If his first film was any indication of his future on Hollywood, anyone would have been hard-pressed to believe Chris Evans would become the prolific MCU’s Captain America. Playing a stereotypical high school jock in Not Another Teen Movie, Evans showed off his perfect comedic timing alongside comedy legends like Jamie Presley (My Name is Earl) and Lacey Chabert (Mean Girls). While he went on to star comic book films like The Losers, he became typecast as the himbo. Even when he deviated with roles in romantic comedies like in The Nanny Diaries or more serious roles like in Puncture, Evans nonetheless remained “the Harvard hottie”.
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Now a household name thanks to his big break as the shield-wielding Captain America, Evans is virtually able to pick and choose the roles he takes on. Despite Marvel Studios giving Steve Rogers his overdue retirement in Avengers: Endgame, fans and entertainment news outlets seem to be unable to release him from the iconic role. With Pixar’s Lightyear marking Evans’ first foray into animation, maybe the horizons for this versatile Bostonian theater kid are just opening up. Each role Evans plays becomes prolific due to his impeccable line delivery, yet there’s one type of role he seems to excel in: the villain. When he played Ransom Drysdale in Knives Out and, more recently, Lloyd Hansen in The Gray Man, audiences got a taste of what he could do as a villain. Here’s why Evans should play villain characters more.
10 Years of Playing the Ultimate Good Guy
Marvel Studios
Romantic leads aside, Evans’ acting career is packed with 10 years of playing the good guy, who is either the voice of reason or someone fighting against oppression. In the film Sunshine, Evans plays Mace, an engineer part of an astronaut crew on a mission is to reignite the sun with a nuclear fission bomb. As Mace, Evans plays the good guy who is the voice of reason in a difficult situation. Additionally, in the interim of fulfilling his Marvel contract, Evans signed on for a different type of hero character. In Snowpiercer, a film by Korean director Bong Joon-Ho, Evans portrays Curtis, someone fighting against corruption. With truly remarkable fighting scenes and an underlying emotional core, Evans once again shows off his impeccable ability to play the good guy fighting against corruption.
Of course, the ultimate good guy character Evans has played is Steve Rogers. Throughout his tenure as Captain America, Evans brought to life a character that was meant to be as the best of the best in terms of morality, fighting for what’s right, and laying his life on the line no matter the odds. As his most recognizable role, alongside Evans’ achievements and demonstrations of his own personal goodness — like helping Betty White walk onstage at the People’s Choice Awards — Evans has inadvertently fostered a reputation on-screen and off as an all-around good guy.
Evans’ Success as the Villain
Netflix
Lloyd Hansen in The Gray Man isn’t Evans’ first go-round as the villain. In the comic book film adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Evans plays the villain Lucas Lee. Scott Pilgrim, played by Michael Cera, is on a mission to prove he’s worthy of dating Ramona Flowers; but to do so, he must win battles against all of her exes. Scott faces Lucas, a movie star who is still in love with Ramona. Evans’ scene in the film is short, but as a villain with the most devious looking eyebrows, Lucas Lee is an exemplar villain in the actor’s repertoire. Additionally, in The Iceman, Evans is unrecognizable as the villain Mr. Freezy, a freelance contract killer who agrees to partner with the eponymous Iceman (Michael Shannon). Mr. Freezy is unredeemable in any way, even upon meeting his death by The Iceman.
In Netflix’s The Gray Man, Evans brought that same chilling disregard for others in his character of Lloyd Hansen. Determined to complete his objective by any — often violent — means necessary, Lloyd borders on the sociopathic, the antithesis of Captain America. Ultimately, it’s a role that’s delightful to see Evans play and a further demonstration of his own talent as an actor: Evans successfully made us see beyond his past as Captain America and his public persona as a gentleman, and brought forth a villain we actually disliked and were, at times, even unnerved by.
Evans’ Own Words on Playing Villains
During the press tour for The Gray Man, interviewers not only asked if Evans would return as Captain America, but they also asked how Lloyd Hansen differs from the MCU character. In an interview with Empire, Evans says of Lloyd: “This is a character I’ve never been able to play. He’s so liberated, and free, and honest. What I like about him is that you should almost fear his smile more than his scowl. I think he understands that what he does is bad and harmful, but I think he considers himself necessary. He thinks he’s a disrupter.”
While Evans wanted to play Lloyd to stretch and challenge himself as an actor, this is hardly the first time he vocalized that he wants to play the villain. Back in 2019, Evans revealed that he wanted to do a musical. This revelation is all the more intriguing as he wanted to play The Dentist and the remake of The Little Shop of Horrors, according to Pride. For those unfamiliar with the musical, the dentist is another unforgivable villain. While production of the remake is on hold, seeing Evans as a singing villain would be truly magnificent.
