Following the release of the first Avengers: Doomsday teaser confirming Chris Evans’ return as Steve Rogers, directors Joe and Anthony Russo shared a message on Instagram that frames the moment as a full-circle event for the MCU.
“The character that changed our lives. The story that brought us all here together. It was always going to come back to this,” the Russos posted alongside the teaser.
The statement immediately drew attention, not just because of Evans’ return, but because of how closely Steve Rogers is tied to the Russos’ rise within Marvel Studios.
Watch the teaser:
Chris Evans And The Foundation Of The MCU
Chris Evans debuted as Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011, introducing what would become the moral backbone of the MCU.
While early Marvel films leaned heavily on spectacle, Steve Rogers was positioned as the heart of the franchise.
That role only grew under the Russos, who took over the character with Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
The film reshaped the MCU, grounding it in political tension and redefining what Marvel movies could be.
Civil War followed, splitting the Avengers and placing Rogers at the center of the MCU’s biggest ideological divide.
From there, Evans became a core pillar of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, culminating in Steve’s decision to return the Infinity Stones and remain in the past to live out his life with Peggy Carter.
Endgame closed the book on Steve Rogers as Captain America, passing the shield to Sam Wilson and seemingly ending Evans’ run.
Steve Rogers’ Return In Avengers: Doomsday
The Avengers: Doomsday teaser confirms that Steve Rogers’ story is not over.
The scene is believed to take place during the Endgame timeline, when Rogers travels through history returning the Infinity Stones.
The teaser shows Steve holding a baby, strongly implying he married Peggy Carter and started a family during his time in the past.
The moment reframes Steve’s ending in Endgame, suggesting his choice to stay behind may now play a larger role in the multiverse story unfolding in Avengers: Doomsday.
The teaser ends with the crawl: “Steve Rogers will return.”
Why Steve Rogers Matters To Doomsday
The Russos’ message suggests that Avengers: Doomsday is designed to circle back to the foundation of the MCU rather than simply escalate spectacle.
Steve Rogers was the character that anchored the Avengers, unified the team, and gave emotional weight to the franchise’s biggest moments.
Bringing him back — especially under the Russos — signals that Avengers: Doomsday may lean heavily on legacy, consequence, and the choices made since Endgame.
With Marvel rolling out character-focused teasers and positioning Steve Rogers as the starting point, Avengers: Doomsday is being framed not just as another crossover, but as a reckoning with the MCU’s past.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on December 18, 2026.
