Every Chris Evans Movie Ranked

By Emily Lemon On Jul 22, 2022

Marvel/Netflix/The Weinstein Company

There’s no actor we want to see break bad more than Chris Evans. And, apparently, there’s no role Chris Evans and directors Joe and Anthony Russo want more than one in which he does, in fact, break bad.

“We were talking to [Evans] at the end of ‘[Avengers:] Endgame’ about what he was gonna do next. And he said, listen, ‘I’m so comfortable. I’ve been so blessed and fortunate to be at the point I am in my career that I just wanna take risks moving forward.’”

That’s Joe Russo discussing the duo’s decision to cast Evans in The Gray Man—out this week on Netflix—as something other than America’s hero.

“So when we were working on this character,” Russo went on, “we were like, ‘Who are we gonna get to play a complete sociopath? Just like scenery, chewing villain.’ And we thought Evans.”

Netflix seems bent on turning the old guard of Avengers into psychopaths. Chris Hemsworth recently checked in as a delusional laboratory scientist in Spiderhead. (Who’s next? Chris Pratt?)

And we say: good. We want to see these actors try and make us hate them. Villainy is always more fun.

So in the lead up to Evans’ delightful villainous turn, we’re taking a survey of (mostly) all of his movies and roles, ranking what we think are the best, which turn out to be the ones in which he plays a touch of bad. Is it the best “movies starring Chris Evans”, or the best “Chris Evans performances”? We couldn’t really decide, so we sort of just took a bit of both.

Also, lists that begin with the worst movies and make you scroll all the way down to see the best one—dumb! You’re busy. You want to know what to watch tonight. We got you.

Here are the best Chris Evans performances/movies/whatever so far in his career.

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Snowpiercer (2013)

While in the throes of his Captain America run, Evans signed on with future Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho (Parasite) for this post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller. The result is maybe the best Chris Evans role to date and certainly one of his best films. Here’s hoping Evans decides to take on more smaller projects in the future. Also more rated-R movies.

STREAM IT HERE

Sunshine (2007)

While not the leading role in Danny Boyle’s Earth-saving sci-fi journey, Evans rounds out a spectacular cast, including Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, and Michelle Yeoh. It’s one of the first high concept ensemble films in which we saw Evans—a planetary avengers before The Avengers. It remains one of his best films.

STREAM IT HERE

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)

We had no doubt that Evans could go full sociopath in The Gray Man. We’d seen it before. Playing one of the lead character’s evil exes, Evans makes us hate him, but in all the good ways. Controversial opinion: Scott Pilgrim is Evans’ best comic book movie.

STREAM IT HERE

Knives Out (2019)

Perhaps it was the total character shift from over a decade of heroic leads. Perhaps it was that hella comfortable-looking wool sweater. Whatever the reason, Ransom Drysdale in Knives Out is Chris Evans’ best role to date. We said it. We’re stickin’ with it.

STREAM IT HERE

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Okay, time to consider the Marvel properties. While Iron Man will remain something like the arc reactor heart of the franchise, Evans’ Captain America is no doubt the property’s soul. Throughout the entire run, he was the team’s moral compass and de facto leader. Evans played the comic character of Steve Rogers to such uncanny perfection that we don’t think anyone will try again. At least, not sincerely; we’re loving the spoof Captain Americas from series like The Boys, though.

STREAM IT HERE

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

In his own franchise—which we consider the best of any of Marvel’s individual franchises (even Iron Man)—Evans’ Captain America delivers nothing short of spectacular action and unexpected emotionality. In Civil War, the lowest and most fractured moment for the Avengers team, Evans puts in a particularly powerful performance opposite Downey Jr.

STREAM IT HERE

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

We could lump this in with Endgame and call it a single performance; Infinity War represents something like a first act for Evans’ ultimate trials as Steve Rogers—culminating in one last leaderly effort and crystalizing in the ultimate moment of worth and character affirmation, Rogers’ wielding the Mjölnir. We get goosebumps just thinking about it. Plus, have you seen his hair and beard in this movie?

STREAM IT HERE

8

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

At the heart of Steve Rogers’ journey as Captain America is his relationship with Bucky Barnes. That friendship anchors the franchise, and the split between both men precipitates most of Rogers’ internal conflict and question of resolve. The Winter Soldier introduces this schism and gives fans maybe the best fight choreography and action of any Marvel film to date.

STREAM IT HERE

9

The Avengers (2012)

The first Avengers ensemble installment felt more like The Robert Downey Jr. Show. But there as his burgeoning number 2, Evans seemed already poised to replace Iron Man as the group’s leader—and franchise soul. There would be strife and internal fighting, but in the first Avengers film, we get one of the best and tightest ensemble comic films of all time.

STREAM IT HERE

10

Gifted (2017)

We realize that Gifted is the only film on this list where Evans plays a character not in some existential danger—or high school, which is kind of the same thing. Here, he plays the guardian to a child prodigy. It’s a quieter role, and we love the softer turn. (Evans will put in a similar guardian-like performance in Defending Jacob, another fantastic role.)

STREAM IT HERE

11

Captain America: The First Avenger

While Steve Rogers’ origin story falls somewhere in the middle of the pack when ranking the MCU’s best films, on second watch we find something oddly redeeming in the film’s simplicity and straightforward storytelling—now that the MCU seems unable to tell a solid origin story without cramming 400 characters on screen. There’s a reason Endgame paid off. Because of films like this.

STREAM IT HERE

12

The Gray Man (2022)

The Gray Man plays out like a script written by an AI algorithm designed to maximize enjoyment; it’s as if a user inputed “action spy thriller” into a computer and asked it to “run program.” Which makes the whole film feel kind of soulless, even if the action is obviously impressive. Still, Evans turns in another fantastically evil role. We’re starting to think Evans is best when he breaks bad.

STREAM IT HERE

13

Not Another Teen Movie (2001)

Surprised this made the list? Well, you shouldn’t be. It’s a classic. A classic. It’s a moment in time where Evans may have just run the gauntlet of rom-coms and handsome man roles. We’re fortunate that’s not the way it went.

STREAM IT HERE

14

Fantastic Four (2005)

Okay, this is a bit of a sucker punch. The movie is … fine. Anyway, we’re glad Evans could reenter Marvel’s next era. In doing so, he helped change cinema forever.

STREAM IT HERE

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