12 Movie Casting Decisions That Fans Couldn't Handle

10. Chris Evans - Captain America (Captain America: The First Avenger)

Casting Captain America was one of the most important tasks in the early days of the MCU, given that he'd ultimately become a cornerstone of the franchise for almost a decade.

And so, when Chris Evans landed the part, fans were wildly divided. At the time, Evans was largely known to audiences for his gregarious role as Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four, and there wasn't much indication that the star of Not Another Teen Movie could match the earnest heroism of his comic book counterpart.

With Ryan Phillippe and John Krasinski among the final contenders for the role, many felt that Evans was a misguided pick - and we later learned that Evans himself even turned the role down a few times for fear of being locked into a restrictive contract.

Did It Work Out?: Obviously. By the end of The First Avenger's first act, even hardened cynics were surely sold, with Evans nailing both Rogers' salt-of-the-Earth likeability and the more exuberant, muscle-bound physicality of his super-powered Cap.

Evans went on to become one of the MCU's most popular characters - second only to Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, surely - and enjoyed a lengthy tenure which met a poignant conclusion in Avengers: Endgame.