While the MCU has reinvented the Captain America uniform with each new film, there is no denying the classic, simplistic and iconic uniform that makes Steve Rogers an American hero. But as new creators have updated, reinvented, or even twisted Steve Rogers’ role in the Marvel Universe, a change of thread has often been part of the equation. There’s something to be said for modifying an iconic design, but these examples unfortunately turned out to be the most ridiculous Captain America costumes of all time.
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Steve Rogers’ Shocking New Identity Made Him ‘Captain’
Pass the shield to the Punisher, to claim a new mission
As a superhero who lived through the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and beyond as a pop culture icon, Steve Rogers has as many regrettable wardrobe regrets as any other American. But few can rival the strange story told in What if? #51 (1993), asking readers to imagine what would have happened if Steve Rogers had had a say in who would replace him as the next Captain America. And surprisingly, it’s the Punisher who gets his blessing. Or as he is known on Earth-93070, the valiant hero of the Vietnam War, Frank Castle.
Frank ends up taking up the shield once his family is killed (some things never change), leading the new Captain America to face his most murderous impulses “on the job.” With Steve’s help, the problem is solved and the new Captain America is set in stone. Leaving the healed Steve to embark on his own new identity as “The Captain”, complete with a… stunning new bodysuit. Fortunately this remained a hypothetical costume.
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Captain America is reborn in the future “Earth X”
A winged, angelic and ultra-patriotic version that remains unique
There aren’t many comedic stories like Earththe dark idea of Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and John Paul Leon. Depicting a potential future in which Steve Rogers learned that he was in fact the product of a Nazi experiment, intended not to create an American super-soldier, but Hitler’s vision of an ultimate Aryan superman. From there, the rest of the world was soon thrown off the rails, plunging the entire planet into a war so brutal that it would eventually lead to Cap decapitating Red Skull with his iconic shield.
But most notable was the striking costume change reserved for Steve Rogers, becoming a symbol of his country in decline with the most significant costume imaginable. Forgoing his old wardrobe, Steve wraps himself in the American flag, eventually adding a scarred “A” to his forehead in place of his old helmet. Captain America would eventually become a true winged angel alongside several other fallen heroes, taking on his most breathtaking form, delivered in an unforgettable reimagining of the classic red, white, and blue color palette.
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Steve became a “nomad” instead of Captain America
Rogers rebranding remains a crazy move by Marvel
The constant turmoil in the Marvel Universe means that Captain America has been pushed into conflict with his own country, his government, or his symbolic role in the values that America promotes to the world. But not all of these cases create a new named identity in Marvel canon. This is exactly what led to the debut of “Nomad,” unleashing a costume design and sensibility completely at odds with that of Cap’s original style.
Set in the 1970s, when Steve Rogers was too disillusioned with the U.S. government to carry the shield, the film Captain America the comics saw Steve rename himself, complete with a costume that screamed “dramatic reinvention.” A plunging neckline, black and gold colors, a cape to match, Nomad remains one of the strangest editorial decisions in Captain America history (which is saying something). Although he eventually lost the cape, it didn’t do much to reduce the “wow” factor of this uniform.
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Even Captain America wore Stark armor
Paralysis forced Steve Rogers to switch to robotics in the ’90s
While the majority of Marvel films have depicted Steve Rogers’ transformation into Captain America as a permanent transformation, taking place on a physiological level (even DNA), the same is not true in the comics. Steve not only had to deal with natural aging, but also unforeseen complications related to the super-soldier serum imbued into his cells. In the 1990s, Steve was pushed to his limits, causing his body to become almost completely paralyzed after a brutal battle. Of course, Tony Stark came up with a typical solution.
The creation of Captain America’s own mechanized armor is appropriately “extreme” in hindsight, as just another aspect of the 1990s era of comic book reinvention. But it’s crazy to think that most fans have no idea that Steve Rogers mentally piloted a fully equipped, high-flying Stark armor, in canon. Although later events will again call for armor for Cap, nothing will ever compare to the dramatic brilliance of his 1990s aesthetic.
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Age of X Captain America
A mutant hunter who prefers black to red, white and blue
There will certainly be many die-hard Marvel fans who wish to forget that the Age of never happened, whether because of criticism of the line, or simply because of the pain inflicted by its alternate timeline. In this hypothetical reality, Rise of the Mutants never had a Charles Xavier, nor a heroic team of X-Men to change public opinion… leading to mutants being hunted, detained, or killed. And to lead this team of hunters, there was no one better than Captain America himself.
This disturbing new idea about how the Avengers could have been transformed into a more harmful and misinformed mission is bad enough, leading to a deadly battle that saw the deaths of several key heroes on both sides. But the decision to depict Cap in a black suit, reflecting the harsher, darker, and just plain wrong universe, speaks volumes. hard to forget. Steve would eventually realize his mistake, but that doesn’t erase this sinister uniform from our memory.
- First appearance
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Captain America comics
- Alias
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Steve Rogers, John Walker, Sam Wilson
- Alliance
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Avengers, invaders, SHIELD, US army
- Race
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Human
- Franchise
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Wonder
