Out of the MCU since Avengers: Endgame, Captain America actor Chris Evans has spoken out in defense of Marvel movies amid comic book film debate.

Chris Evans shows his support for Marvel Cinematic Universe movies in new comments. Evans was one of the two faces of the franchise alongside Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, with the Captain America actor leading or playing a prominent role in some of the MCU’s best movies. While the star has been away from the MCU since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, that has not stopped Evans from continuing to defend the MCU.

Speaking at Emerald City Comic Con 2024 (via @laughing_place/Twitter), Evans defended comic book movies — and MCU films specifically — from those who say that they are not cinema.

The Captain America actor weighed in on the debate about comic book movies being seen as cinema, claiming they do not deserve all the credit they should. Evans then defended MCU movies, saying some of them are “objectively phenomenal films,” which is expected to be the case of the MCU’s only 2024 movie — Deadpool & Wolverine.

While there have been a slew of bad comic book movies over the years — and even some bad apples in the MCU — Marvel Studios has consistently delivered thrilling and emotional movies. It is true that there might be a formula for Marvel movies, which some use to consider them something other than cinema. However, when Marvel strayed from that for projects like Eternals, it faced backlash.

Evans is right in his praise for MCU movies. Marvel has released some phenomenal films throughout its highly praised Infinity Saga and even some exceptional entries during the ongoing Multiverse Saga, despite all the criticism Phases 4 and 5 get. While the MCU is a superhero franchise, Marvel has experimented with different genres in multiple projects, allowing the shared universe to have a flair to it.

The MCU has brought forward war films, espionage thrillers, dabbled in horror, comedy, and much more. While the MCU’s box office achievements are impressive, movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Endgame, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier have succeeded because of the emotion and care for its characters and story. Black Panther was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, showing the MCU‘s superhero films can compete with the best the medium has to offer, which should only further cement them as cinema.