Last summer, just a few days before San Diego Comic-Con -- where the first footage would debut to great reaction -- I was among a group of journalists who visited the set of Captain America: The Winter Soldier . We watched as Captain America himself, again embodied by Chris Evans, ran across a ramp, in the midst of a desperate situation also involving The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) - all while wearing his classic World War II uniform.

When Evans sat down with us during a break from filming, he couldn't discuss the exact circumstances that bring Steve Rogers to once more be wearing that uniform, but costumes were a topic of conversation. As you've seen by now, Cap also wears a brand new suit in The Winter Soldier, inspired by one Steve wore in the comics. Evans talked to us about Cap's new suit, his outlook on the modern world, his relationships with new ally Sam Wilson/Falcon and established ally Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the film, working with the Russo Brothers -- who are joining the series as directors -- and much more.

Chris Evans in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Chris Evans on the set of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

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Chris Evans and Samuel L. Jackson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

I like the new suit a lot. I can tell you that I think a lot of people liked the old [World War II] suit as well after Avengers -- not to say anything bad about the Avengers suit. The Avengers suit was wildly comfortable, but I think a lot of people enjoyed the old suit. I think a lot of people enjoyed the World War II aspect of the first movie. There was something about that that I think people liked.They get some air on the new suit. I've always like the ears inside. I always kinda thought I had big Dumbo ears. Whenever they tried the helmet out with the ears out, I was like, "Please don't make me do this." [Laughs] "I look so silly." But they did some really good things. It looks a lot better. The new suit does have the ears out, and it actually looks okay. I was like, "Alright, I can live with this."Sure, he feels comfortable within the structure he's been given. He likes to serve. He likes to take orders. He's like a herding dog; he needs a task. I think the issue in the first two -- in Captain America, it was about giving him the opportunity. Then he got the opportunity, and he was thrust into a different world. In Avengers, there were so many characters that it was tough to spend too much time with any one. In this movie, it's about him trying to not just acclimate to the modern world, but I think it's always been Cap's goal to do what's right and to be of service and to help where he can. In this movie I think the question is, "Well, what is right?" I think it was a lot easier in the '40s to know who the evil was -- there's no disputing Nazis are bad! Now it becomes a little more of a difficult answer. There's a lot more of a gray area of "What is the right thing? Are you of service to that cause?" That becomes a tricky dispute for Cap, because things were just done differently in the '40s. The threats are different now. Precautionary measures that are taken now can be questionable and somewhat suspect in his eyes. So it's a tough hurdle for him to jump.Well, I think it's brought in more of a human direction. Cap's such a good guy, it's hard for him to bleed -- not just literally, but figuratively, you know what I mean? He doesn't want to burden anyone with his struggles, so any way we can push him in more of a human direction where he does show weakness and he does struggle and he does connect with people and show vulnerability, I think that grounds him a little bit. It just makes him more interesting. All the relationships, especially with Natasha and Sam. Even though we do have Winter Soldier, he's not, you know -- we're doing third act stuff right now. For the meat of the film, for the majority of the film, the connections that he makes that I think really bring him to life are with Natasha and Sam.I feel really good. I'd be kicking myself if I hadn't done this... Oh my God. [Laughs] I'd be really kicking myself! You know, it was just a matter of adjusting to lifestyle changes. My team told me this in the beginning, because they knew I was apprehensive too. They said, "It comes in waves." They said, "You gotta respect the fact that when the movie comes out, there's going to be a surge, and there's going to be some changes. Then it's going to go away. It'll die back down," just like any type of actor. When a movie comes out, you get a little more of a spotlight on you. Then it goes away, so you can monitor it. It's not like once those movies are out your life is forfeit and you can't have any more control. So you just gotta take those periods of time in stride and know that it will pass and die down eventually. Things will go back to a relative level of normalcy. Aside from that, I love doing these movies, because they're good. It's been one of the tricky things in my career. I'm sure you've seen some of my not-so-good movies, and it's disappointing when you put a lot of time and effort and sweat into it. It's a real -- aw, it sucks. When you see the movie, you're like, "That is not what I read, and that is not what I wanted to be a part of." It's a real disappointment. I've begun to just put my trust in Kevin Feige, and all the guys at Marvel. They're so good at what they do. Their an internal barometer of what is good and bad is pretty on-point, not just from the standpoint of the movie, but everything -- the marketing, the trailers and the wardrobe -- it's just going to look right. So it's scary diving into such a big endeavor. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work on a massive scale, but you feel a little more comfort in that you trust the people that are making these movies. That's what acting's about: trust. If you don't trust someone, every single take, you're going to be holding back. It's nice to let go of that.Well, he is a really human superhero. He doesn't shoot lightning, he doesn't fly, he has very meat-and-potatoes-type powers. So I think it's only appropriate that the tone and the theme fits more of a human element. It does have kind of a grounded, political thriller tone to it, and I think that just goes hand in hand with the character. It just works. Like I said earlier, they're also trying to infuse much more human conflict that doesn't necessarily have to do with fighting monsters and doing giant stunts. It's just about him coping with moral issues, about right and wrong, good and bad. That's stuff we can all relate to.No, no, no. I think he's fine with that. I think his question is how he fits into the world around him.It certainly does. Again, I don't know, am I in trouble now? Am I in trouble? I'm just going to say that you said I can say all of this s**t. [Laughs] Yeah, it does. That's not a secret, that's what it is. I mean, it's coming out now in America -- how much can we monitor Internet use and phone records and text messages? Where do you draw the line? Is it okay to spy on someone before they've committed a crime? Do you take the world as it is or as you'd like it to be? It's a tricky question. I think Cap comes from a time where there was a little more trust and a little less access. I can go on the Internet right now and learn how to make a bomb. You couldn't do that in the '40s, so you didn't have to worry about it -- but now you do! Where's that line? It's a tricky conversation for me right now, and I was born in this era. I can't imagine coming from a different place, swallowing the pill of where society has gone.

Russo Brothers Returning to Direct Captain America 3

Chris Evans films a scene in which Cap takes on Batroc the Leaper (Georges St-Pierre).

Sure. It's a tough call, because I loved Joe and I love the Russos. It was probably tougher for -- well, that's not fair. I was going to say it was tougher for Joe because they didn't have as much information. The Russos can reference the first Cap and The Avengers, and it's another link in the chain, characters have been laid down and certain things have been established; but those films did very well, so the expectations had a level where there is maybe more pressure on the Russos. I don't know. With Joe, it was all brand new, and we were trying to feel it out together. I loved working with Joe, but Joe's got that nostalgic [feel] -- he loves the '40s and '50s, and he has that look down so well. I think Joe liked a little bit more of a grounded Cap in terms of powers and abilities, just like a really impressive Olympic athlete, as opposed to someone who's ripping through cars and things like that -- which is fine, but I think we're trying to push it a little bit more in this one. I wouldn't mind pushing it a little bit more in this one. You saw Avengers, those guys are good! I gotta have a reason to be on this team! [Laughs]Yeah. Well, that's what we were all saying. I remember when I first met with the Russos -- has anyone played the Captain America video game? I love it! [Laughs] And I don't like video games. I was like, "I love it, because I like the way Cap moves!" He moves so well. He just beats ass! It's like, that's how this guy needs to be moving. This isn't just a guy who's given the ability of speed and power. He's been training, and he's got the frame of mind to absorb this information, so you can only assume, with training and his abilities, the guy should really be dangerous, and we should show that. It's not just, "Take Jason Bourne and make him, you know…” If Jason Bourne can do it, Cap should be flying through these things. So we've had a little bit of fun turning up his power, turning up his speed. So the fights are a lot more grizzly and impactful, just -- in my opinion -- cooler.

Continue to Page 2 as Evans talks more about the fighting style, plus Cap's relationships with Black Widow and Falcon, working with Robert Redford and more.