Scarlett Johansson Says MCU Undersold This Hilarious Avengers Star — and It’s Not RDJ

People love to say Robert Downey Jr. is the class clown of the MCU, but apparently Chris Evans is no slouch in the comedy department either. Scarlett Johansson says the guy is quietly hilarious — and, fun twist, she was a big reason he even took the Captain America job in the first place.

ScarJo on Evans: goofy, humble, and yes, genuinely funny

Right before Captain America: The Winter Soldier hit theaters, Johansson told Parade that she and Evans have had a shorthand for years — more than a decade of knowing each other — and Marvel smartly put that chemistry to work on screen.

"We have the same kind of rapport between us, the same short-hand, he's just as goofy and earnest as he's always been. He's got a lot of humility to him and a great sense of humor. I think Marvel was lucky to have that history between us so they can exploit it for the film!"

The behind-the-scenes nudge: Evans nearly said no to Captain America

Hard to imagine now, given he became one of the MCU's pillars from the early days, but Evans almost turned down Captain America: The First Avenger. He'd already done the superhero thing as Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four movies and wasn't sure he wanted to jump back in, especially as the face of a massive production. Johansson told Variety she talked it through with him after she had already signed on for Iron Man, and her take on the pressure difference says a lot about what he was walking into.

"I talked to him a little about it, because I had already signed on to do 'Iron Man.' Of course, the pressure wasn't on my shoulders like it was on Chris's. I was playing a character that Marvel was invested in, but we didn't know if the audience was going to be totally behind the Widow at that point. It was like I was dipping my toe in. He was taking the full brunt of the production on his shoulders. It can feel like a gilded cage at times."

Translation: she helped him see the upside, he took the leap, and Marvel got one of its defining heroes out of it.

Cap kept the jokes on a leash — mostly by design

If you want a clean read on Evans' comedic side, go back to his Human Torch days. He has called that role one of his best, and you can see why: loose, cocky, very funny. As Steve Rogers, the vibe had to change. Captain America is the stoic, strategic center of the Avengers — a leader first, quip machine second — and Evans played him that way. The trade-off is obvious: less room for banter, more room for that dead-serious moral compass. When he did get a comedy beat, it hit harder because it wasn't constant. Honestly, that balance worked.

Evans' Captain America run by the numbers

• Captain America: The First Avenger — Rotten Tomatoes: 80% critics, 75% audience — Box office: $370 million
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier — Rotten Tomatoes: 90% critics, 92% audience — Box office: $714 million
• Captain America: Civil War — Rotten Tomatoes: 90% critics, 89% audience — Box office: $1.15 billion

So, did playing the straight-arrow Cap muffle Evans' natural goofiness, or did it make his funny moments count more? I'm leaning toward the latter, but you tell me.

All three Captain America films are streaming on Disney+ in the US.