Is Chris Evans’ career in trouble? Why he might need to return as Captain America soon

Even before becoming Captain America, Chris Evans was a familiar name in Hollywood. He had already played Johnny Storm in two Fantastic Four outings and starred in other films such as The Losers. But his real stardom came with Captain America.

He temporarily retired from the role after going out on a high in Avengers: Endgame. Since then, he has had a couple of successes, including Knives Out and the Apple TV+ series, Defending Jacob. But in less than a year, he has starred in three big flops on the trot, which might prove to be detrimental for his career.

While the star does have two more movies lined up for 2023, it remains to be seen whether or not they will make their mark in the box office.

Disclaimer: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.

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Why we think Chris Evans might be in trouble

Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear (Image via Disney)

There’s no denying that Evans is a seriously talented actor with a lot of range. Since leaving his Captain America shield behind, he has also been testing that range by starring in projects that belong to multiple genres.

He played antagonists in two highly popular films (Knives Out and The Gray Man), voiced Buzz Lightyear in an animated comedy (Lightyear), played the lead in two serious dramas (The Red Sea Diving Resort and Defending Jacob), and starred in an action comedy alongside Ana de Armas (Ghosted).

The problem hasn’t been with his versatility or talent, but with the critical and commercial success of his projects. Out of all the aforementioned projects, only Knives Out has been a huge success, where Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas proved to be the real driving forces while Evans played a supporting antagonist role.

All other projects involving him post-pandemic have been mediocre successes or bombs.

Ghosted Rotten Tomatoes Score (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

His most recent outing on Apple TV+, Ghosted, has been trashed by critics, as it has 31% Rotten reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Before this, The Gray Man got 46% reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was able to generate enough viewership due to its all-star cast and top-draw directors, which is why a sequel was greenlit. Many viewers, however, did not like the film at all.

Before The Gray Man, Evans led from the front in Lightyear, which was able to score 76% fresh reviews on RT. But it turned out to be a loss for Disney at the box office, since the studio lost $106 million on Lightyear. While this could be tied back to multiple factors, one can argue that it also hints at the fact that Chris Evans alone cannot always draw huge crowds to theaters.

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Why we feel that Chris Evans might need to return as Steve Rogers

Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans in Red One (Image via Amazon)

Chris Evans is attached to two more films that will be released in 2023. The first of them, arriving on October 27, is Netflix’s Pain Hustlers, where he stars alongside Emily Blunt. The second is Amazon’s Red One, where Evans will team up with Dwayne Johnson.

On the off chance that these two films do not succeed, it can be speculated that the actor will have to return to the MCU much sooner than he would have liked. While the MCU has kept him relevant throughout the last decade, ever since Endgame, Evans has been reluctant to return as Captain America and has wished to star in other projects instead.

But if he does end up having five consecutive flops in two years, then he might have to return as Captain America. While Chris Evans is a big enough name to draw crowds in the industry, his recent trend with films indicate that he needs to pick better scripts so that his box office numbers also match his immense talent outside the MCU.