Playing the iconic character Captain America, Chris Evans has donned many costumes in the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, from the various shades of blue that he has worn, his stealth suit has been a fan favorite (and his own favorite too). A lot of research and effort went into the making of this suit which was first introduced in the second Captain America film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
So, we get into the details of the costume and other behind-the-scenes facts. Here are 10 secrets you might not have known about Captain America's stealth suit.
Suited for a fast-fighting style
The film's high-adrenaline action sequences drew immense praise from critics. It was not your usual choreographed superhero action film. The hand-to-hand combat sequences from the opening scene to Captain's duels with Bucky are not only performed well by the actor's doubles but have also been edited to perfection.
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo aimed to have a costume that would suit this fast-fighting style. As costume designer Judianna Makovsky puts it, "mobility was my priority." For that reason, the suit seemed sleeker and less armor-like.
Stretchable material
In a talk with the Academy, Makovsky also revealed how Russos also demanded a costume that looked like Kevlar. But obviously, a Kevlar-like material would be too heavy and would not look convincing enough for the fast-paced fighting scenes described above.
The suit had to look heavy but still a little stretchable. So while hard fabric wasn't used in the stealth suit, the detailed print work on the stretchable material was such that it looked like hard fabric. "It's actually made of four, five different fabrics. They are all dyed to look like one fabric and so that each area of the suit has a different area of movement, different mobility" she adds.
A magnetic alloy
The Winter Soldier definitely has one of the greatest scenes when it comes to Captain America using his vibranium shield to its full potential. He slams it at his enemies or just throws it like a discus. Some of the iconic shots from the film show the shield as being attached to his back.
This is because of the presence of a magnetic alloy on his stealth suit which makes it easier for the shield to stick on his back quickly.
Inspired from Super Soldier costume
While the costume looks more realistic and less comic-book-like, the stealth suit's design (and the absence of the red and white colors) was directly inspired by his look as Commander Rogers in the Secret Avengers storyline. This makes sense as like in Civil War, this is also an edgy take on the Avengers with Captain America being pressed by several moral dilemmas.
Compared to its predecessor Captain America: The First Avenger, this film too marked a distinct change of tone for Steve Rogers and we saw him in a new light. He wasn't just a superhero. He was a troubled SHIELD agent too now with his conflicted past catching up with him, and affecting his strategies.
Made a return in Endgame
If you look closely, you'll realize that the stealth suit is also featured in Captain America's final saga Avengers: Endgame too. He donned the suit in the opening minutes when he and his team give Thanos an instant death (before they have to shift the timelines).
This might be the case because the stealth suit might be the only suit available at that time. As shown in Avengers: Infinity War, his Civil War costume had already been quite worn out and ravaged. It was quite an amusing flashback for the costume to make a return in Evans' last MCU film.
A SHIELD suit rather than a superhero costume
As can be seen from the design, the stealth suit is more tactical and less glamorous. This is evident from the starting scenes where we see Cap on a mission for Nick Fury's covert organization SHIELD. The costume is suited for operations in the dark. He doesn't need to sport any of the American symbols and colors on his suit as he's clearly not intent on getting press attention with this suit.
According to MCU's mythos, SHIELD only designed this Kevlar-weave suit which would allow Captain to engage in combat with more agility; the suit also has protection against firearms.
Less emphasis on the helmet
To give the edgy SHIELD agent look, the superhero was mostly seen without a helmet, whether in the posters and the actual movie. Some fans praised this move as they felt the helmet gave the hero a campy look. This again goes in line with the influence of Secret Avengers as Commander Rogers never wears the iconic mask with its wings and the 'A' symbol.
In fact, Chris Evans flaunts his hair so much that even in a scene where he's riding a motorcycle in a cool neo-biker jacket, he doesn't wear a normal helmet either!
Literally 'stealth' suit
It has been stated by many crew members in behind-the-scenes footage that the Russos wanted a suit that could be easily disguised amongst the people and forces at Washington DC, the city where the movie was set for most of its duration. As mentioned earlier, Steve Rogers was seen as an agent rather than an Avenger.
It only made sense for him to be paired with Black Widow, another character who doesn't need a flashy comic-bookish costume and often dons suits that are easy to conceal in covert missions. Well, his suit does seem subtle with the navy blue tone but it would be impossible not to notice Cap in a crowd when he carries that shield on his back all the time.
About thirty technicians were involved
Judianna Makovsky revealed that the SHIELD Strike stealth suit was one of the toughest costumes she has worked on. In fact, about thirty technicians were involved in the making of the final product.
The effort did pay off in creating one of the most iconic and modern Marvel costumes. It looks sturdy and is yet flexible; it looks bulletproof and is yet made of light fabrics.
Chris Evans' favorite Captain America suit
The stealth suit is the only suit that Chris Evans wore even during shooting breaks. He has often said how the suit has been the most comfortable costume he has been in, easily making it his favorite one.
In fact, he wished that he gets to wear the costume in future Marvel movies. Unfortunately, Marvel stuck with variations of the costumes with red and white stripes. 'They like a little red in there. Which is fine. It’s Cap; I get it,' he has been quoted expressing his interest in the navy blue suit."