Avengers: Infinity War delivered a crushing blow to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and its fans, by ushering in the franchise’s very own Empire Strikes Back moment, on an unprecedented scale. Our heroes were dealt a punishing blow, and the movie ended on quite a down note for everyone but Thanos. However, as sad as all that was, we know much of it is going to be undone in Avengers 4, but that doesn’t mean the movie has no wounds of its own to inflict.
And now, Chris Evans has renewed our fears of what’s to come for his Captain America. The beating heart of the MCU (sorry, Tony) revealed today on Twitter that he’s finished with Avengers 4 reshoots, and his goodbye to the movie sounds a bit too final for our fragile psyches to take right now. In his tweet, Evans writes, “Officially wrapped on Avengers 4. It was an emotional day to say the least. Playing this role over the last 8 years has been an honor. To everyone in front of the camera, behind the camera, and in the audience, thank you for the memories! Eternally grateful.”
Of course, fans were already preparing themselves for either Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, or both to bite the dust in Infinity War, so at least we’re not totally emotionally unprepared for what may happen in Avengers 4, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to hurt any less. Are we making too much out of a tweet that would make a lot of sense even if Steve makes it out unscathed, given how Evans has been at this, as he says, for 8 years? Possibly, but there’s one thing we just can’t get out of our minds when being reminded of these reshoots: the idea that the events of Avengers 4 are, even now, in flux. (That and previous news that Evans is leaving the MCU.)
Spoiler King Mark Ruffalo has previously said the movie was still a “living organism” as the reshoots have gone on, mentioning that material has been shot to take the story in many different directions at this point. (14 million, six hundred and five of them, perhaps?) Given what we know of the Infinity War ending being kept tightly under wraps, even from the stars, we could all—maybe some of the cast included—be in for a lot of surprises, and not all of them good. (Well … except hopefully from a storytelling standpoint.)
The Russo brothers creative team is likely, even now, still deciding exactly which of our heartstrings to tug on in what way, and that’s nerve-wracking. There’s more than one way for a character to leave the MCU, after all.
Infinity War may have gotten that fancy 10-year logo to accompany it, but there’s a lot riding on Avengers 4 as the true culmination of the MCU—not in a make-or-break sense for Marvel, as they seem invincible at this point, but for fans looking forward to the payoff of everything that they’ve built up to this point. If this goodbye really is farewell, we only hope that Cap, and any other beloved departing characters, get the sendoff they so richly deserve.
(image: Marvel Entertainment)
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