproach. A giant production with even larger stakes, Infinity Wars earns its spot indeed.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Stream On Disney+
According to Ranker, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the best movie of Chris Evans' career to date. The importance of the film is hard to ignore, as it marked the first of four MCU movies directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, arguably the definitive creative voices currently working within the franchise.
Still struggling to adjust to his modern surroundings after being awoken from frozen suspended animation, The Winter Soldier finds Steve Rogers and his outmoded 1940s do-gooder demeanor on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D, which has deemed him a traitor following Nick Fury's (faked) death. Fast-paced, loaded with enthralling set pieces and the stellar interplay between Rogers, The Falcon, and Black Widow, The Winter Soldier manages to feel fresh as a standalone film as well as an integral part of the overarching MCU mythology.