Chris Evans on ‘Enjoying Life’ After 2 ‘Wonderful’ Wedding Ceremonies with Alba Baptista

Chris Evans has finally found time to relax with his new bride Alba Baptista. 

The Avengers star, 42, who tied the knot with the Portuguese actress in early September, still had that newlywed glow while speaking about his recent life at New York Comic Con 2023 on Saturday — one of his first public appearances since the marriage. 

Giving the audience a look at the wedding band on his finger, Evans confirmed he got married, saying that the two wedding ceremonies — one held in Portugal and the other in a private home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts — were “wonderful and beautiful."

“It’s a lot planning a wedding. For those of you who are married you know it takes a lot out of you,” the actor said at the event. “But now that we're through that, we've just been enjoying life, gearing up for autumn, my favorite season. Now we're just relaxing and enjoying life and reflecting.”

The Ghosted star was one of the featured guests at this year’s NYCC, running Oct. 12 through Oct. 15, alongside actors including Ewan McGregor, David Tennant, Zachary Levi, Tom Hiddleston and Susan Sarandon. 

The annual event, which is the “East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture convention,” per NYCC’s website, “plays host to the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies and television.” 

Evans married the Warrior Nun actress, 26, in a private ceremony at an estate in Cape Cod on Sept. 9. 

Following the ceremony, “a large tent and dance floor were set up at the house" and music could be heard late into the night, a source told PEOPLE at the time. 

Although the two were first linked in January 2022, Evans and Baptista have mainly kept their relationship private. It wasn’t until a source confirmed to PEOPLE that they had been dating “for over a year” in November 2022. 

“They are in love and Chris has never been happier. His family and friends all adore her,” the source said. 

Around that time, PEOPLE’s 2022 Sexiest Man Alive also opened up to PEOPLE about his desire to settle down and start a family but didn’t mention Baptista. 

"That's absolutely something I want: wife, kids, building a family," Evans said. "When you read about most of the best artists, whether it's actors, painters, writers, most of them [admit] it wasn't the work they made [that they are most proud of], it was about the relationships; the families they created, the love they found, the love they shared."

A source last month confirmed that desire, revealing to PEOPLE that Evans “got serious very quickly” after meeting the Portuguese actress for the first time in Europe. "He kept saying he knew she was the one."

"He has been ready to settle down for a while," the insider added. "He can’t wait to have a family. He was just waiting for the right girl."

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When it comes to his career, the Knives Out actor says he’s choosing to be more selective with future projects. 

Rather than playing more of the “assholes” he did earlier in his career, it’s now about “where, when and who” for the actor. When everything aligns with certain projects, he hopes to “jump at those chances.” 

Evans said he would “absolutely” explore directing and producing roles, but he learned from his directing debut with Before We Go that “it takes so much of you.” 

“I was just so eager to get the chance,” he said of the 2014 film. “I took a script that was like a little broken bird. I was like, ‘No, I can fix it,’ and you try and drag this thing across the finish line.” 

The Snow Piercer star said he’s “always on the hunt to find something,” including scripts and theater work, but knows it has to be a project in which he finds “deep, deep passion.” 

Until then, the “dog dad” is enjoying spending time with his pup Dodger, who he misses “terribly” when he’s away for even a day.

When asked if Dodger has an inner voice, one immediately came to Evans' mind — Marty McFly, played by a young Michael J. Fox.

“That’s the voice I hear in my mind,” the proud pet owner said. “It’s just so sweet. It’s coming out of those big eyes.” 

With Halloween on the way, Evans confirmed that Dodger will certainly not be donning a costume, as he recalled a memory of a “rough” winter hike in 2015 when he put booties on the now nearly 9-year-old dog. 

“You could be holding a raw sirloin steak, five feet, and he will not move,” Evans reminisced with a laugh. “Whether it’s booties or a costume, I’ve forced sweaters and things on him and he just freezes. He hates it.” 

Evans adopted Dodger — named after the Artful Dodger in Disney's 1988 film Oliver & Company — from a rescue in 2017 while shooting his movie Gifted. 

However, the star revealed that he had a furry companion before Dodger — a dog named East. Evans explained that the 11-year-old American Bulldog “was the opposite of Dodger.” 

“He was a sweet dog, but he probably could have had his own apartment,” he said. “He was very chill, but I really always wanted a dog to just tackle me a little bit.” 

That’s why Dodger has been a “blessing” and a “flirt” to everyone he has met, having “not aged a day in his body or mind.” 

The Gray Man star has extended his love for dogs to new endeavors, including a partnership with dog food brand Jinx, which he described as a “no-brainer.”  

He teamed up with Jinx for a visit to the Animal Haven shelter to spread smiles, promote pet adoption and urge people not to overlook senior dogs.

“Older dogs that have had sometimes challenging experiences, the gratitude they will just shower on you, it’s a beautiful thing,” Evans said of the August shelter visit. “We’re hoping to do a lot more stuff like that in the future.” 

Evans is set to return to the big screen on Oct. 20, starring as a pharmaceutical sales rep selling opiods in Pain Hustlers. In the meantime, he said he's enjoying the change of the season and “everything” fall-related. 

“Apple picking, carving pumpkins and raking leaves,” Evans said, rattling off some of the reasons why he loves autumn. “Those dead leaves smell so good, and it’s the smell that signals what’s coming. It’s just the trifecta of my favorite holidays and my favorite time of the year.”