There’s no doubt that Chris Evans’s most famous role is playing Captain America in the MCU. Most of his most well-rated movies are in the MCU, but he has had many other roles besides the character of Steve Rogers. Now that his time playing Captain America seems to be over, he also has many other projects coming up. For fans of Evans, visiting his body of work and seeing other roles and films he has been in can be exciting.
Updated on July 25th, 2022 by Colin McCormick: Though Chris Evans is certainly best known for his role of Captain America in the MCU, he has appeared in a number of acclaimed movies over his career, superhero movies or otherwise. Just these years, Evans has starred in the Pixar animated adventure Lightyear as well as the new Netflix action movie The Gray Man. With plenty more projects. that have impressed critics, fans can check out some more of Chris Evans’ most acclaimed movies.
15 The Gray Man (2022) – 50%
Evans takes on the rare villain role in the Netflix action movie The Gray Man. The movie stars Ryan Gosling as a spy who finds himself on the run from a ruthless operative (Evans) when he discovers some dark secrets.
The movie boasts a star-studded cast, including Ana de Armas and Rege-Jean Page. And while some critics found it to be a dull retread of better movies, others felt it offered the right amount of entertainment for fans of the action genre.
14 The Iceman (2012) – 66%
- Available on Peacock, Peacock Premium, Roku, Vudu, Tubi, Redbox, Crackle and Plex
The Iceman is a crime thriller and also one of the darkest movies Evans has been involved with. Based on a true story, the movie follows a man named Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon) who worked as a hitman for the mob and may have been responsible for over 100 murders.
Chris Evans plays a character called Mr. Freezy who is another contract killer with a cover as an ice cream truck driver. This role is definitely unique and not one you might expect from Evans.
13 Gifted (2017) – 73%
- Available to rent on Apple TV
While Evans might have a lot of acting credits where he is in action movies, he has also had some softer roles. In Gifted, he plays Frank Adler who is a single man raising his genius niece named Mary (McKenna Grace). The story follows Frank as he fights for custody of Mary in the wake of her mother’s death, going head to head with his own mother in his efforts to do what is best for his niece.
Critics acknowledge the movie had a fairly predictable premise, yet the charming cast helped to elevate it into a heartwarming and compelling story.
12 Lightyear (2022) – 75%
- Available on Disney+ on August 3, 2022
Evans took a new look at a beloved Pixar character. A spinoff of Toy Story‘s Buzz Lightyear, the movie imagines the wild space adventure that inspired the toy in the first place. Evans provides the voice of the titular space ranger who takes on the evil Emperor Zurg.
Unlike most Pixar movies, critics found that Lightyear was content to tell a more conventional story and thus lacked some of the impact of other movies from the studio. However, it was still praised for its beautiful animation and its sci-fi fun.
11 Sunshine (2007) – 76%
- Available to rent on Apple TV
Sunshine follows a group of eight astronauts as they go on a mission to the sun, which has been dimming putting humanity at risk, to try and save the planet. Chris Evans plays one of the astronauts named Mace and stars alongside Rose Bryne and Cillian Murphy.
Sunshine was praised for its dazzling sci-fi imagery as well as its intelligent approach to the genre. Though the third act was criticized for taking the story in a less interesting direction, the overall movie was seen as a gripping space adventure.
10 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015) – 76%
The Avengers assembled for their first sequel together in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The movie finds the heroes once again banding together when a ruthless robot named Ultron threatens to wipe out humanity and recreate it in his image.
Though many critics felt the sequel wasn’t able to recapture the magic of that first team-up and that narrative got somewhat muddled in setting up too many things, the result was still an action-packed superhero ride from the MCU.
9 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – 79%
Evans stepped into the role of Captain America for the first time in Captain America: The First Avenger. The MCU origin movie tells the story of Steve Rogers volunteering for the super soldier program so that he could go fight in World War II.
Critics seemed to go for the pulpy throwback approach to the story with its period setting and Evans was immediately seen as a perfect fit for the role. Overall, it delivered an ideal bit of blockbuster fun.
8 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010) – 82%
- Available on Starz, DIRECTV and Spectrum on Demand
Before stepping into the role of Captain America, Evans starred in another popular comic book adaptation with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. The movie stars Michael Cera as the titular hero, a young man in a rock band who falls for an alluring girl only to discover that he must defeat her evil exes in order to be with her.
Evans has a scene-stealing role as Lucas Lee, the movie star ex who battles Scott. With Edgar Wright’s signature style and humor along with some fun nostalgic energy, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was called a unique and highlight entertaining action-comedy.
7 Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – 85%
The Avengers began their biggest battle yet with Avengers: Infinity War when Thanos finally stepped out of the shadows. With the Avengers themselves scattered, Evans returned as Captain America, leading the Earth-bound heroes against the Mad Titan.
despite the many storylines the movie had to juggle, critics hailed Avengers: Infinity War as one of the most epic Marvel adventures yet with dazzling action, entertaining character interactions, and an emotional impact.
6 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) – 90%
In the character’s first solo adventure, Captain America: The Winter Soldier had the difficult task of trying to make Captain America work in a modern setting. It succeeded in this paranoid thriller which found Cap surrounded by enemies as secrets within SHIELD were revealed.
The movie was praised as a suspenseful thriller with some interesting political notions while also adding in plenty of pulse-pounding action that fans have come to expect. The result was a movie that critics called one of the best in the entire MCU.
5 Captain America: Civil War (2016) – 90%
The final chapter in the Captain America trilogy closed things off with a big and packed superhero adventure. The movie found Cap at odds with Tony Stark over how the Avengers should be overseen as well as the emergence of his old friend, Bucky Barnes.
Critics were impressed with the movie’s willingness to explore the complexities of these heroes and not offer any easy solutions. However, it also featured some typically entertaining superhero fun while the Russo brothers introduced some new MCU characters fans were thrilled to finally see.
4 The Avengers (2012) – 91%
There were a lot of questions in the early days of the MCU as to whether or not this ambitious plan could be pulled off. The Avengers silenced many of those doubters by bringing together its iconic heroes in a hugely fun team-up against Loki.
Critics pointed out that the movie succeeds by finding the humanity in these larger-than-life characters which became a constant theme of the MCU going forward. It was praised as a fun and thrilling adventure that took the MCU to new heights.
3 Snowpiercer (2013) – 94%
- Available on Vudu, Tubi, Redbox, Pluto TV and Plex
Evans teamed with Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon-ho before his historic win for Parasite in the sci-fi action movie, Snowpiercer. The movie is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which the remains of humanity live aboard a constantly moving train that is divided into class sections. Evans plays a lower-class passenger who leads a revolt.
Critics praised the movie for its ambitious approach of mixing big action sequences with a thoughtful message about the class divide, making it stand out among the usual blockbusters.
2 Avengers: Endgame (2019) – 94%
Evans seemed to finally step away from the role of Captain America in Avengers: Endgame. The movie finds the remaining adventures dealing with the aftermath of the Blip and coming back together for their final fight against Thanos.
Critics hailed the movie as an appropriately huge and epic adventure that felt very much like the culmination of the entire MCU up until that point. It was a funny, emotional, and satisfying closing of a significant chapter in this cinematic universe.
1 Knives Out (2019) – 97%
- Available to rent on Apple TV
Evans joined the star-studded cast of the murder-mystery story Knives Out. The movie deals with the death of a patriarch of a rich family and a private detective named Benoit Blanc who looks into the circumstances of his passing. Evans plays the spoiled and arrogant grandson of the deceased.
Writer-director Rian Johnson thrilled critics with this funny, surprising, and clever take on the mystery genre that keeps audiences guessing. The cast was also praised for bringing these colorful characters to life, including Evans in a more unlikeable role than fans are used to seeing.
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