Chris Evans Reveals The Real Reason Marvel Movies Are So Successful
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest film franchise in history, and one of its stars has a good idea as to why.
Chris Evans, who portrayed Steve Rogers — the super-soldier known as Captain America — in nine movies for Marvel, recently sat down to speak with The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast. During the chat, he gave an insightful answer when asked about the MCU's unprecedented success, and how it has managed to sustain a certain level of quality despite employing different creative teams for each of its various franchises.
Evans' answer won't come as too much of a shock to Marvel fans, who know that there's one factor common to each movie from 2008's Iron Man to 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home: the unerring hand of Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige.
"As much as I'd love to say that it's the actors that are all so wonderful in [their] roles, I've seen plenty of movies at this caliber with wonderful actors," Evans said (via CinemaBlend). "You love to attribute it to just the director, and I've also seen wonderful directors that make movies like this that kind of miss. I guess, the buck stops with Kevin Feige, doesn't it? I mean, it must."
Evans went on to point out that with so many different creative voices responsible for the films that make up the MCU, Feige's guidance has ensured that the mega-franchise has yet to serve up any bombs — critically or commercially.
"It'd be one thing if there were a few good Marvel movies and then a few stinkers," he said. "It'd be one thing if every other shop in town was making the hits as effortlessly as Marvel [is]. But it's just not happening that way. I guess when you start to collect the data and figure out what's the common denominator, I really think it must be Kevin Feige. He doesn't let things be bad."
Chris Evans probably wouldn't have played Captain America if not for Kevin Feige
Evans also opened up about his struggles with anxiety prior to being cast in the MCU; his anxiety affected him so profoundly that he briefly wondered if he had chosen the right profession. While Evans had previously played Johnny Storm in the Fox-produced Marvel flicks Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, that's not why he turned down the opportunity to audition for the part of Steve Rogers the first several times it arose. Evans was hesitant because he knew that if he landed the role, he would become approximately a hundred times more famous overnight, and he wasn't sure if that was what he wanted.
The actor balked at what was initially a nine-film deal — and even when that number was reduced to six and when his salary increased, he still wasn't on board. Evans told The Hollywood Reporter that he likely would have remained resolute on his "thanks, but no thanks" stance if Feige hadn't done something completely unexpected: call him up to offer him the role outright.
"It was the best decision I've ever made, and I really owe that to [Feige] for being persistent and helping me avoid making a giant mistake," said Evans, who had also consulted with family, friends, and even Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. (who shared an agent with Evans) about whether or not he should take he role. "To be honest, all the things that I was fearing never really came to fruition."
Before ever seeing the actor pick up the shield, Feige knew from the beginning what we all now know: Chris Evans is Captain America. At this point, it's impossible to picture anyone else in the role.
Currently, Marvel fans are going through an extended period of wondering how the MCU can possibly follow up the Infinity Saga — but as long as Feige is at the helm, we're pretty sure that the answer to that question will be "spectacularly."