Summary
With the recent reports that Chris Evans is returning to the MCU inAvengers: Doomsdaymost fans have parked on the idea that this isn’t going to be a good Steve Rogers reborn but in fact,Doomsdaywill feature HYDRA’s Captain America. However, it’s possible that’s simply too much of a no-brainer. It seems now that it would be far too predictable and when bringing the character back like this, it needs to be a twist. That means there is a different version of Steve Rogers that could be brought into live-action.
After he debuted as Steve RogersinCaptain America: The First Avenger, we saw Chris Evans' superhero undergo huge transformations and become central to the MCU. His retirement from the role in 2019’sAvengers: Endgamewas very emotional, and for a while, it looked like he might be done with the MCU for good. The actor made comments that were in line with him retiring from comic book movies as well. And then MCU fans saw Evans back in action inDeadpool & Wolverine, and now he’ll be returning inAvengers: Doomsday. And When he does return it’s possible that the character that he returns as could go all the way back to a twisted version of hisFirst Avengerorigin story.
Hayley Atwell’s Rumored Return Could Be Big Hint
There has been some very obvious moves to bring Hayley Atwell back into the MCU and that pushing has beenas Captain Carter, a character that was first introduced inWhat If … ?Season 1. This particular character comes about after Nazis attack the lab where Steve Rogers is about to become Captain America, but he’s wounded and can’t get into the tank where he gets the super-soldier serum. Atwell’s Agent Carter jumps into the tank as well and becomes Captain Carter.
The character was brought into thelive-action side of the MCUinDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, though she didn’t last long as the Scarlet Witch dispatched her. However, there are plenty of universes out there in the MCU and there are plenty of Captain Carter. And with Avengers: Doomsday expected to lean heavily into the multiverse one last time, it’s certainly possible that Captain Carter might finally come to the sacred timeline and fight alongside (or even against) the Avengers that MCU fans know and love. If Atwell’s Captain Carter does make an appearance, that could be a pretty massive hint at what version of Steve Rogers will also make an appearance.
Chris Evans Stomping On HYDRA?
Since it’s possible that Hayley Atwell could be playing a live-actionversion of herWhat If…?hero, Chris Evans could also do the same. Evans doesn’t voice Steve Rogers inWhat If…?, with Josh Keaton instead taking over the role for animation, though Steve Rogers does still have Chris Evans' likeness. Because they use his likeness and Keaton is clearly trying to sound as close to Evans' version of Steve Rogers as he can, it’s not hard to imagine he could step into theWhat If…?’s Steve Rogers variant inAvengers: Doomsday.If that version of the character does make its way into the live-action version of the MCU, bringing the HYDRA Stomper rig with him would be quite interesting.
“What If… the Avengers Assembled in 1602?”
Steve Rogers Illusion
“What If… Strange Supreme Intervened?”
Steve Rogers' HYDRA Stomperfollowed a similar storyline to the MCU’s Bucky Barnes inWhat If…?. He was presumed dead during World War II, but returned in the present day under the mind-control of an evil organization, in this case, the Red Room rather than HYDRA. Rogers' HYDRA Stomper was last seen sacrificing himself to bring down the Red Room, though he was teased to have survived. This makes it possible his jump into the live-action MCU has been perfectly set up, fans would love to see that come into being. Especially since it would essentially bring another Iron Man-type hero into thee fold.
Lean Into The Multiverse And Steve Rogers
The HYDRA Stomper, in one part of the What If …? universes was created for Steve as a way for him to fight the Nazis despite the fact that he didn’t have super powers. The suit (created by Howard Stark) even looks a bit like the first iteration ofIron Man that Robert Downey Jr.created when he was holed up in a Middle Eastern cave. He could use the suit to fight what is almost certainly a variant of Tony Stark who is instead, Doctor Doom. And In that regard, the whole Steve Rogers storyline could come full circle.
