The Captain America star was “not the ideal choice for the role”, thought fans at the time.

Comic book casting has always been a mixed bag when it came to fan reactions. There have been great casting choices that have received a lot of backlash from fans, only to turn out to be one of the greatest casting decisions for not just a comic book adaptation, but for Hollywood in general.

Fans of DC were miffed when Heath Ledger was cast as The Joker, which is now one of the most celebrated portrayals of the character. Similarly, when Fantastic Four alum Chris Evans was cast as Captain America, there were more naysayers than supporters, given that Evans apparently did not have the ‘look’ for Captain America.

Chris Evans went on to win hearts with his Steve Rogers, despite harsh criticisms

Reddit was filled with enough disgruntled fans who wished that Captain America would be played by a different actor, and there were a slew of other actors who would have done a great job. While it is impossible to imagine an MCU without Chris Evans wielding the shield, the man looked completely different at the time of his casting.

Users on Reddit, who came across the original casting announcement for the character, decided to dish out some sarcasm in the comments, given that there was a significant amount of backlash towards the casting choice.

Among them was one hilarious observation, seemingly mocking the casting of Evans, all the way back in 2016, a time which had already seen Evans essay the role for a good 5 years. It said:

Chris Evans shined as Captain America, becoming one of the flagship characters for the franchise, along with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. Evans’ Steve Rogers would eventually hand off the character to Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, who is set to star in Captain America: Brave New World as possibly the new leader of the Avengers.

Captain America: Brave New World will be opening 2025 for Marvel Studios

2025 will see Marvel Studios return to screens with their entire might, as 2024 seems reserved for Deadpool & Wolverine and a few small shows like Agatha All Along.

Anthony Mackie‘s Captain America might begin assembling his team of Avengers in the MCU, after seemingly confirming that there has been no official team ever since Tony Stark’s death and the Battle of Avengers Compound.

This team could feature a slew of heroes who have been introduced over Phase 4, which could lead into Avengers 5, which might or might not focus on a few characters that are considered to be multiversal threats, but are still a level below the final boss for this Saga of the MCU, Kang the Conqueror.

Captain America: Brave New World is set to release on February 14, 2025