John Cena On Captain America Rumor: “I’ll Totally Do It”

If his nation (or Marvel Studios) calls upon him, WWE superstar John Cena is ready to serve as Captain America.

Cena’s all-American smile and huge muscles have made him a fan favorite for Captain America for years. Before Marvel announced Chris Evans in the role, some fans had been hoping for a Cena-led Captain America movie since shortly after he was confirmed to be joining its then-young cinematic universe.

“For real?” Cena responded incredulously when told there was a rumor, following up with a joke, “Finally it’s happened!”

The conversation happened during a recent appearance on Ellen, and he joked that if host Ellen DeGeneres was the one to start the rumor on his behalf, maybe it would get some traction.

“If it’s out there, if the Captain America people are listening and you’re watching right now, I’d totally do it,” Cena said (slightly) more seriously. “I totally will, because I think I’d be a good Captain America…and I’ve already ruined everyone’s childhood, so it can’t get any worse!”

Cena’s all-American look is the same reason some fans had hoped he would be cast as Shazam, a role which would eventually have pitted him against fellow WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is set to appear in future Shazam! films as the title character’s arch-nemesis Black Adam. That role eventually went to Zachary Levi.

There is no confirmation that Marvel has plans to recast Captain America at this point. Almost everything beyond Avengers 4 is more or less speculation. Chris Evans has said that he is finished with the role — at least for now — and the general consensus among fans and the press that covers film is that most of the original Avengers will be killed, retired, or otherwise phased out of the films after the next sequel.

Still, the idea of recasting Captain America is one that raises a lot of questions. In the comics, Steve Rogers’s partners Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes have both served as Captain America in the past — and both of those characters already exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, seemingly making the idea of handing Cap’s mantle over to an already-popular supporting character seem more sensible than starting fresh with a new Rogers.