Captain America’s Super-Suit: Room for Adjustment

When playing a well-established superhero, certain parts of the super-suit are set in stone. However, while the shield is always going to be part of Captain America’s get-up, there’s some wiggle room for parts of the costume that the star wearing it can say "Absolutely not" to.

In the case of Captain America: Brave New World, Anthony Mackie, the actor playing the role, had a specific request that was not an arbitrary one. Mackie had worn the offending suit for the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and was not about to don it again for the big screen. His exact words, as reported in IGN’s interview, were "I told them I was never wearing that st again, dude," specifically referencing the white cowl that was part of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier**-era ensemble.

The Weight of the Cowl

"That was hard," Mackie continued. "It was—with the heat, the sweat, the fogged-up glasses, it was impossible. It was called a ‘cowl’… it was my worst nightmare. You can’t do anything." The cowl was a unique element of Sam’s Captain America suit that was translated from the comics into live action, but it ultimately didn’t make it something Mackie could tolerate wearing any more.

A New Captain America Suit

The movie Captain America: Brave New World features a snappy new suit with no cowl, and it’s heading to theaters on February 14. While the cowl was a interesting attempt to bring the comic book design to life, it’s easy to see why it wouldn’t work in live action.

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