Chris Evans is an actor with dozens of credits to his name but he is best known for playing Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Evans' seemingly retiring from the role with Avengers: Endgame bringing about the conclusion of the character and his arc, it's been made clear that his career is nowhere near finished. He'll be starring in the upcoming limited series Defending Jacob which premieres on Apple TV and he seems to have several other movie roles lined up with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
While Captain America is the character many think of when his name is mentioned, he has acted in a lot of roles outside of the MCU as well. Many of which show his range as an actor but haven't received nearly as much attention as they should have. So if you want to see his acting in films that don't have him playing Captain America, here are Chris Evans’ 10 best roles outside of the MCU according to IMDb.
Before We Go - 6.8
The film is an independent romantic drama that follows two strangers, Nick Vaughan and Brooke Dalton. Both wind up stuck in Manhattan for the night and find mutual understanding in each other after a night of adventure. Evans stars in the film as Vaughan alongside British actress Alice Eve, who portrayed Dalton. In addition to starring in the film, the project also marked Evans' directional debut allowing him to demonstrate that he was a capable director behind the camera as well as a talented actor in front of it.
The Iceman - 6.8
This film, which is actually based on a true story, focuses on Richard Kuklinski, a hitman that keeps his job a secret from his wife and kids with them only finding out when he is arrested years later. In the film, Evans plays Robert 'Mr. Freezy' Pronge, a rival hitman that drives an ice cream truck filled with cyanide. The film was actually Evans' first non-MCU after signing on to play Captain America with his two film appearances before this one being The Avengers and Captain America: The First Avenger.
The Fugitive - 7.0
The show is a reboot of the 1963 series of the same name. Both series focus on Dr. Richard Kimble who gets framed by a mysterious one-armed man for the murder of his wife. Kimble escapes and attempts to track down the one-armed man and figured out why he framed, all while trying to avoid being caught by Inspector Phillip Gerard who is desperately trying to bring him in alive.
Evans only appears in one episode of the series "Guilt" in which Kimble arrives in Manchester, South Carolina where he takes on the persona of Raymond Lee Pettiford and starts to work at a local bar. Evans plays Zack Lardner, the sheriff's unruly son, who comes it along with some of his high school friends attempting to get liquor which ends up resulting in a fight when Kimble says refuses to provide them with some. Zack plays a large role in the rest of the episode, with him even stealing a car at one point.
Sunshine - 7.2
The movie which is set in the near future, with the Earth's dying sun potentially meaning the end of humanity, sees a crew of eight men and women journey off into space on a dangerous mission with a device that could revive the star. Evans portrayed James Mace, the crew's engineer, a man with a military background and, as Evans puts it, "a very level head which enables him to operate daily coherently under pressure-filled situations". Evans himself described the film as one of the movies that he wished got more attention and could have changed the direction of his career.
The Paper Boy - 7.5
The short film is about a mysterious girl in a leg brace that makes it more difficult than expected for Ben to collect for his paper route. In the movie, Chris Evans plays the character of Ben Harris, the titular character. It was Evans' first acting gig, which he got through Back Stage in New York. According to him, it was his "first real audition" outside of community theater. While it is almost impossible to find the short online, Chris Evans has confirmed that he still has a copy of it.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - 7.5
The action-comedy, based on the popular graphic novel, follows 22-year-old Scott Pilgrim after he meets the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers. Scott soon learns that in order to be with her, he has to fight and defeat all of her seven evil exes.
In the movie, Evans plays Lucas Lee, a skateboarder turned actor and Ramona's second evil ex. Despite only appearing on screen for a few minutes, the hilarity of the role and battle with Scott, played by Michael Cera, makes Evans stand out even among everything that is going on in the over-the-top neon film.
Gifted - 7.6
Gifted is a movie that follows the journeys and custody battle for Mary, an intellectually gifted young girl, between her grandmother and uncle. While Mckenna Grace's Mary is at the center of the story, Chris Evans' character's perspective also is a large part of the plot. Evans plays Mary's uncle, Frank Adler, a boat repairman and former Professor who is dealing with attempting to raise Mary as well as deal with his mother who wants to take her. His part in the story also shows him exploring a new relationship with Mary's teacher, Bonnie.
Boston Public - 7.9
One of Evans' earliest roles was as a guest star on a show called Boston Public. Unlike most shows set in high school, Boston Public primarily focused on the faculty and their relationship with the students. Evans only appears in only one episode "Chapter Nine", which sees the police showing up on the first day back at school looking for a murder suspect from a nearby botched robbery. In the episode, Evans, a Boston native, played Neil Mavromates, the student who had accidentally killed someone during the robbery attempt.
Knives Out - 8.0
One of Evans' highest-rated films is also one of his most recent. Knives Out centers around the sudden death of Harlon Thrombey, a renown crime novelist, after his 85th birthday. Evans plays Hugh Ransom Drysdale, Harlon's spoiled grandson and one of the film's many suspects in this modern take on the murder mystery genre. The film was Evans' first movie role following Avengers: Endgame which marked the end for his character in the MCU. The project received tons of critical acclaim and was even nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, serving as a strong jumping-off point for the rest of his career.
Opposite Sex - 8.9
Evans' highest-rated part comes from his first television acting role on Opposite Sex. The show follows the life of Jed Perry, a 15-year-old that recently moved to Northern California with his father after the death of his mother. Evans played Cary, one of the only other two boys that attend the formerly all-girls school that Jed goes to. He appeared in the series as a part of the main cast for all 8 episodes alongside This is Us' Milo Ventimiglia who plays Jed. The show premiered on Fox in 2000 but despite its praise, the series was canceled after only one season.