Hayley Atwell and Chris Evans almost returned as Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers in their own movie, but instead they'll reunite in Avengers: Doomsday

Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter dancing close together in Avengers: Endgame — (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Hot on the heels of Chris Evans reportedly making a deal to return in Avengers: Doomsday, it looks like Hayley Atwell will be joining him as Agent Peggy Carter, according to Deadline. And yes, this does mean that it's likely that Chris Evans will be playing Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, after all.

In fact, Deadline reports that the pair were initially in talks to return in their own co-starring movie, presumably picking up in the years after Steve returned to the past and married Peggy at the end of Avengers: Endgame. However, a story for the film couldn't be settled on, so the pair's reunion and return as Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter has apparently been shifted over to Avengers: Doomsday, which will feature former Iron Man actor Robert Downey, Jr. recast into the new role of the villainous Doctor Doom.

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I've had some fun speculating on the possibility of Chris Evans returning in a new role as a villain, much like Downey. But with Evans and Atwell reportedly returning specifically as Steve Rogers and Agent Peggy Carter, I'm guessing that fantasy may be put to bed. But there's still some unexpected potential for what the story could hold, especially if a version of Captain Carter winds up in the mix.

It's definitely interesting to see Evans potentially returning as Captain America, with the reports coming just months ahead of Anthony Mackie's return as the new Captain America, Sam Wilson, in his own first solo film Captain America: Brave New World. The question is, will Evans' return dampen the potential excitement over Sam Wilson's big solo movie debut? Or Will it heighten anticipation of the inevitable Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson Captain America team-up in Avengers: Doomsday?

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)