In the hyper-polished, ultra-modern world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, technology is practically a character in itself. Sleek holograms, AI-powered suits, and futuristic gadgets define the visual language of the franchise. Yet behind the scenes of this multi-billion-dollar empire, one very real piece of outdated technology nearly became a production nightmare — and a long-running joke. According to Scarlett Johansson, her longtime co-star Chris Evans behaved “like an 80-year-old man trapped in a superhero body,” all because he stubbornly refused to give up his iPhone 6s.
Johansson, who portrayed the sharp and tech-savvy Black Widow, has repeatedly teased Evans about his low-tech habits during their years filming the Avengers films. While the rest of the cast upgraded phones annually, Evans clung to his aging device for nearly seven years — an act of extreme frugality that felt almost surreal on the set of a franchise worth over $2 billion. “He really drove me crazy with his old-fashioned phone,” Johansson joked, recalling moments when Evans fumbled with a black screen or an unresponsive home button while the crew waited.
The irony was impossible to miss. Evans famously played Steve Rogers, a man literally frozen in time and forced to adapt to the modern world. Off-screen, life imitated art. As Johansson revealed, the Avengers set sometimes felt like a “tech war,” with Evans lagging behind while others effortlessly navigated the latest devices. His phone’s declining battery life and grainy camera even became a recognizable signature in his social media posts, much to fans’ amusement.
The saga finally reached its emotional climax in 2022. After surviving multiple blockbuster productions — including Avengers: Endgame — the iPhone 6s officially died. Evans marked the moment with a heartfelt social media “eulogy,” mourning the loss of the physical home button while admitting he would not miss the blurry photos or battery drops from 100% to 15% in minutes. On set, Johansson and the crew jokingly held a “funeral” for the device, celebrating the end of an era.
Evans’ resistance to new technology wasn’t about money — it reflected his deeply old-school personality. Even while working on high-budget, tech-forward productions, he struggled to adjust to gesture-based phones, once complaining that newer models felt “too heavy.” Johansson’s “80-year-old” comment stuck, becoming a fan-favorite anecdote that perfectly captured the contrast between Evans’ global stardom and his stubbornly analog habits.
In a franchise built on innovation, Chris Evans’ iPhone 6s may be the most unexpected villain the Avengers ever faced — and the one Scarlett Johansson will never let him forget.