Avengers: Doomsday will be "brutal" for Steve Rogers, former Captain America star Chris Evans has teased.
Marvel's upcoming blockbuster will see Steve Rogers back for the first time in eight years, with Chris Evans once again reunited with the Russo brothers, who previously directed him in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
Steve Rogers was certainly put through the wringer during those films, though his story seemingly gained a happy ending — back in time with his beloved Peggy Carter. Alas, this happy ending now looks likely to be undone.
"The Russos love beating up Steve Rogers," Evans said during an appearance at Boston Fan Expo. "Their favorite thing to do is to just beat the crap out of him. To them that's what makes a hero, and that's someone who gets punched so many times but still gets up.
"They keep finding new ways to kick his butt, but this one was brutal," Evans teased, "and a really, really good examination into his nature and his values. I'll say… it's probably something you haven't seen yet, but you will."
What could be the cause of this fresh heartbreak for Steve Rogers? Well, with the character now revealed to be a father, fans are fearful that something horrible will happen to his child. After all, Doom appears to have an interest in the children of superheroes — we last saw him holding baby Franklin in The Fantastic Four: First Steps' post-credits scene.
Would Marvel go so dark as to kill Steve Rogers' child? It sounds unlikely, but there's still a lot we don't know about Avengers: Doomsday's plot. The film's trailers have previously shown two very different looks for Steve Rogers, enough that some fans think the character will appear via two alter egos. But it could just be that we see a slightly aged-up, bearded version of Steve — meaning his child is now older, too.
And then there's the fact that Doomsday will be followed by Secret Wars, which could essentially do whatever it likes with the MCU's continuity. Here's hoping that if anything terrible does befall Steve Rogers Jr., it will inevitably get reversed through multiversal shenanigans.
Whatever's in store, it was clearly interesting enough to Chris Evans that he agreed to return after "at least a dozen pitches" for other MCU projects previously. While we wait for Avengers: Doomsday to premiere on December 18, you can read about the secret message Robert Downey Jr. hid while at San Diego Comic-Con and see how Feige fought back against criticism of Doctor Doom's lack of build-up.
Image credit: Disney/Marvel.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
