Recent rumors of Captain America's return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe seem to have been greatly exaggerated. Back in January, a bombshell report broke suggesting that Chris Evans was poised to pick up the shield once again, returning to the MCU fold. The actor personally poured a bit of cold water on the situation already. Now, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has personally shot down those rumors as well.

Kevin Feige has recently been making the press round to promote the release of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The series debuts on Disney+ this week. Feige was recently asked to address the rumors of Chris Evans' return to the MCU as Captain America. Here's what he had to say about it.

"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."

Chris Evans responded on Twitter the day the news broke by saying, "News to me." Couple that with Kevin Feige's comments and this rumor is all but dead. Feige is at the top of the food chain in the Marvel ranks. If something is happening, he knows about it. It all flows through him. If there was even a chance that something like this was going to happen, not only would he know about it but he would almost certainly play it aloof. The fact that he stopped just short of saying it's not true is telling. Kevin Feige, as he explains, is hesitant to outright say no to anything, as anything within the confines of the MCU is possible.

The Captain America situation will be addressed in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson, who Steve Rogers gave his shield to at the end of Avengers: Endgame, will return alongside Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes. Mackie also addressed the rumors, though he merely had a humorous anecdote to share.

"I was actually fishing [when the report came out]. When I came back in to get some shrimp, the dude at the dock was like, 'Hey, man! Did you see this s***?!' I've been going to the same guy to get my bait for like 20 years and all of a sudden now he's a fan. He had no idea who I was. Now he's a fan. Marvel's so secretive, and it's so ridiculous about what we know and what we don't know. I have no idea. The dude at the dock selling me shrimp knows more about what's going on with Marvel than I do."

Chris Evans played Captain America for a full decade starting with The First Avenger leading up to his swan song in Avengers: Endgame. While Steve Rogers didn't die, he did become an old man, living out his life with Peggy Carter after traveling back in time to return the Infinity Stones. It seems Marvel Studios is content to leave his story alone. At least for now. This news comes to us via Entertainment Weekly.