Evans lands captain america role

Fantastic Four star Chris Evans has won the race to become comic book superhero Captain America on the big screen, according to industry reports.

The actor was among the favourites to land the coveted role, and now The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Evans will be the colourful character.

The news is sure to upset comic book purists, who wanted a more mature actor to play the role.

Alex Ross, the artist who redesigned Captain America for Marvel Comics, recently went public with his thoughts on who should play the character.

He told Entertainment Weekly magazine, "We've been saying for years, if you don't sign Jon Hamm to play this part, you're crazy.

"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."

Evans will reportedly battle The Matrix and The Wolfman villain Hugo Weaving in the first Captain America movie.