Chris Evans has revealed he turned down roughly a dozen pitches to bring Steve Rogers back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe before finally agreeing to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, due in cinemas this December. Speaking after San Diego Comic-Con, Evans and co-star Anthony Mackie discussed how Steve Rogers will feature in the film, with Mackie indicating that Evans's character will not reclaim the Captain America mantle from Sam Wilson, fuelling speculation that he may instead take on the comic-book alter ego Nomad.

Evans told Entertainment Weekly that discussions about his return began as early as 2018, shortly after Avengers: Endgame, when Marvel executives Lou D'Esposito and Kevin Feige first proposed a Nomad storyline over dinner. He said he found the idea appealing but "not right at the time", asking Marvel to "keep pitching" over the following eight years. It was ultimately news that Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the franchise, alongside a pitch from Doomsday co-director Joe Russo, that convinced Evans the timing finally felt right.