Chris Evans‘ Avengers: Doomsday return was kept secret even during production. His involvement in the film was announced last year with the first teaser trailer. Evans revealed that his character was given the codename “Luke Cage” during filming to keep his casting completely secret. However, the same codename was leaked during production. The codename was also used during the production of Deadpool & Wolverine, where he returned as Johnny Storm.
During a recent Q&A at Fan Expo Boston over the weekend, Evans said that while filming Avengers: Doomsday in London, he stayed at a house about an hour away from the studio and traveled directly between the two locations. His character was listed as “Luke Cage” in the scripts and call sheets to prevent his real identity from leaking. Even crew members used the name “Luke Cage” over the walkies when referring to Evans. Evans described the secrecy surrounding his role as a “total lockdown.”
Evans said, “When we were filming in London, I rented a house an hour away from the studio in the complete opposite direction… We would go to set, then straight home. On set, in the scripts, my character was listed as ‘Luke Cage’ just in case things leaked! Call sheets had me as Luke Cage, and even over the walkies they’d say ‘Luke Cage is traveling.’ It was total lockdown.”
The secrecy was especially difficult because Evans was doing press for Materialists at the same time. During interviews, Evans was repeatedly asked whether he was appearing in the project and had to deny his involvement.
“It was tricky because I had to do press for ‘Materialists’ at the time, and everyone kept asking, ‘Are you in it?’ and I just had to lie!”
Why Chris Evans Returned as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday?
Evans revealed why he agreed to return as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday. After Avengers: Endgame, Marvel wanted Evans to continue playing Steve Rogers as Nomad and presented him with several story ideas.
Although Evans said the pitches were “fantastic,” none of them felt worth risking the legacy of Steve Rogers.
Evans reconsidered when Robert Downey Jr. agreed to return and the Russo Brothers presented him with their idea for Doomsday. Evans said the Russo Brothers “love beating up Steve Rogers,” viewing his ability to keep getting back up as an important part of what makes him a hero.
He said, “When we finished Endgame, Marvel wanted to keep making movies with me as Nomad, and I read a bunch of pitches. They were all fantastic, but none felt worth compromising the legacy of the character. Then for Doomsday, when Downey came back and the Russos gave me the pitch… The Russos love beating up Steve Rogers. Their favorite thing is to just beat the crap out of him! To them, that’s what makes a hero, someone who gets punched so many times, but still gets up. They keep finding new ways to kick his butt, and this one was brutal.”
Chris Evans has revealed his dream four-member Avengers team. He picked Scarlet Witch as his first choice because of her incredible power.
“You’d be a fool to not start with Scarlet Witch just based on power… Probably Thor, too, just to ensure that you’re gonna win. And then probably Iron Man, just because after you win, he knows all the good vacation spots! Oh, wait… I’m ON the team! Well, then let’s get Bucky in there, because I need my guy!”
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers: Doomsday follows beloved heroes from three distinct universes as they are set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they have ever encountered.
The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Wyatt Russell, Channing Tatum, Simu Liu, Ian McKellen, Tom Hiddleston, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Joseph Quinn, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Lewis Pullman, Kelsey Grammer, Kathryn Newton, Danny Ramirez, Winston Duke, Alan Cumming, Hannah John-Kamen, Rebecca Romijn, Mabel Cadena, and Tenoch Huerta Mejía.
Avengers: Doomsday is produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Jonathan Schwartz.
The global tickets for Avengers: Doomsday will go on sale this Friday at 9:00 AM PST. Standard tickets for the film are already available at select U.S. theaters. Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters across the United States on December 18, 2026.
