After 9 Years, I’m Still Impressed By How Chris Evans’ Captain America Defeated One Of The MCU’s Most Powerful Heroes

Chris Evans’ Captain America defeated a major Marvel Cinematic Universe hero 9 years ago, and that feat has become even more impressive than it already was as the years passed. The MCU’s Captain America trilogy starring Evans is the best in the franchise. The First Avenger was an impactful origin, while The Winter Soldier showed what is a serious MCU thriller.

Recently, Anthony Mackie’s Captain America: Brave New World even tried to copy that formula. Finally, Evans’ Captain America movies ended with Civil War, where he fought several other MCU heroes and had some surprising wins. Captain America is definitely strong, having the super-soldier serum in his veins, but him defeating one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes was shocking.

Chris Evans’ Captain America Defeating Spider-Man Was Surprising

Tom Holland Entered The Marvel Franchise In A Captain America Movie

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man debuted in the MCU in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Peter Parker’s powers are widely regarded as making him one of Marvel’s most powerful heroes. That is true for all mediums, including comics, animation, live-action Spider-Man franchises, and more. That is why I was surprised that Captain America defeated Spider-Man in one of the MCU’s best movies.

Related

8 MCU Avengers With No Solo Movies, Ranked By Who Deserves One The Most

While many of the MCU’s Avengers have led solo movies, there are a few that have not, and some characters deserve a film more than others.

The Captain America movie saw Spider-Man easily take down Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson. The first had HYDRA’s version of the super-soldier serum, while the second would later become the MCU’s new Captain America. Despite that win, Spider-Man could not take down Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. In fact, I was surprised by how easily Cap defeated the hero.

While Spider-Man surprised Steve with his webs and strength at first, it did not take long for Captain America to change the tide. In the end, Cap left Spidey with massive weight to hold on to. Given how Peter had not been Spider-Man for a long time before their fight, his lack of experience likely accounts for the loss.

Captain America Beating Spider-Man Has Become Even More Impressive 9 Years Later

Peter Parker Has Had Quite The MCU Journey

Evans’ Captain America defeating Holland’s Spider-Man was already pretty impressive when it happened in 2016. After all, despite Steve’s incredible strength and tactical knowledge, Spider-Man is normally stronger, more agile, and has a greater variety of skills when compared to Cap. That said, I think that 9 years after Captain America: Civil War, the MCU hero’s feat has become more impressive.

That is due to how Tom Holland’s Spider-Man journey has played out in the MCU. After his debut, the character went on to lead a Spider-Man trilogy and appear in two Avengers movies. In those projects, he faced quite a few powerful villains, ranging from the Vulture to Mysterio to Green Goblin to Thanos and more. Spider-Man has been thoroughly tested.

The hero even went on to defeat Doctor Strange in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. As Strange gave Thanos his biggest fight in the MCU, the fact that Spider-Man defeated him using his brains was exciting. Captain America used all his strength just to hold Thanos’ hand, and here is Spidey, who defeated Doctor Strange. It makes Steve’s feat more impressive.

Defeating Spider-Man Is Far From Captain America’s Only Display Of Power In The MCU

Steve Rogers Is One Of The Faces Of The Franchise

While Captain America beating Spider-Man was thrilling back then and is even more so now after almost a decade, Steve Rogers’ time in the MCU is filled with such moments. The hero never gives up, so that is why Steve is able to push past any differences in power with the characters he faces. 2016 proved that twice.

The first time was when Captain America defeated Spider-Man in Civil War, and the second was when the hero fought Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man at the end of the film. At the start, Captain America and Bucky were struggling to stop Iron Man. When it came to Steve vs Tony, Captain America’s hand-to-hand fighting skills soared, defeating Iron Man.

Tony Stark is one of the MCU’s smartest characters, and he also managed to give Thanos a run for his money in Avengers: Infinity War. That makes Steve beating him impressive. Other exciting Captain America displays of power include stopping a helicopter’s takeoff with his bare hands and donning Mjolnir to bring the fight to Thanos in Avengers: Endgame.

The MCU Can Still Give Spider-Man A Rematch With A Major Captain America Twist

Marvel Has To Do It Before The MCU Is Rebooted

While the actor has said that he is not in the movie, Chris Evans is reportedly part of Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast. If that turns out to be accurate, with Evans and Marvel keeping it a secret, I feel like we could finally see Spider-Man get his rematch before it is too late.

Avengers: Secret Wars could reboot the MCU like the event did for Marvel Comics. If that were to happen, while Tom Holland would likely stay as Spider-Man, Marvel could recast Steve Rogers with a new actor as the MCU’s first Captain America. That makes the next Avengers movies ideal for a possible Spider-Man rematch, and it could have a twist.

That is due to rumors that Chris Evans will play HYDRA’s Captain America in Avengers: Doomsday. Based on how Robert Downey Jr. played Iron Man and is now Doctor Doom, perhaps other Avengers cast members could return as evil characters. This way, we could see Spider-Man defeat Captain America this time around. Only it is for the good side.

First Film

Captain America: The First Avenger

Latest Film

Captain America: Civil War

Upcoming Films

Captain America: Brave New World

First TV Show

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The Captain America franchise is a crucial pillar of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), chronicling the journey of Steve Rogers, a frail young man transformed into the super-soldier Captain America during World War II. The franchise follows his battles against HYDRA, his adaptation to modern times, and his leadership in the Avengers. The trilogy is praised for its political intrigue, character development, and significant contributions to the overarching MCU narrative.