Chris Evans returning for Avengers: Doomsday has me convinced they should recast all OG Avengers as villains

On December 14, 2024By Littum

In what is both a shocking turn of events and perhaps one of the least surprising things ever, Chris Evans is reportedly in talks to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Avengers: Doomsday — but it looks like he will be recast as a new character, much like Robert Downey, Jr.’s return as Victor Von Doom. It’s a divisive strategy, especially starting with the RDJ reveal, but there’s actually a lot of potential for one of the MCU’s most interesting and challenging twists lurking in the two pieces of news.

As a fan of the MCU since day one, and a Doctor Doom superfan, I’ve made little secret of my, shall we say, measured skepticism about the casting of Robert Downey, Jr. as Doom for Avengers: Doomsday and its sequels (I think I posted something like “Marvel is trying to ruin my life” when the news broke). Still, I’ve kind of come around to the potential for what could be a great achievement if RDJ and Marvel Studios can really dig into what makes Doom great.

But it’s actually Evans’ inclusion in the film that has given me more hope for a bigger picture that could make RDJ’s turn as Doom downright brilliant if Marvel Studios follows through on an idea that seems to be bubbling under the surface: recasting of the entire original Avengers as supervillains.

It seems telling that reports of Evans’ return for Avengers: Doomsday do not specify that he will return as Steve Rogers, who he portrayed from 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. If he’s playing the character we all know, why not say so? There is of course the possibility that he will return as some version of Johnny Storm, as his version appeared in Deadpool and Wolverine. But given his gruesome death, that seems unlikely.

So that leaves the possibility of Chris Evans returning as a brand new MCU character, and if he does, Marvel Studios will be seriously missing a trick if they don’t cast him as one of the film’s villains. And if they’re going to go there, both with RDJ and with Evans, why not bring in Scarlet Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth and Jeremy Renner to wrap things up.

Captain America in his Hydra armor standing over the bodies of Avengers, X-Men and other Marvel heroes

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

There’s so much potential in an idea like bringing back the original Avengers cast as villains – especially if they all team up in some kind of reverse of the classic Avengers, as the MCU’s first proper supervillain team – maybe the Masters of Evil?

It’s easy enough to speculate who each actor might play. Evans could easily take up the mantle of evil Steve Rogers from the Secret Empire comics where he was subverted by the Red Skull. Ruffalo could become the Maestro, Hulk’s evil future self who is a dictator of the Marvel Universe. Or they could lean into something less expected, as they seem to be doing with RDJ’s Doom, who is said to be Victor Von Doom rather than some kind of Tony Stark variant.

However they do it, if Marvel Studios brings back the original Avengers recast as villains, it could actually be the shot in the arm the studio has been looking for, as fan reaction to many recent Marvel releases has been lukewarm. Deadpool and Wolverine, as an exception to this trend, prove that Marvel fans are ready and willing to accept these kinds of twists for established and beloved MCU actors, and that there is still life in the MCU when the studio nurtures it kind of blockbuster play. which established it as the dominant force in pop culture fantasy.

Marvel should bring back the original Avengers as supervillains because there’s no bigger twist, no more indulgent stunt casting, and no better way to challenge the new class than to pit them against a twisted version of the OGs. What more could fans want for the big return to form for the Avengers than a threat that feels both believable and genuinely dangerous, and might even make us root for the bad guys?

So let’s go all in. Marvel Studios, I dare you to shock me. I dare you to make me feel sick to my stomach watching the most beloved heroes in cinematic fiction turn into villains. Let’s take things to a level of comic book-inspired storytelling that still hasn’t been achieved in the movies by making a holy hamburger out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s established tentpoles. It’s been long enough. Let’s see what’s really possible with superhero movies.

Come on Marvel Studios. I dare you.

Robert Downey Jr’s casting as Doctor Doom is what convinced Avengers: Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo to return to the MCU.