The Big Picture

The Losers
is a unique comic book adaptation starring Chris Evans that shows his versatility.
Despite being based on a comic,
The Losers
is more of an action movie than a comic book film.
Evans succeeds in playing weirder roles, like
The Losers
, that present his abilities as an actor.

Given the sheer amount of comic book films and shows that are released every year, it would be fairly challenging to find a living actor who has yet to interact with the characters from either Marvel or DC studios. At this point, Daniel Day-Lewis and Meryl Streep may be the only two who can escape the hold that superheroes have over the industry. While being in a superhero itself is no longer a unique quality, Chris Evans has a pretty defining legacy as both Steve Rogers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Human Torch in Tim Story’s two Fantastic Four films. The role of Rogers is undeniably a fan favorite within the biggest movie franchise of all time, and Evans’ work as Johnny Storm has earned a surprising amount of nostalgia, especially after his crowd-pleasing cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine. While Marvel Studios certainly owes him a massive debt of gratitude, Evans also starred in the DC comic book adaptation of The Losers .

The Losers was released during a unique era in which DC wasn’t sure what to do on their film front. While Batman Begins and The Dark Knight had found enough success to justify the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s ambitious Batman trilogy, DC had also found an audience for films based on the graphic novels from their other brands, such as Road to Perdition, V for Vendetta, Red, and A History of Violence had all received positive reviews. The Losers was a darkly comic take on comic book mythology that allowed Evans to act against type, in what ended up being one of the most interesting roles of his entire career.

What Is ‘The Losers’ About?
Image via Warner Bros.

While the DC brand was built on strong, inspirational heroes inspired by Greek mythology, the characters in The Losers are not standard “good guys” by any stretch of the imagination. The film focuses on a group of elite black-ops United States Special Forces commandos that go on a series of highly dangerous international missions that a majority of the government’s secret agents wouldn’t touch. Within the group is the former United States lieutenant colonel Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the explosives expert Roque (Idris Elba), the weapons expert Aisha (Zoe Saldaña), the ruthless sniper Cougar (Óscar Jaenada), and the transportation organizer Pooch (Columbus Short). Evans co-stars as the intelligence expert Jensen, who is charged with maintaining the group’s technology and hacking their way into enemy infrastructure.

Jensen is a radically different character compared to Johnny and Steve, showing that it’s not a “one size fits all” situation when it comes to the characters that Evans has made iconic. Unlike Steve, Jensen does not have some unflinching sense of moral righteousness that guides him through dangerous missions. In fact, it seems like he enjoys putting himself in challenging scenarios purely for the kick of energy that it gives him. Although he has a lot of the loudmouthed charm that made Johnny such a fan favorite in the Fantastic Four films, Jensen lacks the charisma of the Human Torch. He’s very clearly a secondary member of the team who is subservient to Clay and Roque. Getting Evans to appear against type as a shallow, geeky weirdo was a strong bit of subversive casting that made The Losers feel unique when some audiences were getting sick of clear-cut superheroes.

‘The Losers’ Isn’t a Standard Comic Book Movie

Although it’s a surprisingly faithful translation of the source material, The Losers feels much closer in tone to classic action movies than it does to superhero movies. The notion of a “rogue team” of outsiders with an unusual set of skills seems lifted from Western classics like The Wild Bunch or World War II epics like The Dirty Dozen, and The Losers succeeds by being just a touch antiquated. This is something that comes across in Evans’ performance; he is perfect at playing a rowdy, selfish, yet ultimately kind-hearted scoundrel who ends up doing the right thing. It’s certainly not a new character arc by any stretch of the imagination, but seeing something so old-fashioned delivered without any sense of irony succeeds thanks to the inherent charisma that Evans has on screen. There are also enough rare moments of empathy that indicate that Jensen is a mere mortal who doesn’t possess the same superpowers that Steve or Johnny did. A touching final scene in which “The Losers” attend the soccer game of Jensen’s niece indicates that this foul-mouthed hacker does have people in his life that he cares about.

Jensen has one of the most interesting character arcs in The Losers, making it all the more unfortunate that Warner Bros. never developed a sequel that could have united the same cast on another adventure. The film was surprisingly transgressive in how it depicted the “necessary breaking of the rules” needed to justify the existence of this team. Jensen doesn’t end the film with any greater sense of honor than he did at the beginning, but that doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t be praised for what he did in the thick of combat. The film has only a few brief moments that reflect on how Jensen deals with his mental health, as he often claims to be willing to sacrifice himself in the midst of a mission. While these moments are few and far between, they indicate Evans’ ability to elevate the material.

Chris Evans Should Do More Weird Roles
Image via RADiUS/TWC

It would be in Evans’ best interest to take on more character roles like his part in The Losers, as his career since he left the MCU has had its share of terrible streaming movies like Ghosted and The Gray Man certainly aren’t doing Evans any favors. Especially considering that Evans has proven to be a versatile actor in Snowpiercer, Knives Out, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, it would be great to see him flex these muscles more often. While the likelihood of a sequel to The Losers is rather slim, that doesn’t mean it’s not a type of film that Evans should pursue moving forward.

The Losers is streaming on Max in the United States.

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