Evans talks about eventual leaving Captain America role

LOS ANGELES — Visualize a Marvel Cinematic Universe without Chris Evans as Captain America.

Evans, who perfectly embodies the upright superhero, reaches the end of his contract after he completes Avengers: Infinity War (in theaters May 4, 2018) and Avengers 4 (May 3, 2019). It’s a long way off and Evans acknowledges that Marvel executives are too busy with the complicated Avengers universe present to even discuss the possibility of re-upping his contract.

But for gosh sakes, when Evans does make the inevitable departure after Avengers 4 (or beyond), there are going to be some saddened fans.

“Bless those people. My mother will be leading that fan base,” says Evans while promoting his critically well-received role in Gifted (in select cities Friday including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia; goes nationwide April 12). He plays the embattled guardian of a genius niece.

The ever-gracious Evans acknowledges he will have a tough time seeing another actor don the supersuit he’s worn in three Captain America blockbusters and two (so far) Avengers films.

“I’d be lying if I said it wouldn’t be hard for me,” says Evans. "But the passing of time and the passing of torches is part of the experience. Nothing lasts forever. There’s a beauty in that departure, even if it can be sad at times. It’s also joyful.”

Given that his superhero received a super-soldier serum that slows the aging process dramatically, Evans will have to step down eventually. He’s OK with that.

“I’ve had a great run. Superheroes are reinventable entities, like Batman or even James Bond. These movies find new incarnations and new ways to tell the story. I am all for it,” says Evans. “However they want to proceed after Avengers 4, it’s really up to them. I walk away with no regrets and endlessly thankful.”

Nor has Evans spoken to his co-stars Tom Hiddleston, who has discussed the end of his villain Loki, or franchise behemoth Robert Downey Jr., who plays Iron Man/Tony Stark.