Marvel's Captain America has many different superhero costumes, but one of his latest has a baffling design choice that completely undermines his mission. Steve Rogers' costume is one of the more enduring in comics, rarely changing drastically (compared to the likes of Iron Man, who has over 60 individual armors, each one built for a specific purpose). But the Star-Spangled Man's suit worn while on a Mars mission has an awful design flaw that makes one wonder if the superhero forgot his latest team: the Secret Avengers.
Captain America debuted in 1941 in Captain America Comics #1 by n0w-legendary comic book writers Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. The hero debuted with a suit that has barely changed in the modern era. The suit echoes the American flag, with a primarily-blue bodysuit, a massive white star on his chest, and red and white vertical stripes on the torso. A cap with a white "A" and wings on the sides completed the look (though the wings would often be the first design element to go in modern incarnations of the costume, as seen in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger in the MCU).
Though Steve Rogers would eventually receive several different suits (including his rather outlandish blue-and-yellow Nomad suit), a standout uniform would arrive in Secret Avengers #2, written by Ed Brubaker with art by Mike Deodato with Will Conrad. Here, Captain America recruits Black Widow, Moon Knight, War Machine, Ant-Man and Beast to become the Secret Avengers black-ops team, taking missions that require clandestine tactics and stealth. On Mars, the team tracks down an artifact at a Roxxon plant on Mars - and they're each wearing brightly-colored, individualized suits.
Adorned with a massive red star, Captain America's spacesuit does not exactly promote stealth and subterfuge. Any enemies in the vicinity will know exactly which superhero is inside which suit and will target accordingly. Even the very existence of the Secret Avengers is a secret from the public at large, and the suits of the other heroes make the same mistake: Moon Knight's all-white suit has a crescent moon in the center, while Beast's uniform has a massive Avengers logo on the chest (at the very least, it replaces an obvious X, but then again he is operating as a member of the Avengers here).
Captain America does not travel to space as often as other heroes of the Avengers (especially Iron Man, Captain Marvel and Thor), but his suit nevertheless has appropriate Avengers branding. Unfortunately, this goes against the entire purpose of the Secret Avengers and Steve Rogers would be easily spotted on the surface of the red planet with a primarily blue suit. Then again, Captain America is meant to act as a symbol of the United States, and symbols are meant to be seen, regardless of a disadvantage in a tactical situation.