Chris Evans’ MCU Return Provides the Perfect Entry Point for Marvel’s Most Obscure Villains

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Captain America, Chris Evans, is set to return to the franchise in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday. Full details of Evans’ return have not yet been revealed, including details of who he will be playing. Previously, Evans portrayed Steve Rogers, the original Captain America. Steve bowed out of the Captain America role in Avengers: Endgame, using the Avengers’ time machine to live out his days in the past with Peggy Carter, before passing his shield on to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson. With Doomsday marking the beginning of the end for the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, it can be assumed that Evans will not be back as the MCU’s original Steve Rogers, but as one of his doppelgängers from across the Multiverse.

Avengers: Doomsday also sees the return of Robert Downey Jr., who previously kick-started the MCU with his performance as Tony Stark/Iron Man. This time, however, Downey Jr. is playing the MCU’s Doctor Doom, so it is likely Evans’ casting will follow suit. Recently, Evans made an MCU return in Deadpool & Wolverine, which saw him revive the Marvel character he played before the MCU: The Fantastic Four’s Johnny Storm. Evans may be playing Storm once again in Doomsday, or he could be another reality’s Steve Rogers. If the latter proves true, he may even be returning as a villain, potentially setting up the perfect villains for the Avengers to face in Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Are Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. Playing Dark Avengers?

Doctor Doom and Captain America Could Join Forces With Other Sinister Avengers

The announcement that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom provoked a strong reaction from Marvel fans. While Downey Jr.’s return was welcome news for many, the fact he would be portraying Victor von Doom proved contentious. Theories as to why the MCU’s Doom would seemingly be a variant of Tony Stark from elsewhere in the Multiverse quickly emerged. Many fans, however, were simply disappointed that a significant Marvel villain would be treated as an alternate version of an existing character, rather than being portrayed by a new actor. However, the return of Chris Evans in the same movie might suggest Marvel has a bigger plan at work, accounting for both Avengers stars’ comebacks.

For a long time, Marvel fans have been speculating on the possibility of the Dark Avengers coming to the MCU. Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom and Evans’ Doomsday character could be the first members of an MCU Dark Avengers team, assembled from across the Multiverse. The fact that both of these huge stars from previous Avengers movies are coming back to the franchise together, having already concluded their characters’ stories, suggests their return forms part of a larger story about the Multiverse. With Doomsday set to mark the first time the new Avengers team assembles since Endgame, Earth’s new mightiest heroes are sure to be under pressure to live up to the team that came before them. In that case, the most challenging villains they could face would be the dark doppelgängers of Iron Man, Captain America and other original Avengers.

This multiverse approach would see the MCU introduce a very different Dark Avengers team from the one seen in Marvel Comics. The comics’ original Dark Avengers were led by Norman Osborn, who had taken over SHIELD and reformed it into HAMMER in the wake of Secret Invasion. As the team’s leader, Osborn adopted the identity of Iron Patriot, a combination of Iron Man and Captain America. The rest of the team was primarily made up of villains posing as heroes. Mac Gargan’s Venom posed as a black-suited Spider-Man, Bullseye joined the team as Hawkeye and Wolverine’s son Daken joined in the guise of his father.

The MCU has often reimagined team rosters from the comics to suit the different storytelling needs of the movies. The upcoming MCU movie Thunderbolts* features a very different lineup from any of the team’s comic appearances. Even the first Avengers movie changed the team’s original roster, as Ant-Man and the Wasp were part of the comics’ original Avengers team, while Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye were not. Given that the MCU’s current story arc has been dubbed the Multiverse Saga, a new take on the Dark Avengers made up of villainous variants of Avengers from different universes would be a fitting final antagonist to bring this story to a close. Seeing Iron Man recast as the tyrannical Victor von Doom and Captain America returning as part of Hydra or a dark twist on Nomad would show the Avengers the full threat of the Multiverse.

The MCU’s History of Pitting Avengers Against Their Doppelgängers

Even Before the Multiverse, the MCU saw Avengers Fighting Villains Who Mirrored Them

Introducing a team of Dark Avengers to serve as the antagonists of Avengers: Doomsday and potentially Avengers: Secret Wars would mark the continuation of an MCU tradition, bringing this trend to its most spectacular evolution. Since the earliest days of the MCU, there has been a tendency for heroes to face off against villains who are in some way a dark reflection of them. The introduction of the Multiverse has taken this idea to new heights, but even before the MCU was traversing infinite universes, its superheroes were fighting supervillains with similar powers, costumes and backstories to their own. Now, Avengers: Doomsday can implement this same idea for the Avengers as a whole.

This trend of villains mirroring heroes began at the inception of the MCU in Iron Man. The movie famously introduced Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark and told the story of his origin as Iron Man. Appearing opposite Downey Jr.’s Tony was Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane. Like Tony, Obadiah was one of the senior figures in Stark Industries with his own ideas on how the company should use its resources. Ultimately, Obadiah constructed his own Iron Man-like suit, becoming the villain Iron Monger.

The trend for MCU heroes facing their villainous doppelgängers continued across many of the movies that followed Iron Man. The Incredible Hulk saw the Hulk fighting the Abomination. Captain America: The Winter Soldier pitted Captain America against his former friend-turned-super soldier, Bucky. Ant-Man saw its title hero go up against Yellowjacket, whose suit boasted the same shrinking capabilities as Scott Lang’s. In his first movie, Black Panther fought Killmonger, who also wore a vibranium Black Panther suit. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced a multiversal angle for this trend by pitting the Doctor Strange of Earth-616 against Sinister Strange, his cruel and twisted variant from an alternate reality.

Multiversal Dark Avengers are Perfect for Secret Wars

Doomsday Might Introduce These Villains, But Secret Wars is Where They Can Shine

The introduction of a Dark Avengers team from across the Multiverse, providing an evil opposite to the MCU’s new mainstream Avengers of Earth-616, can do for a whole team what previous Marvel movies have only done for individual heroes. A Dark Avengers team like this might not provide individual counterparts for every member of the Avengers, but would act as an antagonistic equivalent for the team as a whole. This would also mark the first time an Avengers movie has pitted Earth’s Mightiest Heroes against another team, rather than an individual villain, creating a different kind of Avengers story and giving the heroes a more formidable foe. Such a standoff would be a fitting end for the Multiverse Saga, but would particularly give Avengers: Secret Wars its perfect antagonists.

The original Secret Wars comic event, published by Marvel between 1984 and 1985, saw the heroes and villains of Earth-616 brought to Battleworld by the Beyonder. Here, they were forced to fight one another in a contest of good vs. evil, to prove which was stronger. A fitting equivalent conflict for the Secret Wars movie might be to have the Avengers face the Dark Avengers on Battleworld. It is unlikely the film adaptation will keep the original comics’ more simplistic idea of heroes and villains being split into “good” and “bad” teams, then being made to fight. However, if the film still aims to explore a battle between equal forces of good and evil, then having the heroes and villains mirror each other as opposing Avengers teams might be a perfect way to achieve this.

It is unclear how much Avengers: Secret Wars will be inspired by the original 1980s Secret Wars event and how much the movie will instead draw upon the 2015 Secret Wars. The latter was the only one connected to the Multiverse in the comics and, as a result, was much grander in its scope. However, the original is generally regarded as an all-time classic comic and is the storyline Secret Wars directors the Russo brothers have referenced as their inspiration. It is likely the movie will draw on both, and one point where both Secret Wars events align is the use of Doctor Doom as a central villain. In the movie, this might translate to Downey Jr.’s Doom standing alongside Evans’ new character, leading the Dark Avengers into battle.

“}]] Chris Evans is set to return to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday, in a comeback that could herald the arrival of a major team of Marvel villains.  Read More