An MCU legend returns in Deadpool and Wolverine, and not in a way that anybody could anticipate

Deadpool and Wolverine is full of surprises. Hugh Jackman making an unexpected return to superheroics after seemingly leaving his iconic character behind for good with 2017's Logan is a great example of that, but he isn't the only actor making a surprise comeback here. This is the first Deadpool film since Disney acquired Fox – a move which has brought the Merc With a Mouth, the X-Men, and a host of other superheroes formerly controlled by Fox crashing into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

There's an unreal amount of Deadpool and Wolverine cameos in this film, a pure celebration of some of the best superhero movies from the last two decades. But one cameo is especially unexpected. The odds were always pretty good that this actor would return to superhero movies eventually – everyone just assumed he'd be playing a different superhero than he does in Deadpool & Wolverine…

I'm going to pull a Deadpool and break the fourth wall to tell you, the reader, not to continue with this article if you haven't seen Deadpool 3. This is a spoiler warning! Read our Deadpool and Wolverine review if you're just looking for more info on the film.

Flame on!

Deadpool & Wolverine sees Ryan Reynolds' foul-mouth Mutant exploring the multiverse in the hopes of saving his timeline from extinction at the hands of the TVA, the timeline police first introduced in the Loki series on Disney+. When Deadpool and a version of Wolverine from a different reality are "eliminated" by the TVA, they're sent to The Void, a wasteland realm where everything that's been pruned from time ends up. There, they meet a dashing, inspiring hero played by… Chris Evans, making his first return to the MCU since Steve Rogers went back in time to live out his life with Peggy in Avengers: Endgame. 

Evans reveals himself to Deadpool and Wolverine, giving an inspiring speech about working together to fight the Mad Max-like group of raiders approaching them. Much to Deadpool's delight, he prepares to say his iconic superhero catchphrase. But it's not "Avengers, Assemble." It's… "Flame on!" because – twist! – Evans is not playing Captain America but reprising his role as the Human Torch.

Who Is Chris Evans Playing in Deadpool & Wolverine?

Turns out the Human Torch, a member of the Fantastic Four, is one of the many characters that have been banished to the Void by the TVA. (Other major cameos include Wesley Snipes as Blade, Jennifer Garner as Elektra, and Dafne Keen as X-23.) 

The Human Torch is one of Marvel's oldest superheroes – even older than you think. The first version of the character appeared alongside Captain America in comics as early as 1939 back when Marvel was called Timely Comics. This Human Torch was an android, but the more well-known version of the character, the one Evans played, made his debut in the first issue of The Fantastic Four in 1961. Johnny Storm gained the power to turn into living flame and fly when he was hit with cosmic rays in an experimental spacecraft along with his the Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, and The Thing, and has appeared in the best Fantastic Four comics ever since. 

Evans played the Human Torch in the 2005 Fantastic Four movie, which co-starred Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, and Michael Chiklis as the rest of the super-family. He reprised the role in the 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. This was Evans' first superhero role and one of his first major film appearances, though he would become much more well-known for playing Captain America a few years later when The First Avenger came out in 2011. 

Compared to his tenure as 'Cap, Evan's two appearances as the Human Torch are something of an afterthought, especially as those movies aren't held in the same popular or critical esteem as the MCU movies. That's why it's such a surprise when Deadpool and Wolverine has Evans set himself ablaze: Everybody, including Deadpool, was expecting he'd be playing the other superhero.

Will Chris Evans Ever Return to the MCU as Captain America?

Evans last appeared as Captain America in 2019's Endgame, but there's been suspicion that he'll eventually pick up the mantle again. With the MCU seemingly headed towards a Secret Wars-style multiversal mashup in the next Avengers films – and with Marvel Studios perhaps willing to shell out a lot of money to get O.G. stars like Evans and Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. to reprise their roles to get lapsed fans excited again – it's not out of the question that Evans will be back in the MCU again, this time as Captain America once more. 

Deadpool & Wolverine, ultimately, was not the palace for that grand return. Should Evans' Captain America come back, it will probably be done with a bit more reverence than a gag in the Void, the timeline's trash-bin, in an R-rated Deadpool movie. 

And, while we're on the subject, it seems safe to say Evans won't reprise his role as the Human Torch. A Quiet Place: Dar One star Joseph Quinn is playing the character in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot for the MCU. Evans' reprisal of the role was just a good one-off joke. Plus, if you've seen the movie, you know that this version of Johnny Storm dies in the Void. Pretty horribly! At least it wasn't Deadpool's fault.

Wondering where to go next? Here's how to watch all of the Marvel movies in order once you're done with Deadpool and Wolverine.