Update: It was all a lie! Chris Evans is indeed returning to the MCU in Doomsday, as seen in the trailer below.

Update: Chris Evans has broken his silence about his return to the MCU and has actually stated that the Deadline article stating he would be returning in Avengers: Doomsday is actually false! “This always happens. I mean, it happens every couple years — ever since Endgame. I’ve just stopped responding to it. Yeah, no — happily retired!”, Evans told Esquire. It’s fair to note that these Marvel actors often have to lie to the press to not spoil a surprise; case in point is Andrew Garfield in No Way Home, so we’ll likely just have to wait for the movie to know 100% for sure.

The next Avengers movie is looking to tap into our nostalgia of the original three phases, it seems. First, it was confirmed that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU, but this time he would be playing Doctor Doom. At the same time, Marvel alums the Russo Brothers were tapped to direct the film and its sequel, Secret Wars. Now, we have confirmation that Chris Evans, who played Captain America in the original Infinity Saga, will return in the movie.

It’s currently unclear if Chris Evans is reprising his role as Captain America and/or Steve Rogers, but that seems like a safe bet, even with Anthony Mackie playing the part of Captain America on the big and small screen. But considering Downey Jr. isn’t playing Tony Stark, anything is technically possible in this variant-heavy phase. Evans recently reprised his role as Johnny Storm in the MCU’s Deadpool & Wolverine, so there’s also the possibility he could be playing a variant of that character as well. But for my money, he’ll be a Rogers variant, which allows the original version of the character to keep living a normal life with Peggy, while the audience gets to watch Cap toss the shield one more time, not unlike Wolverine in the aforementioned Deadpool film.

Stay tuned for more information here as this story develops!