Chris Evans Is Downplaying A Report That He’s Returning As Captain America

Following a Deadline report that he’s in negotiations to return as Captain America, Chris Evans quickly became a trending topic on Thursday as fans started wildly speculating about what the actors’ return could mean for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, later that afternoon, Evans responded to the rumor with an odd tweet that appears to be a denial. According to the actor, his return as Cap is “news to me.”

Clearly, this wasn’t the reaction that Marvel fans were looking for, and they took to the replies to voice their frustrations and plead for Evans to reprise his role as Cap:

However, shortly after issuing his “denial,” Evans tipped his hat that he’s been soaking in the fan reactions and gave everyone a shout-out for bring their A-game. “Some of the gif responses are priceless,” Evans tweeted. “Good work, everyone.”

As for how to read Evans’ denial, it’s hard to take it entirely seriously, considering Marvel’s history of keeping actors on a very tight leash when it comes to casting news. Fans recently saw a similar situation play out when Tatiana Maslany flat-out denied being cast as She-Hulk, only to have her role confirmed a few weeks later during Disney’s Investors Day. Marvel actors also know not to comment publicly until a deal is officially signed, which Deadline reports is not the case with Evans yet. The actor had previously stated that he’s done with Marvel, but according to sources, he became more open to the idea of returning in December when talks began.

(Via Chris Evans on Twitter)