The Gray Man: Russo Brothers Explain Why Chris Evans Got Cast as the Villain

Joe and Anthony Russo directed four films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all of which star Chris Evans as Captain America, one of the most honorable heroes in history. The filmmakers have reunited with their lead actor for a new action thriller at Netflix, The Gray Man, but this time they're not using Evans as the hero. Ryan Gosling plays the titular protagonist, while Evans takes on the role of Lloyd Hanson, an absolute sociopath who is hell-bent on killing the Gray Man.

For fans of the MCU, this might come as a surprise, seeing the Russo Brothers turning Evans into a wickedly evil villain for their new movie. Lloyd has a lot more in common with his Knives Out baddie than Steve Rogers. According to the Russos, however, it was Evans who pushed to try out something different. He wanted to take more risks after hanging up his shield.

"We didn't have to sell Chris on the role; Chris sold us, in a way," Joe Russo told Den of Geek. "We were talking to him as we were wrapping up Infinity War and then Avengers: Endgame about what's next for him or where he wanted to go in his career, and he said, 'You know what? I'm comfortable enough in my life and the work I've done that I'm just interested in taking risks moving forward, and I just want to play challenging characters.' So it seemed obvious to us that the right move here would be to offer Chris the sociopath and not the hero."

For Evans to be the best villain he can be in The Gray Man, the heroic Court Gentry (codename: Gray Man) had to have all the right qualities. Enter Ryan Gosling, who the Russos believe is the perfect guy to bring Mark Greaney's beloved character to life.

"We knew we needed somebody who knew how to disappear on some level," Anthony said. "Gosling has such an interesting technique to him in that he has a minimalist style where he conveys a whole lot of emotion, thought, and complexity, with a lot of subtlety."

"I would argue this role uses everything that Ryan is incredible at," added Joe. "It combines his great physical control; his really wonderful, quirky sense of humor; how he's smoldering and intense onscreen and can communicate a lot while doing very little... Remember, Ryan was a dancer when he was younger. Playing an action hero is different from any other form of acting because all that stunt work requires incredible body control and extreme discipline."

Are you looking forward to seeing Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans face off in The Gray Man? Let us know in the comments!

The Gray Man hits Netflix on July 22nd.