Marvel boss Kevin Feige shoots down report of Chris Evans returning as Captain America

The internet was abuzz in January over a report that Chris Evans was in early talks for a potential return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after seemingly retiring as Captain America with Avengers: Endgame. Evans himself took to Twitter to try to quell the storm of excitement by saying simply, "News to me." (Though he wouldn't be the first actor ever to play coy about a role they ended up having.) Now, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has chimed in on the matter.

"I rarely answer no to anything anymore because things are always surprising me with what happens, but that rumor, I think, was dispelled rather quickly by the man himself," Feige tells EW in an interview for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

So, take that for what it's worth.

Deadline originally reported that Evans was in talks for a Steve Rogers comeback, though likely in a smaller capacity, similar to how Robert Downey Jr. appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Marvel declined to comment when reached by EW at the time, and a rep for Evans did not respond to emailed inquiries.

Anthony Mackie, whose Sam Wilson character was handpicked by Steve in Endgame to now wield the vibranium shield, says he has "no idea" what's going on with Evans. "I was actually fishing [when the report came out]. When I came back in to get some shrimp, the dude at the dock was like, 'Hey, man! Did you see this s---?!'" Mackie recalls of first hearing about it. "I've been going to the same guy to get my bait for like 20 years and all of a sudden now he's a fan. He had no idea who I was. Now he's a fan."

"Marvel's so secretive, and it's so ridiculous about what we know and what we don't know," he adds. "I have no idea. The dude at the dock selling me shrimp knows more about what's going on with Marvel than I do."

Sebastian Stan, returning as Bucky Barnes with Mackie in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+ this Friday, is in the same boat.

"Anything is possible, right?" he says. "I saw he tweeted something about it. So, I don't know. I feel like usually he knows what to say in those things, so I didn't know what to make of it. And I truly don't have any intel on that. I feel like you can't ever think of the words 'Captain America' without thinking about Chris Evans. He's done such an amazing job with it, and I feel like he's always going to have this presence. And he has a presence in our show."

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