Chris Evans — best known as Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four movies –has beat out a bevy of stars, including Ryan Phillippe and Chace Crawford, in the race to become comic book superhero Captain America on the big screen.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 28-year-old star has been offered the titled role in Marvel Studios’ upcoming blockbuster The First Avenger: Captain America. In addition, Chris is also being lined up to battle The Matrix and The Wolfman in two Captain America sequels and could be featured in several other Marvel movies, including The Avengers.

Alex Ross, the artist who redesigned Captain America for Marvel Comics, recently went public with his thoughts on who should play the character. And if he protests are any indication, many die-hard comic book fans will be none to pleased with Evans’ casting: “We’ve been saying for years, if you don’t sign Jon Hamm to play this part, you’re crazy,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “Captain America is supposed to be the patriarch of the Marvel universe. To get a guy in his early to mid-20s is only thinking about where the character began, not what he ultimately needs to become….”