MCU star Chris Evans has recently received an outpouring of tributes from the Marvel fanbase after he seemingly implied that Avengers 4 will serve as his last big screen outing in the role of Captain America, but going by recent comments from Daredevil’s Wilson Bethel, we could’ve been watching a very different Steve Rogers on our screens for all these years if things had just turned out a little differently.
Speaking to ComicBook.com, Wilson recalled how he himself came excruciatingly close to landing the lead role in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, even getting as far as wearing the red, white, and blue costume.
“They put me in the Cap suit and did everything. So, I screen tested it at Marvel with a number of other guys. They ended up releasing all the other guys… I was meeting with [The First Avenger director] Joe Johnston to discuss the role and see storyboards. So, it was this insane period where during that time I kind of thought that maybe I was going to actually get the role. I actually screen-tested again a second time a month later on my birthday.”
Unfortunately for Bethel, the role went to the Cap we know today, but the actor is still willing to commend his rival for the job he’s been doing in bringing the character to life.
“I think it was like one or two days later that they made the announcement that Chris Evans got the part. So, to be perfectly honest, that was one of the hardest moments in my professional career. And it spun me out for a while, to be honest with you. But I’m also a firm believer that things happen as they’re supposed to, and obviously, Chris did an incredible job in that role.”
A couple of weeks ago, Evans got the internet all sentimental with a tweet announcing that he’d wrapped his final scenes for the Avengers: Infinity War sequel. With the star reflecting on his time in the role and thanking his fans and colleagues for the memories, it’s only natural that many of us interpreted this post as confirmation of his character’s exit from the MCU, though the actor has since insisted that his message contains no spoilers.
We’ll likely find out if Captain America still has a future in this franchise when Avengers 4 comes out on May 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, if you’d like to watch Bethel playing Bullseye in a whole other section of this Marvel universe, the third season of Daredevil is out today.