As amazing as most live-action superhero costumes are, there are some that unfortunately don't land well with audiences. For the most part, Marvel Studios has done an amazing job at delivering costumes that have been well liked by most fans. Perhaps one of the biggest examples of this has been Steve Rogers' Captain America. Translating the hero's suit to live-action was likely not easy, but the studio did a remarkable job in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger.
Since that first film, Cap's costumes have often been praised by fans due to their combination of realistic tactical gear and colorful comic book features. However, as with anything, there is one exception to Steve's impecable style track record: His costume from 2012's The Avengers. The film featured what is arguably his most comic book-y costume yet (not counting his "touring" uniform from The First Avenger). It was skintight and brightly colored. Unfortunately, it was not received well by audiences.
The costume is often considered Cap's worst look in the MCU. Now, BTS images of an alternate version of the suit resurfaced on X. This alternate take gives it a much-needed update, with the cowl having an exposed-ear design, making Chris Evans' Captain America look much closer to his comic counterpart:
Images of Evans wearing the whole suit with the alternate cowl can be seen on this Reddit post.
It's important to note: This isn't to say the costume in The Avengers is bad whatsoever. In fact, I consider it to be one of the best Rogers has worn in the entire MCU. The alternate design in the pictures simply makes it look even better. A distinctive feature of Captain America in the comics has been his cowl with open ears. This design translates that perfectly without making it look silly.
A fun fact about the suit is that Chris Evans was not a big fan of wearing it. In the bloopers of Avengers: Endgame, the actor is shown adjusting his helmet when filming the 2012 sequence, and stating: "I can't believe I made a whole movie with this thing on." His dislike of the suit also led to the birth of one of the best-known bits of dialogue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: "That is America's ass."
In an interview with The Los Angeles Times in 2019, Avengers: Endgame writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus were asked about the origin of the line. McFeely revealed it had actually come about from how uncomfortable Evans had been in the costume while filming 2012's Avengers (and, apparently, Endgame as well):
"It's a little meta. Chris Evans has never been comfortable with that outfit from the first Avengers movie. And so in the rearview mirror, it's a little way to wink at how that was then and this is now. And then it sort of just built from there. By the time we got to the fight scene where he defeated himself, his butt is on the ground and was just sitting there for a callback."
Markus further explained what he believed Evans disliked about the uniform. Funnily enough, he mentioned the covered-ear design: "I think it's the color, but also his ears are covered in that outfit. When he puts on the helmet, he has these little Princess Leia dents over his ears and it throws the whole thing off. You wouldn’t normally think that an ear is an important part of an outfit but it balances everything in a way that when they go, you look dorky."
Steve Rogers is rumored to make his MCU return in Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled to arrive on December 18, 2026.
What do you think about this alternate design from Captain America's helmet? Were you a fan of his 2012 look from The Avengers? Let me know in the comments!