Well Marvel fans, in the words of Captain America himself, we have finally reached “the end of the line.” Yet, not entirely, as the highly anticipated, currently untitled “Avengers 4” will not be released until May 3, 2019. However, one key member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s history has already hung up his tights, perhaps for good.

Actor Chris Evans (“The Avengers: Infinity War”) has portrayed the iconic, star-spangled soldier, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, in eight films over the span of eight years. In the process, he brought life and charm to a character once thought of as nothing more than a glorified, overly patriotic Boy Scout. However, on Oct. 4, 2018, Evans sent out a tweet following his wrap on reshoots for the next “Avengers” film.

“Playing this role over the last 8 years has been an honor,” Evans stated in the tweet. “To everyone in front of the camera, behind the camera, and in the audience, thank you for the memories! Eternally grateful.”

Evans is one of the original cast members in the world-famous, box-office-conquering, lighting-in-a-bottle experiment that is the MCU. So, to read his tweet and finally realize that, after “Avengers 4,” the superhero-fan community will have to say goodbye to one of their favorite characters, is exhilaratingly sad to say the least. While certain superheroes have only just begun their tenure at Marvel Studios, such as Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther or Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, others are finishing theirs, such as Evans, Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. These characters have all had very long and wondrous arcs, spanning anywhere from 2008 when “Iron Man” was released, all the way to this year’s “The Avengers: Infinity War.” Now, after “Avengers 4” hits theaters, viewers will be witnessing the true end of an era, not just for the characters, but also the fans.

Audience members who were children when they first saw Iron Man walk away from an exploding tank he shot are now a decade older. With each passing film, viewers saw beloved characters begin to age, and now, they will see that entire crew from the iconic 360-degree shot in 2012’s “The Avengers” take their final bow. These are revelations that are finally being brought to the forefront of fans’ minds following Evans’ cryptic tweet. Fans are not just weeping tears of sadness at the fact that their losing their favorite 90-year-old butt-kicker, but also tears of joy, reminiscing upon the incredible, iconic and irreplaceable cinematic journey that Marvel has taken us on over the course of an entire decade. Goodbyes are never easy, but now marks the first stop on the seven-month journey toward eventual sobbing in the theater after the credits roll for “Avengers 4.”

What will happen to Captain America? Will he finally meet his maker, standing toe to toe with the Mad Titan himself, Thanos (Josh Brolin, “Deadpool 2”)? Will he ride off into the sunset, with a world saved and a job well done? Or will he travel back in time to finally take that dance with Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell, “Christopher Robin”)? Whichever route the filmmakers decide to take, one thing is for sure, “Avengers: Infinity War” might have made fans shed some tears, but “Avengers 4” will rip fans’ hearts to shreds.