Chris Evans' return as Steve Rogers/Captain America in Avengers: Doomsday may be one of the movie's worst-kept secrets. The trades have reported that he'll return as the Star Spangled Avenger, with various scoopers and set photos lending further weight to those claims.
Now, Evans has been spotted at the Toronto International Film Festival looking jacked and very much in "Captain America" shape.
Fans have even shared some photos comparing his physique to the start of the year, and there's a noticeable difference. Evans has had mixed fortunes since 2019's Avengers: Endgame; Knives Out saw him receive rave reviews, but Lightyear, Ghosted, and Red One all received far more tepid responses than his MCU work.
Materialists and Sacrifice look to be more of a return to form, but a lead role in Avengers: Doomsday could make all the difference to Evans when it comes to his blockbuster credentials.
It's been widely reported that Doctor Doom will set out to destroy Steve Rogers for his role in creating the Incursions that have doomed the Multiverse.
It seems the hero heading back in time to get his happy ending with Peggy Carter caused irreparable damage to reality that Victor is now seeking to fix. We still don't know how that ties into what we saw in Loki, or what it means for Kang the Conqueror and the Multiversal War his Variants warned the God of Mischief and Ant-Man about.
Why didn't the TVA step in to prune the damage caused by Cap? Why would his actions negatively affect the Multiverse that Loki now sits at the heart of? These are just some of the questions we have heading into Avengers: Doomsday.
"I talk to [Robert Downey Jr. and the Russos] all the time," Evans said earlier this year. "It's where Pedro [Pascal] is right now. I mean, it's sad to be away. It's sad to not be back with the band, but I'm sure they're doing something incredible, and I'm sure it's going to be that much harder when it comes out and you feel like you weren't invited to the party."
Check out these new photos of Evans in the X posts below (along with a snap of Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow that's ignited its own set of theories among MCU fans).
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make their Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, and Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, and Ryan Reynolds are also set to appear, according to recent reports from the trades.
The Russo Brothers direct the movie from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.