There are certain superheroes whose costumes seem to never change, except for maybe that one period where their boots were red instead of blue or something minor like that. However, were are so married to our preferred image of the character that any alteration to their appearance, regardless of how minor it might be, usually opens the door to a surprisingly heated, never-ending argument. See the ongoing back-and-forth over Superman’s disappearing red trunks for evidence of that.
I’ve always had this idea of Captain America as being one such character whose appearance hasn’t significantly changed since his initial appearance, beyond the fact that he initially had a badge-shaped shield instead of the fancy frisbee we’ve come to know. I probably have that impression because when I look at the panels from Cap’s early Timely days he looks roughly the way Chris Evans did in The Avengers, though Joss Whedon’s team gave him darker colors, more padding and re-worked sleeves.
It’s not like I’ve read comics from every individual era in Cap’s history, though. There’s probably been plenty of alterations along the way I don’t know about. Plus, the Marvel Studios people have repeatedly modernized Cap’s appearance with each subsequent film appearance, even though he’s been left largely untouched from Age of Ultron to Civil War (just less red piping and more blue in the arms).
Thankfully, there’s a new Infographic breaking down the evolution of Captain America’s appearance, covering his various comic book, TV and film iterations. Personally, my favorite of the bunch is the modest, navy blue costume with the silver star he wore at the beginning of Winter Soldier, even though that is a guise he sheds by the end of the film in favor of re-embracing his classic look before taking on Hydra-controlled SHIELD. What’s your favorite look? I just know you’re going to say either Nomad (look at that cape!) or his exoskeleton suit from 1995.
