Chris Evans Has 9 Hidden Tattoos – Here’s What They Mean

Though it’s hard to make out all the tattoos displayed on Evans’s torso in his October 2020 Instagram Story, the most visible one appears to be an eagle on his chest. It’s unclear when he got the tat, but his go-to tattoo guy, Josh Lord, seemingly alluded to it during a January 2019 interview with Revolver. “We are now going to start on a whole big new chest piece for him, which I probably should wait for him to reveal the details, but I’m very excited,” Lord said. “He’s got a really cool idea that I can’t wait to do.” Fans think the eagle could be a nod to his Marvel character, Captain America.

During a shirtless photo shoot for Details in 2012, Evans gave fans a glimpse at the Eckhart Tolle quote on his chest. During an August 2013 Q&A for Spreecast, Evans explained the meaning behind the cryptic quote. “Eckhart has a quote from his book called Stillness Speaks that just really resonated with me, enough to permanently ink my body, and it says: ‘When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world.’ And it just made so much sense to me, still does, always will,” he said.

On his left bicep, Evans has a Taurus symbol, which depicts a bull with horns. He shows off the tattoo in his 2004 movie Cellular, and during a September 2004 interview with USA Today, Evans revealed that the tattoo is an homage to his mother, Lisa Evans, whose zodiac sign is Taurus.

On his right bicep, Evans used to have a Chinese character, though he has since had the piece removed (probably because it was often visible when he wore T-shirts). According to his 2004 interview with USA Today, the symbol translated to “family.”

Cellular isn’t the only movie where Evans shows off his real-life ink. Though not all the tattoos seen on Evans’s body in 2011’s Puncture are real (like, for instance, the skull tattoo on his right arm), the small line of text above that skull tattoo is real. That tattoo reads “loyalty,” and you can get a better look at the tattoo in Evans’s campaign for Gucci’s Guilty fragrance. Evans has never explained the meaning behind the tattoo, but it likely has something to do with family. As he said of his tattoos during a May 2012 interview with Glamour, “They’re pretty much all for family. Opinions change, people grow, but I think as long as they’re rooted in the family, I’ll probably never regret them.”

In Puncture, you can also get a look at the tattoo on Evans’s ribcage, which reads: “In Loving Memory, Bardsley, With Me Always.” Evans got the tattoo as a tribute to his late friend Matt Bardsley, who died in an off-roading accident back in November 2003, according to his 2004 USA Today interview.

Perhaps the hardest tattoo to spot is the one on the back of Evans’s right ankle, which reads “SCS,” for his three siblings – Scott, Carly, and Shanna – according to his 2004 USA Today interview.