In November 2017, Marvel Studios released the first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War (Rubin). The excitement fans felt quickly became clear, as within 15 minutes the trailer received nearly 500,000 views on YouTube (Cooper). And there was a lot to be excited about. The meet-up between Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy, a giant battle in Wakanda, and the full appearance of Thanos, who had first been teased 5 years earlier.
Yet the most talked about part of the trailer was Steve Rogers’s facial hair (Couch).
While the biggest talking point was in regards to the character’s beard, there were numerous aspects to the character’s design that had been updated for the upcoming appearance. Gone was the bright, patriotic costume and shield replaced by dark colors and shields more akin to daggers than protective gear. These changes reflected the changes Rogers went through at the end of his last movie, Captain America: Civil War, which saw him fighting against both the government and former teammates.
Almost immediately, fan theories started popping up saying that the character would be taking on the persona of Nomad, which was created by Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema in 1974. The storyline saw Steve Rogers becoming disillusioned with the government and abandoning the role of Captain America. But, unable to give up superheroics altogether, Steve created the new costumed identity of Nomad to continue fighting crime. Upon the release of the Infinity War trailer, people drew parallels between the Nomad story and the events of Civil War.
While not outright confirmed by cast or crew, there were events that fueled the speculation. Sebastian Stan, who played Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, did a signature that implied the name would be used (Anderton). Joe Russo, one of the directors of Infinity War, stated in an interview: “I wouldn’t say that he is exactly Nomad, but he is the spirit of that character.” (Collinson)
However, there have been multiple times in the comics when Steve Rogers has stepped away from the role of Captain America and taken up another costumed identity. While Nomad is one of the most famous of these alternate identities, I do not believe it matches the events of the MCU most accurately. Instead, I present to you: The Captain.
Created by Mark Gruenwald and Tom Morgan in 1987, The Captain was another costumed identity for Steve Rogers to take on when no longer acting as Captain America. While comparisons to the Nomad storyline were present even back then (Gruenwald 23) there are numerous differences in the stories that identify The Captain as a better analogue to the version we see in the MCU.
First is the costume. The Nomad costume has little in common with the Captain America costume. A simple design of plain black/dark blue costume with a few highlights, there are no details or design elements to reflect the previous identity of Captain America. Contrast with The Captain, which shares the symbols of the stars and stripes as well as the wings on the helmet. While distinct, the design elements more closely match the design of the Captain America costume. The costume in Infinity War matches the concept of this design, even if it doesn’t match the design itself. It’s a darker, more subdued version of the previous costume Rogers wore, rather than a complete redesign. The costume is similar enough that one could infer the connection between the two costumes even presented without the character’s face.
Second is Rogers’s team, or lack thereof.
As Nomad, Rogers was a solitary hero. He took a leave of absence from the Avengers while beginning his new crime fighting career. Furthermore, he actively drove away his previous allies who were trying to work with him. When he first abandoned the role of Captain America, he was approached by Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, for help on a case. Rogers refused, saying he was out of the superhero business (Englehart 5). Later, when he began creating the new persona of Nomad, his girlfriend Sharon Carter walked away as she had been hoping to pursue their relationship more fully since he had left superheroics behind. Throughout the whole storyline, Steve Rogers is pushing people away from him.
In contrast, when acting as The Captain, Steve Rogers is surrounded by allies. While he momentarily went away to get his thoughts in order, he joined up with teammates as soon as he decided to resume his superhero career. With friends such as The Falcon and Demolition Man, Rogers was rarely left to deal with problems on his own. For much of the story it plays out more like a team book than a solo title, with interactions between different members of the team causing almost as much drama and conflict as the supervillains they fight.
In Infinity War, Steve Rogers was never on his own. He and others who opposed the Sokovia Accords had been on the run together and were watching out for each other, as evidenced by their timely rescue of Wanda Maximoff and The Vision. Their next step was to then seek out more allies in New York and Wakanda, and the entirety of their goal was to protect The Vision from Thanos and the Mad Titan’s associates. There was constant support from others, and Rogers never had to tackle problems without an ally, and generally more than one. They may have been officially kicked out of the Avengers, but the spirit of the organization was arguably more present in his team than Tony Stark’s in New York and then in outer space.
Finally is the reason for leaving behind the mantle of Captain America. The original Nomad story was published in the comics during the Watergate Scandal. Englehart would later say: “I was writing a man who believed in America’s highest ideals at a time when America’s President was a crook. I could not ignore that. And so, in the Marvel Universe, which so closely resembled our own, Cap followed a criminal conspiracy into the White House and saw the President commit suicide. And that was the end of Captain America…” (Englehart) Upon seeing a high-ranking political figure being so corrupt, Rogers lost faith in what America stood for. With his faith destroyed, he laid aside the role of Captain America until said faith could be restored.
However, as The Captain, Rogers’s faith in the American dream was solid. He didn’t leave the role because he felt there was something wrong with what Captain America represented. Instead, the change came about because a government committee, the Commission on Superhuman Activities, gave him an ultimatum. Claiming that the US government owned the rights to the name and uniform of Captain America, Rogers was told that he must follow the directives of the committee and act based on their orders. While he had faith in the ideals of America, he didn’t feel he could follow those directions without compromising his ideals, and surrendered the role.
Similarly, in the MCU, there was no debate about the ideals of America, but instead the motives and agendas of those who would control Captain America. With the passing of the Sokovia Accords the Avengers became a government task force, beholden to the orders and dictates of a committee. In this instance, Rogers decided to give up the title of Captain America because he didn’t want government oversight, not because he felt it contrary to his morals to represent the American dream.
With the departure of Chris Evans from the MCU it is unlikely we will ever get confirmation as to which name was used during the time between Civil War and Infinity War. Even if it does get confirmed, such a decision is more likely to be based on marketability than accuracy to the original storylines. But the alternate names from the comics were shaped by the politics of the time and themes of the storylines in which they were used. Because of this, it is the author’s belief that the correct alter-ego of Steve Rogers during Infinity War is not Nomad, the solitary warrior who has lost his faith in some of his deepest ideals. Instead, the man we see in Infinity War is a man who still feels strongly in the ideals he’s always fought for. A man who works alongside and leads others. A man who holds onto a part of his identity even as he’s been forced away from the role that defined him for years. And as such, still holds onto part of it in his new name, The Captain.
Works Cited
Anderton, Joe. “Sebastian Stan may have just revealed Captain America’s Avengers: Infinity War identity.” Digital Spy, 15 November 2017, https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a843142/avengers-infinity-war-fan-theory-captain-america-nomad-confirmed-winter-soldier/. Accessed 10 January 2024.
Collinson, Gary. “Joe Russo says Steve Rogers “isn’t exactly Nomad” in Avengers: Infinity War.” Flickering Myth, 17 January 2018, https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2018/01/joe-russo-says-steve-rogers-isnt-exactly-nomad-avengers-infinity-war/. Accessed 10 January 2024.
Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer. “’Avengers: Infinity War’ trailer finally hits the web.” CNET, https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/avengers-infinity-war-trailer-marvel-russo-brothers/. Accessed 3 January 2024.
Couch, Aaron. “’Avengers: Infinity War’ People Obsessed With Captain America’s Beard – The Hollywood Reporter.” The Hollywood Reporter, 30 November 2017, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/avengers-infinity-war-people-obsessed-captain-americas-beard-1063050/. Accessed 3 January 2024.
Englehart, Steve. Captain America. no. 177, 1974.
Englehart, Steve. “Captain America 169-176.” Steve Englehart, http://www.steveenglehart.com/Comics/Captain%20America%20169-176.html. Accessed 10 January 2024.
Gruenwald, Mark. Captain America. vol. 1, no. 338, 1987.
Rubin, Rebecca. “’Avengers: Infinity War’ Trailer: Watch the Footage [VIDEO].” Variety, 29 November 2017, https://variety.com/2017/film/news/avengers-infinity-war-trailer-watch-1202625072/. Accessed 3 January 2024.