Do You Remember Chris Evans Before He Was 'Captain America?'

Chris Evans has been a major game-changer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe through his role as Captain America. Even though he almost backed down from the role, he has unanimously become one of Hollywood's biggest names, which can allude to his stint with Marvel.

He is famous for his role as Marvel's first Avenger, Captain America, but Evans has had a long and consistent career in Hollywood, working from music videos to video games.

Aside from school plays and local theater productions, the "Avengers" actor debuted his acting career starring in a 1997 short educational film titled "Biodiversity: Wild About Life!" Evans was 16 years old then and didn't work on any other role until the "Opposite Sex" mini-series in 2000.

In 2005, he played the role of Human Torch in "Fantastic Four." Although it didn't get a lot of love at the box office, Evans eventually returned to reprise the role in a 2007 sequel.

Evans followed up his role in the "Fantastic Four" film with parts in the action movie "Push." He played a psychic who tried to prevent the government from controlling a group of superhumans. He also starred in "The Losers," a 2010 film that told the story of an elite black ops team who uncovered a government conspiracy.

Before Chris Evans was cast as Captain America, he had to be convinced to take on the iconic character.

Marvel casting director Sarah Finn disclosed in a People exclusive clip that the actor was hesitant to be a global star.

"When we really distilled the core qualities that we wanted out of Captain America, I think there is really a moral fiber to him that really isn't something you act, that it's something that you need to possess," Finn revealed in the clip.

She added, "Chris Evans was someone who seemed to inhabit all of those qualities the most. So everyone was in love with the idea of Chris — except Chris."

In hindsight, Chris realized that saying yes to the role would change his life dramatically. "The only reason there was hesitation, to begin with, is because of the commitment," Evans said.

He continued, "It's a big movie and if it succeeds there's a change, a lifestyle change. And if it fails, it's a whole other can of worms."

The actor started experiencing anxiety around 2007. By 2010, when he filmed the indie movie "Puncture," the illness had worsened. "It was the first time I started having mini panic attacks on set," he said. "I really started to think, 'I'm not sure if this acting is the right thing for me, I'm not sure if I'm feeling as healthy as I should be feeling.'"

This also added to his increased hesitancy to take up the "Captain America" role, as he was afraid the character would render his anxiety unmanageable.

Further support came in the form of Chris Hemsworth, who was also relatively new to the fame game at the time. "It was nice having Chris Hemsworth around because he was going through it, too. Hemsworth and I were very new and we also had the stand-alones and so I think we shared in our anxiety, and at least that made it a little bit more comforting."

In retrospect, he was thankful he took up the role because all the things he feared never came to fruition.

Before they co-starred together in "Avengers," Evans and Scarlett Johansson worked together on "The Perfect Score," and "The Nanny Diaries."

He also starred alongside Anthony Mackie in "Playing it Cool." He appeared in "SnowPiercer" with Tilda Swinton, although he doesn't have any scenes in Marvel movies.

In 2011, he featured alongside Anna Faris in "What's Your Number." He also appeared in "The Losers" with Marvel stars Zoe Saldana and Idris Elba.

Finally, Evans and Brie Larson worked together on "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World."

Rumors which suggested that Evans will be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been debunked by Marvel Studios President and Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige.

"I rarely answer no to anything anymore because things are always surprising me with what happens, but that rumor, I think, was dispelled rather quickly by the man himself," Feige told EW.

The latter half of his response referred to a tweet Evans made, which quashed the rumor of his would-be return.

While Captain America might not return, his legacy will forever live on in "The Falcon" and the "Winter Soldier." This is headlined by Captain America's closest aides, Sam Wilson, and Bucky Barnes.