Steve Rogers is returning to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday, a return I’m pretty excited about. At the same time, The Russo Brothers’ recent Captain America comments highlight a systemic problem the MCU has had since Avengers: Endgame.
Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be one of the MCU’s biggest movies of all time, though it is leaning pretty heavily on familiar faces, including Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers despite his retirement at the end of the last Avengers movie. Here’s what the Russos have said about Steve Rogers’ return, and why it speaks to a bigger MCU issue.
What The Russo Brothers Said About Chris Evans’ Return In Avengers: Doomsday
According to the Russo Brothers, Steve Rogers’ Captain America remains a central figure not just to the Avengers but to the MCU’s overarching narrative.
The Russos also described Rogers’ Captain America as deeply personal to their own time in the MCU, framing Doomsday as a story they can’t imagine telling without him. After all, their first MCU movies were Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War before directing the third and fourth Avengers movies.
That sentiment tracks with the very first Doomsday teaser, which saw Steve with his infant son seemingly enjoying his retirement with Peggy as we saw at the end of Avengers: Endgame. That said, the fact that Steve Rogers is still so irreplaceable in the MCU communicates a core issue with the franchise’s development since 2019 (or lack thereof).
The MCU Is Still Having Trouble Moving On From Major Marvel Characters Post-Endgame
Avengers: Endgame was positioned as a major conclusion to the Infinity Saga, but also as a new beginning. Tony Stark died, Steve Rogers retired, and the MCU promised a new generation of heroes ready to step up.
Years later, that transition still feels largely incomplete, especially in light of Steve Rogers supposedly being so central to the plot of Doomsday. Even if there’s a clever explanation for his return, like Steve Rogers being revealed as Earth-616’s multiversal Anchor Being, the reliance itself is telling.
Saying this as a major Steve Rogers fan, it can be argued that every minute supposedly still focused on the first Captain America is time not spent elevating newer MCU heroes who debuted post-Endgame like Sam Wilson and his role as the new Captain America, Shang-Chi, or Moon Knight.
It feels as though Marvel Studios is trying to have its cake and eat it too: continuing to introduce new heroes, while at the same time struggling to let its original icons truly rest. Just look at Robert Downey Jr returning as Doctor Doom (who will more than likely have some sort of multiversal connection to the late Iron Man).
The MCU’s Nostalgia Plays Are Going To Run Dry Soon
It’s also worth noting that the Multiverse Saga has leaned so hard into nostalgia. At first, it worked brilliantly. Seeing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield return as Spider-Man in No Way Home was amazing, and the same goes for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
Patrick Stewart has already returned as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and even more original X-Men trilogy cast members will be joining Stewart in Doomsday including Ian McKellen’s Magneto, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, and James Marsden’s Cyclops.
However, it has to be said that nostalgia is a finite resource, and the well is already starting to look shallow even before the next two Avengers movies. Meanwhile, newer heroes introduced in Phases 4 and 5 still haven’t received follow-ups.
While Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi will return in Doomsday, he should have had a sequel by now after one of the MCU’s strongest debuts back in 2021. Likewise, it’s beyond me why Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight’s future still remains so vague. The same goes for other new heroes like Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop.
Nostalgia and bringing back older heroes is awesome, but it’s starting to get stale if that’s the sole priority, especially if it’s happening at newer heroes’ expense. It’s why Steve Rogers being such a central figure in Doomsday sounds cool…while feeing shortsighted at the same time.
How The MCU Can Move On From Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers In Phase 7
Looking beyond the next two Avengers movies, Phase 7 represents Marvel’s best opportunity to finally reset those priorities. The solution feels clear: stepping back from Avengers-centric storytelling and leaning into the soon-to-be-rebooted X-Men as the new narrative backbone of the MCU.
At the same time, Marvel can also recommit to heroes introduced post-Endgame. Giving Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye, She-Hulk, and others meaningful sequels (and finally making Blade!) would help rebuild trust in the franchise’s future instead of its past. Finally introducing the teased Young Avengers as a true generational shift would also help.
At this point, I truly do hope my favorite MCU hero deserves a meaningful role in Doomsday, but I also need this to be the MCU’s last time leaning on Steve Rogers. If Marvel Studios truly wants another decade of relevance for the MCU, it has to finally let Captain America and other original heroes move on.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to release in theaters December 18th, 2026 from Marvel Studios.
- Release Date
-
December 18, 2026
-
-
Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
-
Johnny Storm / Human Torch
-
Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ben Grimm / The Thing