Before he donned an actual superhero costume, Steve Rogers was forced to wear a decorative suit as part of the USO in Captain America: The First Avenger. However, when he learned that his friends were in danger, "Captain America" raced into action with a prototype suit of sorts.
It was a memorable look for the Star Spangled future Avenger, but Marvel Studios Head of Visual Development Ryan Meinerding has now shared some alternate takes on that suit.
In some respects, this is a little closer to what we saw in The Ultimates (the comic book series by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch), and it's easy enough to imagine Chris Evans donning something like this. Captain America: The First Avenger would go down a slightly different route, of course, but it's still easy enough to see how this early interpretation inspired what ended up on screen.
Check out the concept art by clicking through the gallery in the Instagram post below:
Click on the "Next" button below to check out some more
comic accurate costumes we want to see in the MCU!
10. Star-Lord
The fact that the Guardians of the Galaxy received a re-design when they arrived in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was no bad thing. However, by the time the sequel rolled around, many fans hoped that we would see the team in their classic comic book uniforms. Sadly, that wasn't to be.
However, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it feels like the right time to make that happen, especially after their brief stint on Earth fighting alongside The Avengers. They are superheroes, after all, and Star-Lord is a character who would definitely look even cooler with a comic accurate costume.
It's something that's been explored in concept art, too, so here's hoping we finally get to see it.
9. Black Panther
T'Challa's costume in both Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther was awesome, but it was definitely missing something. In many ways, Killmonger looked more like the classic comic book version of the hero thanks to the gold on his Vibranium suit, and we still haven't seen that familiar cape.
Even if it's just a ceremonial item rather than something T'Challa wears into battle (which we're pretty sure would still look awesome), Black Panther II is surely the best place to introduce this.
By that point, he'll have been the King of Wakanda for a while, so some changes to his appearance - particularly while serving as the nation's leader - are to be expected and would fit the story well.
8. Wolverine
We're not going to focus too much on the X-Men here (or the Fantastic Four, for that matter) as it's clear that their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut is still a long way off at this point.
Despite that, Wolverine is still a character we need to talk about, especially when his iconic blue and yellow suit is one we've been desperate to see on the big screen since X-Men was released over two decades go. Unfortunately, it never happened, but Marvel Studios can make that right.
This isn't a hard costume to pull off and crazier designs than this have worked in the MCU before now. It might need to undergo a few tweaks, but Wolverine without this suit again would be a travesty.
7. Thor
Chris Hemsworth's Thor has rocked a lot of memorable costumes since we first met him in 2011, and while they've all paid homage to the source material in various ways, he's never been decked out in Asgardian armour that's exactly like what he used to wear in the comic books.
In some ways, that's perfectly understandable; after all, there's no denying that it looks a little goofy!
Taika Waititi feels like a filmmaker capable of pulling it off, though, and given what unique visuals he made use of in Thor: Ragnarok, we're sure the same will be the case in Thor: Love and Thunder. The tunic, blue tights, and even winged helmet could all work in the right setting, and Marvel Studios' talented team of concept artists surely wouldn't struggle to pull it off.
6. Hawkeye
With Kate Bishop's introduction in the Hawkeye TV series looming, it's beginning to feel like Clint Barton's time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is nearing its end. His time as Ronin is bound to be explored there, and after spending five years without his family, Clint could be ready to retire.
With rumours swirling that Trickshot (his brother) is set to make an appearance in the show, why not take us back to their time in the circus and give Hawkeye his traditional comic book costume?
That's probably the only way it would work on screen at this stage, but it would still be cool to see, especially if it elaborates on why he became known as "Hawkeye" and, uh, always wears purple!
5. Black Knight
Kit Harington will play Black Knight in Eternals next year (it was supposed to be released this November), and there are rumours that he's going to don a comic accurate version of the hero's suit.
We don't know how reliable those are, unfortunately, and some fans have theorised that this version of Dane Whitman could just be an actor who plays the Black Knight or something similar. That's completely unfounded, of course, but just look at what once happened with The Mandarin!
While there's no denying that this role feels quite similar to Jon Snow, we're definitely keen to see Harington to wield a sword in the MCU as a superhero, and he'll need this costume to do so.
4. Doctor Strange
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Doctor Strange has always looked pretty cool, but there's definitely been something lacking. Honestly, the best costume he had was in Thor: Ragnarok when Taika Waititi decided to give the hero those classic yellow gloves from the comics!
For the most part, Strange's costume feels a little too grounded, and now he's moved on from his time in Kamar-Taj, we would definitely be on board with him donning something more fantastical.
The image above is a good representation of what we're talking about, and Sam Raimi definitely feels like the right filmmaker to make that happen. Like the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Sorcerer Supreme is still a superhero, and him looking a little more like one is a must moving forward.
3. Scarlet Witch
Talking of Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch is set to appear in the Sorcerer Supreme's sequel following the events of the WandaVision series coming to Disney+. Now, we already know that Wanda is going to wear a Halloween costume which pays homage to her classic appearance, and while that's a fun nod for fans, why not make it a little more permanent?
We're sure that Marvel Studios could pull off a slightly more realistic version of the suit we'll see on the streaming service, and there's even concept art of that from Avengers: Age of Ultron.
If the hero is going to lose the plot and fully embrace her magical powers in Phase 4, then a comic accurate appearance like this does make sense. There are ways for it to be tweaked (it arguably doesn't need to be that revealing), and this deserves to be more than just an Easter Egg.
2. Spider-Man
Had Sony Pictures not been so adamant on rushing a Venom movie into theaters, perhaps we could have seen Peter Parker return from Titan with a brand new, alien costume. Marvel Studios could have then explored that, before introducing Venom, a character who could have later appeared in his own spinoff in the SUMC (Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters).
Things didn't play out that way, and as of right now, Spider-Man is still wearing a suit created with Stark tech. That's not the end of the world by any means, but how much cooler would this have been?
It's possible now he's on the run and potentially being tracked by Kraven the Hunter, Spidey could don a different version of this suit, and we're definitely hoping it's as comic accurate as the one above.
1. Ms. Marvel
There are a lot of new heroes coming to Disney+, and we're confident that both Moon Knight and She-Hulk will end up looking like their respective comic book counterparts. What about Ms. Marvel?
Well, you have to believe that there's a temptation to redesign the character (something we've already seen in the Avengers video game), but there's really no need. The fact that she wears what is essentially a home-made costume is part of her charm, and while there's a risk that could change as she gets older and becomes an Avenger, we'd love to see this for the time being.
The mask is another must, as is the sash, and if it's true that the Inhumans are going to be making an appearance, then it goes without saying they need their proper costumes in the MCU as well.