While the MCU has reinvented the Captain America uniform with every new movie, there is no denying the classic, simplistic, and iconic uniform marking Steve Rogers as an American hero. But as new creators have updated, re-imagined, or even twisted Steve Rogers’ role in the Marvel Universe, a change of threads has often been part of the equation. There’s something to be said for changing up an iconic design, but these examples unfortunately turned out to be Captain America’s most ridiculous costumes of all time.
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Steve Rogers’ Shocking New Identity Made Him ‘The Captain’
Passing The Shield To The Punisher, To Claim A New Mission
As a superhero who has lived through the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and beyond as a pop culture icon, Steve Rogers has as many regrettable wardrobe regrets as any other American. But few can compete with the strange story told in What If? #51 (1993), asking readers to imagine what would have happened if Steve Rogers had gotten a say in who replaced him as the next Captain America. And shockingly, it is the Punisher who gets his blessing. Or as he’s known on Earth-93070, the valorous Vietnam War hero Frank Castle.
Frank eventually takes up the shield once his family is killed (some things never change), leading the new Captain America to deal with his more murderous impulses ‘on the job.’ With Steve’s help, the issue is resolved, and the new Captain America set in stone. Leaving a healed Steve to debut his own new identity as “The Captain,” complete with a… stunning new bodysuit. Good thing this remained a hypothetical costume.
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Captain America Was Reborn in The ‘Earth X’ Future
A Winged, Angelic, Ultra-Patriotic Version That Remains Unique
There aren’t many comic storylines like Earth X, the dark brainchild of Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and John Paul Leon. Depicting a potential future in which Steve Rogers learned he was actually a product of a Nazi experiment, intended not to create an American super-soldier, but Hitler’s vision for an ultimate, Aryan superman. From there the rest of the world was soon driven off the tracks, descending the entire planet into a war so brutal, it would eventually drive Cap to behead Red Skull with his signature shield.
But most notable was the arresting change of costume in store for Steve Rogers, becoming a symbol of his falling country with the most meaningful costume imaginable. Foregoing his former wardrobe, Steve wraps himself in the American flag, eventually adding a scarred ‘A’ on his forehead in place of his former helmet. Captain America would eventually ascend as a literal winged angel alongside several other fallen heroes, taking his most jaw-dropping form, delivered in an unforgettable re-imagining of the classic red, white, and blue color scheme.
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Steve Became ‘Nomad’ Instead of Captain America
The Rogers Rebrand Remains A Wild Decision By Marvel
The constant turmoil in the Marvel Universe means Captain America has been driven to conflict with his own country, its government, or his symbolic role of the values America promotes around the world. But not every such instance creates a new named identity in Marvel canon. That’s 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 during the 1970s when Steve Rogers grew too disillusioned with the US government to carry the shield, the Captain America comics saw Steve rebrand himself, with a costume that screamed ‘dramatic reinvention.’ A plunging neckline, black-and-gold color scheme, a cape to go along with it, Nomad remains one of the strangest editorial decisions in Captain America’s history (which is saying something). Though he would eventually lose the cape, it didn’t do much to reduce the ‘wow’ factor of this uniform.
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Even Captain America Suited Up in Stark Armor
A Paralysis Twist Forced Steve Rogers To Go Robotic in The ’90s
While the majority of Marvel films have depicted Steve Rogers’ transformation into Captain America as a permanent one, taking place on a physiological (even DNA) level, the same hasn’t been true in the comics. Not only has Steve had to deal with natural aging, but unforeseen complications with the Super-Soldier Serum soaked into his cells. In the 1990s, Steve was pushed to his limits, causing his body to actually become almost entirely paralyzed after a brutal battle. Of course, Tony Stark offered a typical solution.
The creation of Captain America’s own suit of mechanized armor is suitably ‘extreme’ in hindsight, as just another aspect of the 1990s era of comic book reinvention. But it’s wild to think most fans have no idea that Steve Rogers mentally piloted a fully-equipped, high-flying suit of Stark armor, in canon. While later events would once again call on a suit of armor for Cap, nothing will ever compare to the dramatic flare of his 1990s aesthetic.
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The Age of X Captain America
A Mutant-Hunter Who Favors Black Over Red, White & Blue
There are sure to be many Marvel die-hards who will wish to forget that the Age of X ever happened, whether due to criticisms of the line, or simply because of the pain inflicted by its alternate timeline. In this hypothetical reality, the rise of mutants never had a Charles Xavier, or a heroic team of X-Men to shift public sentiment… leading mutants to be hunted, detained, or killed. And to lead that team of hunters, there was nobody better than Captain America himself.
This disturbing new idea of how the Avengers could have been turned to a more harmful, misinformed mission is bad enough, leading to a deadly battle which saw the deaths of several key heroes on both sides. But the decision to depicty Cap in a black suit, reflecting the more harsh, grim, and just plain wrong universe speaks volumes. hard to forget. Steve woulds eventually realize the error of his ways, but that doesn’t remove this grim 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, S.H.I.E.L.D., U.S. Army
- Race
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Human
- Franchise
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Marvel
