Warning! Spoilers for The United States of Captain America #1 ahead!
Captain America has numerous suits across the comics and the MCU. His latest in The United States of Captain America #1 is a great throwback from an older series. The Secret Avengers suit has returned.
Secret Avengers is a comic series that began in 2010 and ended its first run in 2013. Two other iterations of the series followed, with one being a Marvel NOW! title from 2013 to 2014, and the other being a part of All-New Marvel NOW! from 2014 to 2015. This series featured Captain America leading a team of heroes on secret espionage missions – the Secret Avengers, who operated outside of the public eye.
Now, the suit he used in that series has returned. The United States of Captain America #1 is created by the team of Christopher Cantwell, Josh Trujillo, Dale Eaglesham, Jan Bazaldua, Matt Milla, and Vc Joe Caramagna. Captain America is seen going after an impersonator of him who is wearing his classic look. Once the chase begins, the titular hero is seen in his Secret Avengers suit. This is interesting since this suit is largely associated with times that Captain America works in a more secretive manner than normal — which he may need to do.
Captain America has been targeted by someone who looks like him and dresses like him. Other people who have taken up his mantle in a secret network have also been targeted. Now, America's first Super Soldier is trying to find them and recover his stolen shield. This first issue also includes Captain America re-evaluating his perception of the American dream and questioning if he's been hiding — which makes his suit selection very interesting.
The Secret Avengers suit is one of Cap's best looks. It even inspired the stealth suit that he wears in the 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The Secret Avengers series had Captain America leading a team of heroes outside of the public spotlight, including Black Widow, Ant-Man, and Moon Knight. In the first series, he was excited to be doing good work outside of the public eye — even though it was a "shadow ops" team. Now, with alternate perceptions of Captain America and the American dream being a theme, it seems like suiting up in secret is a move that could get the hero back into feeling like he's making a difference and helping. It could help the Super Soldier keep from feeling like a means of creating division and controversy among people in the country.
A new era has arrived for the hero, which has begun to be explored in Disney + original show, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Just like in that show, the Smithsonian wants to put Captain America's shield on display. The question of his role as an American icon has definitely been a point of evaluation lately, but there is no denying that he — and his mantle — still have a big role to play. The rise of numerous variations of Captain America (Aaron Fischer, Nichelle Wright, and Joe Gomez) shows that people of all different backgrounds and cultures have been inspired by what the hero represents. While Captain America is still a hero, his role may be changing and as a result, his look is reflecting this period of evaluation and confusion. No matter what he ends up doing and what he discovers during his search for the new Sentinels of Liberty, Captain America is going to do it in style with his Secret Avengers suit.