Chris Evans has been the cause of major controversy among fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in recent years due to statements he made about quitting acting in favor of directing. After the success of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, this has put many true believers into a panic over the future of the character and led to many jumping to conclusions that Steve Rogers will die sooner than later and the winter soldier or the falcon will take up the shield and star spangled uniform.

Before we jump to conclusions, lets examine what we actually know about the situation.

• Chris Evans’ contract with Marvel includes a total of 6 movies, not including his cameo in Thor: The Dark World.
• Evans has already met his contractual agreement for 3 of those 6 films. He finished filming the 4th one, Avengers 2 which is in theaters this May.
• Captain America 3 is on the docket for 2016
• It is well documented that Evans is not a fan of the grueling training routine, and was reluctant to play Cap in the first place, refusing a 9 film contract, and requiring convincing by Robert Downey Jr.
• Sebastian Stan has signed a 9 movie contract, and many believe he is next in line to be cap.
• Evans stated in an interview that he would like to quit acting in favor of directing

So the evidence is great, but take it with a grain of salt, everyone is asked to sign long contracts just in case, so a 9 movie deal for Sebastian Stan is not an indicator of intent. Additionally, actors have been known to make public statements as pre-negotiation tactics in order to get more money which was  likely the case with fellow Avengers’ star Robert Downey Jr. who became the highest paid actor in the world after publicly stating that he did not want to do Iron Man 3. Renegotiations are common after successful movies such as Winter Soldier. We’ve seen it recently with Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista who renegotiated his contract for more movies, higher pay, and a prominent roll in Avengers 3 after GotG’s success this summer.

Even more compelling, Evans clarified in a later interview that he would like to continue to play Captain America, but quit acting in non-Marvel films in favor of directing

Even more recently, he has stated his love for playing the character and resistance to his shield being taken from him. His devotion to the character has been backed up by Captain America: the Winter Soldier directors, the Russo Brothers, who caution fans about jumping to conclusions.

Will we see Rogers’ die and pass the shield on to the winter soldier or falcon? Possibly. But it may not be as soon as you think. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is still quite young and has plenty of places to go for character development.

Robert Downey Jr. is not getting any younger and when he hangs up his Iron suit, Marvel might make someone else the highest paid actor in the world? Could that be Chris Evans?

That depends on how well Age of Ultron, and Captain America 3 does. If he brings in billions for Marvel the way RDJ does, Marvel may begin construction of a money pipeline directly to the Evans’ residence to keep him around.