Captain America’s transition from comic to screen uniquely parallels Steve Rogers’ own journey to becoming the “greatest soldier in history.” True to the character’s debut in 1941, Rogers’ story begins during World War II. Despite his small stature that made him unfit for military service, he possessed qualities beyond the physical. His bravery and compassion qualified him as the first and most successful recipient of Abraham Erskine's completed Super Soldier Serum, which granted Rogers peak-human capabilities. As Rogers’ role in World War II evolved, so did his uniform. And as he struggles to find his place in our modern world after being awakened after 70 years frozen in the Antarctic, the needs of his uniform must adapt to fit his growing combat skills and the greater threats he faces.

Just as Captain America has been forced to adjust through different eras and emerge in our modern day, concept artist Ryan Meinerding and his team have had to draw from over half a century of comics to conceptualize Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's iconic creation for the big-screen. From there, costume designers Anna B. Sheppard (Captain America: The First Avenger), Alexandra Byrne (The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron), and Judianna Makovsky (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) work with their respective directors to further tailor and realize those concepts for an ever-expanding cinematic universe and increasingly savvy and scrutinizing audience.

In anticipation of Chris Evans’ return as Captain America in Avengers: Age of Ultron, we explore the evolution of his uniforms throughout the Marvel films.