Chris Evans Finally Gets to Be a Romantic, Sexual Man Again in ‘Ghosted’

Chris Evans has his first sex scene in six years in Ghosted, the new Apple TV+ action-romance comedy that began streaming last week. You see next to nothing, to be clear—the film is rated PG-13—but the way he moves under those sheets with Ana de Armas is proof that his character, Cole, not only knows what sex is but also has it, sometimes. That’s a big step up from Captain America, who thought fondue meant sex and was maybe, possibly, a virgin (at least up until She-Hulk canonized him having sex). But Ghosted is a return to form for Evans as a romantic, sexual lead, and for fans of both Evans and rom-coms, it’s a welcome homecoming.

Evans hung up the superhero cowl in 2019 with Avengers Endgame, and while he hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility, he doesn’t seem keen to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe anytime soon. He’s kept busy since, with big movies like Knives Out, Lightyear, and The Gray Man. But Ghosted is his first post-Marvel role that sees Evans go back to his sexy, goofy, romantic lead roots. After all, before Captain America, Evans was best known as the slacker dude who waddled around in a bikini made of whipped cream and bananas in 2001’s Not Another Teen Movie. And yet, before Ghosted, the last time a Chris Evans movie implied his character was an even remotely sexual being was 2017’s Gifted. (Even that was merely a fairly tame kiss with Jenny Slate, before a cut to the two characters waking up in the morning.)

In Ghosted, Evans has romantic charm firing on all cylinders. When he first asks out de Armas’s character, Sadie (who is secretly CIA, but we’ll get to that later), it’s with a stammer and a sheepish smile. You have to suspend your disbelief a bit for Cole’s backstory—yes, the idea that Chris Evans got dumped, works at a farmers’ market, and is pitied by his older female co-workers is a little hard to swallow—but the improbable premise is also part of the fun. It’s adorable watching Evans act clingy and insecure, even if he is far too hot for that behavior.

After his amazing all-night date and sex-a-thon with Sadie, Cole waits and waits and waits for her to call. She doesn’t. Then Cole realizes he left his inhaler with an AirTag tracker in Sadie’s bag, and discovers she’s in London. Despite his sister’s accusations of stalking, Cole decides to surprise Sadie in London, as a grand romantic gesture, to prove he’s serious about this relationship. Of course, then he stumbles into the whole CIA thing, gets himself kidnapped, and spends the next hour screaming, flailing, and running, while de Armas handles the majority of the bad-assery. But he’s also flirting, quipping, and smoldering. He’s likable, endearing, and hot. Sex, love, and romance are all very much on the table. Obviously, he gets the girl in the end. This is a romantic comedy, after all!

After nearly a decade of buttoned-up, bulging-muscles Captain America, it’s not just fun to see Evans as the damsel in distress; it’s a relief. Evans’ post-Marvel career has been closely scrutinized by fans and entertainment media, and, for a while there, it seemed he was headed into villain territory. As delightful as it was to hear Evans say “Eat shit,” in Knives Out, cruelty doesn’t suit him. It physically pained me to witness him call women “bitches” in Netflix’s action flick, The Gray Man. His down-to-earth charm in Ghosted feels far more natural, and I, for one, hope to see much more of it in the future.

That said, Evans has to go where the work is, and romantic comedies aren’t exactly paying, or making, Marvel money. Right now, there’s not much romance in Evans’ future: His next film is a Christmas action movie called Red One, starring J.K. Simmons as Santa Claus and Dwayne Johnson; followed by Pain Hustlers, a based-on-a-true-story crime drama about a pharmaceutical conspiracy. Maybe Evans could have had a blossoming rom-com career in 2011, but the genre is no longer on top. It doesn’t help that critics don’t have an appetite for them—Ghosted is currently sitting at a 28 percent on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. Still, it was nice to watch Evans lean into his romantic leading man roots—and play a man who does in fact, have sex, sometimes—even if only for a moment.