Chris Evans Retires From Captain America & The Avengers As ‘Infinity War’ Sequel Wraps Filming

Captain America has thrown his mighty shield for the final time, at least according to the actor who plays him. Marvel Comics Universe staple Chris Evans took to Twitter earlier today to announce that the cast had just complete filming on the tentatively titled Avengers 4, continuing on to offer a brief bit of appreciation to all of the people who’d helped him play Steve Rogers and his alter ego for the past eight years.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the reaction to Evans’ tweet was bittersweet across the board, with both co-stars and the general fandom offering their thanks in return for a job well done.

“I’m not crying. I’m weeping. There’s a difference,” Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds wrote on Twitter, almost channeling his character as he did so.

Former WWF and WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also chimed in on the social media service to pay his respects to Evans and his contribution to cape and cowl cinema.

“What a run you had brother. Congrats on breathing life into such an iconic character. Keep on keepin’ on.”

While The Rock and Cap have never shared the silver screen together, now that Evans’ schedule is ostensibly a bit clearer, maybe this could be the beginnings of a beautiful friendship.

Officially wrapped on Avengers 4. It was an emotional day to say the least. Playing this role over the last 8 years has been an honor. To everyone in front of the camera, behind the camera, and in the audience, thank you for the memories! Eternally grateful.

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) October 4, 2018

Evans first played Steve Rogers in 2011’s Captain America: The First Soldier. One frequent headline at the time focused on the effects necessary to physically transform Evans from unenhanced Steve Rogers to a post Super Soldier Serum Captain America. The action film performed well, further proof at the time that Marvel could sustain box office success in the nascent days of their growing cinematic universe. Grossing approximately $370 million worldwide against a $140 million production budget, as suggested by Box Office Mojo, meant that Evans was in as Captain America and the films would go forward — spawning two direct sequels and being central to the Infinity War arc.

One interesting caveat accompanies Evans’ tweet in consideration of the fact that he implies that he is done playing the role of Captain America. A disillusioned Captain America — in Marvel canon — could easily become the Nomad, as SyFy hinted at earlier this year. Such a revelation would be a huge swerve for long-time fans of the film franchise, though it may be slightly less surprising of a creative avenue for those who are familiar with the comic book iteration of the character.

While most Captain America — and Chris Evans — fans are understandably upset over the news, there remains yet a bit of hope that he’s not quite done exploring the depths of the Steve Rogers character.