When The Avengers came out in theaters a decade ago, every Marvel fan’s dream of seeing a movie of the hugely popular team of superheroes came true. Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, and Mark Ruffalo each delivered in the roles that they were cast in, and it was glorious.
Many who watched the 2012 movie were pretty curious about this one thing that no one could decide upon- who was the leader of the Avengers at the time? Some may pick Downey Jr.’s Iron Man because he’s the cool tech billionaire over the “self-righteous” and stick-to-the-rules Captain America of Evans. But here’s who the leader really is, according to Jimmy Kimmel.
A Must-Read: ‘He’s so far gone… like an old retired dude’: Anthony Mackie Hints Chris Evans Will Never Return to MCU Again
Jimmy Kimmel’s Pick For Leader Of The Avengers
This debate surrounding who leads the Avengers is nothing new. There have been thousands of fan discussions and debates on all social media platforms regarding who really leads Marvel’s most prestigious group of superheroes.
Fans still cannot come to a unanimous decision about who calls the shots, but there’s this one notable celebrity who’s pretty sure of who he thinks the leader is.
We recently revisited an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live from 2015 where Jimmy Kimmel himself tells us who he really thinks is the commanding voice in the superhero group that had six prominent members at the time.
During the appearance of the cast of The Avengers on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 54-year-old comedian and host of the said talk show shifted his attention to Robert Downey Jr. as he conveniently attributes the leader characteristic to the Iron Man actor-
“Robert would you consider yourself to be the leader of this group?”
Downey Jr. replies-
“Uh… If you say so”
One notable part of the interview was that Chris Evans, who is considered by many to be second in line as leader of the Avengers, was visibly uncomfortable hearing Kimmel’s comments. But that was seven years ago and we’re pretty sure Evans is enjoying his post-MCU life.
When Avengers “Leader” Robert Downey Jr. Convinced Chris Evans To Continue In MCU
It’s relieving to know that there’s no actual rivalry or enmity between Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., which sounds stupid because the two are actually really good friends! And let’s not forget the one-time Downey Jr. called up the Snowpiercer actor to sway his thoughts away from leaving the MCU.
For actors, the downside of starring in big movie franchises that plan to make a whole universe is that you can’t afford to give your time to other independent projects. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2020, Chris Evans described the MCU as being a “double-edged sword” because of this very disgruntling fact.
But the 41-year-old actor ultimately went on to faithfully portray Captain America up till Avengers: Endgame which gave his character a fitting ending. And as it turns out it was fellow co-actor Robert Downey Jr., who with a simple phone call kept him in the franchise for so long, says Evans-
“I knew where they wanted to go, that’s part of the initial deal, not just for Captain America but for Avengers movies and that was daunting,”
“Just hearing him (Downey Jr.) kind of give you that little nudge of encouragement, it just made me feel a little bit more like I was part of the gang and not so intimidated. I guess it was a double edged sword, on the one hand it makes you feel very welcome but on the other hand you just think ‘Oh man, I gotta stand next to this guy? He’s crushing this role. I don’t want to be the weak link here.’ But it was a very nice comforting thing to hear that he was in my corner,”
It’s only fitting that the characters of both actors were sent off emotionally after the end of Avengers: Endgame- friends that ride together, die together!
Source: YouTube
