Marvel fan theories about Chris Evans's MCU return have already started, from Beyonder to Captain Hydra

The news that Chris Evans would be returning to Marvel in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday has already prompted fan theories.

Of course, Evans returned in Deadpool and Wolverine as Johnny Storm, though he was killed off pretty quickly by Cassandra Nova.

Fans are speculating about how Evans might be returning – and as who. "Possibly Old Man Cap, but more likely a multiversal variant of someone. I think Evans as Avengers Cap appears in Secret Wars, not Doomsday," says one person. "He could just be the actual Cap. He hasn't died yet," points out someone else.

"Probably Old Steve Rogers as the new SHIELD director, leading the AoS team," guesses someone else.

"Beyonder would be clever, on top of being Cap of course," says another fan – in the comics, Beyonder is a cosmic entity who forces Marvel characters to fight on Battleworld in the Secret Wars arc, which is the title of Avengers 6.

"Captain Hydra," guesses another person, referring to the Secret Empire comic book arc that saw Cap revealed as a hidden Hydra agent.

We'll have to wait and see how Evans's return shakes out, but we do know that Robert Downey Jr. will be back – though as Doctor Doom – and the Russo Brothers are returning to direct.

"Why would we come back if we didn't feel like we had a story that had that possibility of being on an equal footing with Infinity War and Endgame unless there's a kernel there for an idea that's really explosive?" Joe Russo told us recently of his and Anthony Russo's return.

Avengers: Doomsday lands on May 1, 2026. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows to fill out your watchlist.