Despite being in the industry for decades,Chris Evansis by far best known as Captain America. HisMCU movieshave been the most financially fruitful of his career, and by a long shot. Of the top 10 highest-grossing films in his career, a whopping nine of them featured him as Captain America.
Avengers: Endgameretired his character as he passed the shield to Sam Wilson, ending his Steve Rogers tenure in 2019. Since then, one of his first post-Endgameroles was fantastic, playing a key character in Rian Johnson’s delightful mystery movieKnives Out. However, hisfollowing projects have been far less consistent.
Lightyeargot mixed reviews, while movies likeThe Gray ManandGhostedfared even worse.The Red Onewas better than some of these efforts, but still underperformed on a high budget. This puts Evans in the position of having to redeem his track record outside the MCU. The actor has recently been on the upswing with one of his 2025 movies, and it shows his high potential.
Materialists Was Chris Evans' Best Movie In Years
It Pushed Him Into A Different Genre
The romance movieMaterialistswas recently released in theaters. Directed by Celine Song, the film starred Dakota Johnson as a matchmaker who finds herself caught in her own love triangle between characters played by Evans and Pedro Pascal.Materialistsgot strong reviews,getting an 80% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.
One of its champions wasScreenRant’s Molly Freeman, who gave it 9 out of 10 stars and complimented its talented cast.Evans' performance shone inMaterialists, but best of all, it showed what he was capable of in the drama and romance genre. This is one key way for him to step out of the MCU pigeonhole he had been stuck in for so long, and so far, it has been successful.
Honey Don’t Is Another Exciting & Interesting Movie For Chris Evans
The Movie Is Directed By Ethan Coen
AfterMaterialists, Evans will next star inHoney Don’t. Directed by Ethan Coen, the comedy will follow Honey O’Donahue (Margaret Qualley), who is a private investigator in a small town that winds up with a series of deaths linked to the same church. So far,the reviews are not as strong asMaterialists. The film has a mixed 48% Tomatometer so far, representing a lukewarm reception.
Nonetheless,Honey Don’trepresents a positive step forward for Evans. It gives him the chance to show off what he can do in a wider array of genres, and with some acclaimed directors. Even if it does not land, it continues an interesting career direction for Evans, who even appears to be the antagonist.
After These Movies, Will Chris Evans Ever Return To The MCU?
The Possibility Is Open (Even Without Steve Rogers)
The MCU has big plans for its next phases, so Evans may still find a way to return. After all, Robert Downey Jr. is slated to play Doctor Doom inAvengers: Doomsday, despite already having played Iron Man.
If some ofEvans' other non-MCU work goes as well asMaterialistsdid, however,the actor may be more compelled to stay within the non-franchise space.It will be fascinating to see what he opts for as his career continues, as movies likeHoney Don’tandMaterialistscould hint at his future ventures and interests.
