Chris Evans took the role of Marvel Cinematic Universe's Captain America thanks to his mom's convincing. After almost a decade of playing Steve Rogers on the big screen, the actor finally passed on the shield at the end of Avengers: Endgame to Anthony Mackie, whose Sam Wilson will be the next Captain America. People continue to feel nostalgic over the Infinity Saga, and the latest bit of information regarding Evans' stint in the franchise looks back at how he decided to accept Marvel Studios' offer to play the iconic comic book hero.

Joe and Anthony Russo's Endgame was the culmination of MCU's overarching narrative starting from 2008 via Jon Favreau's Iron Man. It also marked the final chapter for some of the universe's founding members. Unlike Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Steve didn't end up dying. Instead, he got the happy ending he deserved after years of self-sacrifice when he went back to the 40s to reunite and live a full life with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). While the character technically isn't dead, Evans is officially out of the franchise. However, a brand new interview traces back how his journey as the Star Spangled Avenger began.

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Fans of the MCU's Captain America has Evans' mom, Lisa Evans to thank. In the latest Esquire cover story, she recalls how her son didn't want to initially take the part despite it being repeatedly offered to him. Ironically, the actor was afraid he was going to get so famous that he would have to forego his privacy. Lisa Evans offered some perspective, however, pointing out that if her son wanted to act for the rest of his life, taking a high profile part in the then-budding MCU could make it all happen.

His biggest fear was losing his anonymity. He said, ‘I have a career now where I can do work I really like. I can walk my dog. Nobody bothers me. Nobody wants to talk to me. I can go wherever I want. And the idea of losing that is terrifying to me.’ ... He would call and ask for my advice. I said to him, ‘Look, you want to do acting work for the rest of your life? If you do this part, you will have the opportunity. You’ll never have to worry about paying the rent. If you take the part, you just have to decide, It’s not going to affect my life negatively - it will enable it.’

Chris Evans flying a plane in Captain America The First Avenger

It's no secret that Chris Evans had serious reservations about taking the Captain America role. Over the years, he's been vocal about his initial skepticism. He talked about the thought of signing up for a multi-picture deal scaring him because he doesn't want to be tied to a film series if it's not working. This was brought up by his less than ideal experience playing Johnny Storm in Fox's Fantastic Four films in the mid-2000s. After turning down the part a few times, Marvel Studios saw other actors for the role, which included John Krasinski and Daredevil season 3 actor Wilson Bethel, but they still ultimately ended up with Evans. In 2010, he was officially cast for the role with Captain America: The First Avenger as his first outing, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Being a fixture in the MCU's Infinity Saga, it's difficult to imagine the universe without Captain America. A lot of fans will surely miss the character and Evans in the franchise, but sending off him and a couple of other beloved Phase 1 heroes was needed to keep the film series sustainable. The public can only be thankful that his story closed in a satisfying manner. All that being said, if Marvel Studios wants to bring Evans back, chances are they'll be able to find a way to do it.

More: How Marvel's Phase 4 Is Setting Up MCU's X-Men & Fantastic Four

Source: Esquire

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