Chris Evans first played Steve Rogers in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger and, after multiple appearances across the MCU (including in the Avengers and Spider-Man franchises), the actor finally bid farewell to the role in Avengers: Endgame.
Steve has been M.I.A. ever since, though his final fate still hasn't been revealed to us. However, with the Multiverse in play, there are endless possibilities regarding Captain America's return in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Over the weekend, it was reported that Evans is now a lock for that movie. While we anticipate him assembling alongside the other original six Avengers as the "classic" Cap, we'd bet on the actor playing a few different Variants as well.
Below, you'll find some of the most exciting, intriguing, and likely possibilities...
6. Soldier Supreme
Introduced during 2018's Infinity Wars event, Soldier Supreme was an amalgamation of Captain America and Doctor Strange.
Not only does he have Cap's enhanced strength, agility, and combat skills, but the Soldier Supreme also wields Stephen Strange's mastery of magic and mystical artefacts (making him a formidable superhero on multiple fronts).
This would give Evans a chance to do something new with a role he's been tied to since 2011, portraying a Steve similar to the one we all know and love, albeit with a magical twist unlike anything we've seen from him before now.
5. Zombie Cap
We've already seen an undead Captain America in What If...?, but that Steve Rogers was no more than a shambling zombie. However, if Marvel Studios takes us to a world of zombies more in line with what's been seen on the page, Evans could undergo a truly startling revelation.
Honestly, we'd be happy just seeing him transform into the animated Variant for a scene or two, but Colonel Rogers would be even better.
Once President of the United States, he was responsible for transforming Spider-Man and turned into a brain-eating baddie by none other than the Red Skull. Imagine the Avengers thinking they've found Cap on another Earth, only to be met by this!
4. Cap-Wolf
In the comics, Steve was turned into a werewolf in a story which played out in the pages of Captain America #402 and #403. Infected by a virus created by Nightshade, Cap retained his human consciousness but also gave in to the primal instincts of a, you guessed it, werewolf.
Cap-Wolf has become a firm fan favourite and was later reintroduced as an Earth-666 Variant on a world where the Avengers were monsters.
However, despite his beastly appearance, Cap-Wolf was just as much a hero as his Earth-616 counterpart. All this one would take is a little VFX to transform Evans into a Captain America we never imagined would make it into live-action.
3. Old Man Rogers
Marvel Studios has yet to establish whether Earth-616's Steve Rogers is alive or dead. We know he travelled back in time to get his happy ending with Peggy Carter, later returning to the present to bestow his shield upon Sam Wilson.
Assuming Steve is still alive, he could return to action as Old Man Rogers. Donning armour and making use of the Super Soldier Serum left coursing through his veins, it would be cool to see Evans explore the hero's limitations before likely being restored to his youthful self.
This may be his Earth-616 Vartiant (yes, we're cheating a little), but c'mon, you have to admit this would be a blast to see on screen!
2. President Rogers
Across multiple realities, there are versions of Captain America who have become United States President. Heck, we even caught a glimpse of one of them in What If...?'s first season.
This Variant could be merged with another; for example, we think it would be amazing to see a group of Avengers travel to another reality, enter the White House, and find the undead Colonel Rogers sitting behind the desk (as we alluded to above).
Whether it's tyrannical Captain America who holds power in the Oval Office or a Variant who has changed his world for the better, there's something interesting about this concept that Avengers: Secret Wars has the chance to explore.
1. Hydra Cap
Talking of evil Captain America Variants, they don't come much worse than this guy. In the pages of Captain America, we learned that Steve had secretly been a loyal HYDRA agent since childhood, though a retcon followed which made it so the Cosmic Cube had simply rewritten reality.
Eventually, Hydra Cap and the regular Steve became two separate characters, making it easier for fans to accept that a doppelganger had done all the things the hero stands against.
We're all excited to see Evans wield the shield again, but what if it's as a villainous Captain America who, in his world, is loyal to HYDRA? He'd still want to save the Multiverse for his own benefit, of course, and would no doubt have a fascinating dynamic with Earth-616's true heroes.