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Do we have the full Avengers: Doomsday cast or not?

That's what we're wondering over here at Popverse at the moment, because after Wednesday's five-and-a-half-hour slow-pan across a bunch of chairs, we were pretty damn sure we had the list narrowed down. However, one extremely reliable movie source is still saying that there's a possibility of Chris Evans's return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that's a claim we simply have to look into.

Some backstory: Reports of Chris Evans' return to the MCU began in December of 2024, as outlets like The Hollywood Reporter claimed, to the best of their knowledge, that universe staple would be back in the cinematic saga he helped build. We should point out, dear reader, that those reports never confirmed that he'd be back as Steve Rogers (Evans's turn as Johnny Storm in Deadpool & Wolverine and Robert Downey Jr.'s recasting as Victor Von Doom should make that assumption highly suspect). However, in a January article published by Esquire, Evans himself denied the reports, saying of the rumors, "This always happens. I mean, it happens every couple years—ever since Endgame. I’ve just stopped responding to it."

Smash cut to this week, and The Hollywood Reporter is once again claiming that Evans will be back in an upcoming MCU role, despite his absence from the Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal. In an article published March 26, THR says, "Notable names missing from the roll call included Tom Holland (Spider-Man) and Chris Evans (Captain America), the latter of whom is expected to appear at least one of the two-part movies."

So what the hell is going on?

The first possibility is, of course, that Chris Evans is trying to keep a surprise a surprise by lying. That's not to disrespect to the actor at all, by the way; occasionally Marvel Studios may ask an actor to do just that. Remember the Andrew Garfield/Spider-Man: No Way Home fiasco? Another possible option is that, at the time of the Esquire interview, Evans genuinely didn't know if he was returning or not, and that THR's unnamed source knew what he didn't.

But let me point out perhaps the best way to make both of these statements true: Chris Evans says that he's not in Avengers: Doomsday. The latest THR statement says that the actors is "expected to appear in at least one of the two-part movies." Do that math for me, True Believer, and see if you don't come to the same question I do:

Is Chris Evans returning for Avengers: Secret Wars?

I'm not going to pretend that I have insider knowledge in that regard or that I was the first person to make this potential startling revelation. But for my part, I will tell you that I was at C2E2 '23, when headliner of the con Evans told a packed room that there were "more stories to tell" for Steve Rogers in the MCU.

Just saying, as one of the people watching live, he sure as hell seemed honest to me.

Avengers: Doomsday comes to theaters, with or without Chris Evans, May 1, 2026.

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst
• Our weekly Marvel insider's column, Marvel Matters