It hurts to say, but Chris Evans’ return in Avengers: Doomsday feels like Marvel wants to play it safe

Avengers: Doomsday should have made me feel that electric, heart-racing MCU excitement again. Instead, the first thing I felt was a pause. Chris Evans is coming back, and while that sounds thrilling on paper, it also feels strangely heavy. Like Marvel is gripping the past a little too tightly.

Yes, it will work. Yes, fans will cheer. But it also feels like a safe move at a moment when the franchise needs courage, not comfort. This return feels less like a bold story choice and more like a familiar face being used as reassurance. And that is what hurts the most.

Author's Note: This is my take and comes from love for the MCU. The frustration isn’t about disliking Chris Evans’ return in Avengers: Doomsday, it’s about hoping Marvel gives new heroes the same care and space to grow. Reader discretion advised: the piece contains personal opinion on franchise choices.

Why Chris Evans coming back for Avengers: Doomsday feels like a comfort blanket

Listen, I love Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. That is not up for debate. His run shaped the MCU for a whole generation, including me. But that is exactly why his return in Avengers: Doomsday feels so careful, almost too careful. Steve Rogers had an ending that actually stuck. He did the impossible in superhero movies. He got to walk away. He chose a life, not a battlefield.

Bringing him back now feels like Marvel quietly admitting it is nervous. Nervous about the mixed reactions to the Multiverse era. Nervous about whether new faces alone can carry an Avengers movie. Evans is familiar. He is trusted. You do not need to explain him to casual fans. He sells tickets on name alone. That kind of move does not scream bold storytelling. It screams insurance policy.

Even if he returns as a variant or something darker, the emotional pull is still the same. The shadow of Steve Rogers looms large. Instead of pushing forward, Marvel is glancing backward, hoping nostalgia can steady the ship.

The timing makes Sam Wilson’s moment as the new Captain America feel smaller

This is the part that really bugs me. Sam Wilson has waited years for his turn. He picked up the shield at the end of Endgame, then had to earn it through struggle, doubt, and growth. That story mattered. It said something real about legacy and what it costs.

Now, just months after Sam has finally led his own movie, Marvel announces Evans’ return in Avengers: Doomsday. That timing is rough. It pulls focus whether Marvel means it to or not. Suddenly, conversations shift. People stop asking what kind of Captain America Sam will be and start asking when Steve is coming back on screen.

Sam has not had the same runway Steve did. Steve led teams, anchored trilogies, and stood at the center of crossovers. Sam barely gets one solo film before sharing the stage again. It feels uneven. Not cruel, but careless. Like Marvel is hedging instead of fully trusting the hero they spent years setting up.

A new MCU phase but why are we sidelining new heroes?

This is where my frustration really locks in. Chris Evans returning in Avengers: Doomsday does not exist in a vacuum. It happens in a Marvel era where so many newer heroes were introduced with promise and then quietly pushed aside. Sam Wilson is the loudest example, but he is not alone.

Shang-Chi showed up with so much energy and heart, and fans genuinely loved him. Then he kind of just disappeared from the bigger picture. Hawkeye’s Kate Bishop felt like the obvious next step, funny, confident, and easy to root for, but after her first big moment, she almost stopped existing. Yelena Belova grew popular too, but not because Marvel pushed her front and center. She won people over just by showing up and doing the work whenever she was on screen.

That lack of follow-through matters. The Infinity Saga worked because characters kept showing up, growing, and circling back into the main story. Right now, the MCU feels scattered. Heroes pop in, then disappear, and no one is allowed to fully settle into the spotlight. Instead of fixing that by committing to these characters, Marvel reaches backward.

So when Evans comes back for Avengers: Doomsday, it feels less like a celebration and more like an admission. Not that the new heroes failed, but that Marvel did not fully back them. That choice makes the universe feel stuck, not evolving, and that is the real disappointment.

Playing it safe is not the same as moving forward

I get why Marvel is doing this. The MCU does not feel untouchable anymore. Some recent movies struggled to land. Fans are tired. Nostalgia works because it reminds people why they cared in the first place. Bringing back Evans for Avengers: Doomsday, alongside other familiar faces, is a guaranteed spark.

But safety has a cost. Every time Marvel leans on the past, it quietly tells us the future is not enough on its own. That hurts, especially when the whole promise of the MCU was growth. Heroes aging. Stories ending. New people stepping up.

Legacy heroes only work when the torch is actually passed, not when it is yanked back mid-run. Sam Wilson becoming Captain America was supposed to mean something lasting. Evans returning so soon makes that feel less solid, like the door was never really closed.

I will be honest. I am still going to watch Avengers: Doomsday on day one. That part of me never left. Seeing Chris Evans again will probably hit me right in the chest.

But that does not mean the choice sits right with me. His return feels less like a story that needs telling and more like Marvel choosing the safest road available. I wish they trusted the new era enough to stand on its own. Steve Rogers earned his ending. Letting it stay untouched would have been the braver move.