Road To INFINITY WAR: Revisit WWII With These Startlingly Different Takes On CAPTAIN AMERICA's First Costume
Captain America: The First Avenger explored Steve Rogers' origin story in the dark days of World War II and this concept art shows some surprising alternate takes on the Star Spangled hero's first costume.
Avengers: Infinity War is set to be released later this year and with so much of the movie shrouded in secrecy, fans continue speculating about what could be on the way when Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the Guardians of the Galaxy assemble to battle Thanos. We're obviously going to have to wait and see but one of the most intriguing aspects so far is what exactly Steve Rogers will be getting up to.
He gave up his Captain America identity in Civil War but will no doubt return to that before too long. For now, we're taking a look at where it all began for the hero in Captain America: The First Avenger.
After delving into some alternate designs for the Red Skull, we now have some rare pieces of concept art revealing the many different versions of the character's classic costume that Marvel went through before setting on the perfect design. That includes his USO and final battle outfits and to check them out, all you need to do is click on either one of the buttons down below to see the entire list.
A Very Patriotic Jacket
Well, this is cool! In this very grounded take on Steve Rogers' World War II costume, he's decked out in traditional army gear with a very subtle "A" on his forehead and a hint of the American flag.
More Grounded Costumes
Here, we see Steve with his first shield and in costumes which pay homage to his comic book look as opposed to directly adapting them. As good as they look, fans probably wouldn't have been happy.
Captain America Takes Shape
These are much closer to what we ended up getting in the movie and both do a fantastic job of blending comic book visuals with the sort of clothes you'd actually see soldiers wearing during the war.
Here, we see a number of different takes on the final suit Cap would wear in the movie and it's interesting seeing the different ways Marvel tried to make the red and white part of his costume.
Ready For War
This awesome shot shows Captain America ready for battle with gun in hand. While we've seen Steve Rogers using weapons like that in the MCU, it's something Marvel seems to have moved away from.
Returning From Battle
In The First Avenger, we saw Cap run off in his USO uniform to save his friends and he returned wearing it under the tatty remains of a far more practical jacket, the design for which can be seen here.
Under Fire
On this gorgeous piece of artwork, Cap can be seen attempting to stop bullets with a shield which isn't anywhere near as indestructible as the one he ends up getting from Howard Stark.
Pre-Serum Steve Rogers
Ok, these aren't alternate costume designs but this artwork still provides a fascinating look at the various designs for Steve Rogers before he took the Super Soldier Serum and became a hero.
The Star Spangled Man
Decked out in his classic USO costume, Steve Rogers can be seen here standing tall over "Adolf Hitler" moments after knocking him out with a single punch (it's just a shame he's not the real Hitler).
A number of different takes on Captain America's helmet, Marvel went through a number of different versions, many of which were faithful to the source material and others to real-life WWII costumes.
Cap's suit finally starts taking shape here and it's easy to see how the other designs in this post influenced the mix we got between the character's comic book look and actual World War II materials.
Battle Pose
This awesome shot of Captain America shows the hero ready to do battle with an unknown foe. Rather than depicting a specific scene, this was probably used just to get a feel for the character.
Leap Of Faith
This piece of artwork was clearly used to inspire the final act of The First Avenger as Steve Rogers attempts to stop one of the Red Skull's pilots from reaching and the destroying New York City.
Looking For A Fight
Another cool action shot, this shows Cap making a daring leap on his motorcycle as he looks to infiltrate the Red Skull's base and stop the villain from turning the tide of the war in HYDRA's favour.
The Returning Hero
Despite being written off as a joke because of his costume, Cap didn't hesitate to rescue soldiers from the grip of HYDRA and he returns to the base as a conquering hero with those men by his side.
Comic-Con Poster
This incredible piece of imagery was released by Marvel during Comic-Con and what a great way to promote the movie it was! Parts of the costume divided fans but it was overall a very good look.