Chris Evans' Steve Rogers is getting a rebrand for his MCU comeback in Avengers: Doomsday. 7 years after Steve Rogers seemingly exited the MCU with Avengers: Endgame, the Star-Spangled Man is returning to the fray in Doomsday. This time, Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson will be the one suiting up as Captain America and leading his own Avengers team, even with Steve coming out of retirement. While Steve passed on his trusty shield to his longtime wingman, he fortunately still holds one of the MCU's most powerful weapons as he remains worthy of Mjolnir, Thor's hammer, which he held for the first time in Endgame.
Marvel Studios released a brand new logo for Chris Evans' Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday that officially abandons the Captain America mantle. The logo rewrites MCU history, as Steve is no longer represented by his patriotic shield (although the U.S. color scheme remains intact); instead, he is symbolized by Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, after finally becoming worthy in Avengers: Endgame.
Interestingly, the Mjolnir featured on the new logo is the very same one that was pieced back together in Thor: Love & Thunder and wielded by Jane Foster. Many previously theorized that Steve Rogers would be carrying the one borrowed from Thor: The Dark World during Avengers: Endgame Heist, which the former Captain America was ultimately tasked with returning to Asgard.
For the first time ever, Mjolnir, not Captain America's vibranium shield, is being used as Steve Rogers' primary symbol in Doomsday. That is, of course, because Chris Evans' Steve is just Steve in his return to the MCU, returning to the action without a superhero moniker, while Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson remains the one-and-only Captain America and the leader of the Avengers' next generation.
The stars and stripes of the American flag have been Steve Rogers' symbol even before Howard Stark forged the legendary vibranium shield. The design dates back to World War II and his days selling war bonds, with dancing and singing on USO promotional tours (during which Phase 4 confirmed that he had a major life event).
The logo declares that Steve is "Mjolnir Worthy" with a symbol in the background that appears Asgardian in nature, effectively making him a more magical, fantasy hero moving forward, not the patriotic one reflected by his former uniform.
Granted, a mantleless Steve Rogers is nothing new for the MCU, as, while he never formally received the name, he embodied the essence of Nomad in Avengers: Infinity War. Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Steve was wearing a stripped-back version of his old uniform, but Doomsday is taking things a step further by kicking any stars or stripes altogether.
Doomsday seems to be featuring Steve at two different points in his life, as one trailer features Chris Evans beardless and holding his newborn son, while others have him with a full beard and longer hair, akin to his Infinity War aesthetic. Avengers: Endgame Encore indicated that Doomsday will return to moments after Steve's dance with Peggy Carter, as they are interrupted by the TVA's Loki.
It seems there will be a time-skip between Steve's meeting with Loki and his return to the fight in Doomsday, and he is bearded with long hair when he reunites with Chris Hemsworth's Thor and takes Mjolnir straight from his hands. That will seemingly extend to a long-term loan for the rest of Doomsday while the God of Thunder himself wields the new-and-improved model, Stormbreaker, although it seems that neither Asgardian weapon will be effective against Doctor Doom.
By all accounts, there is no sign that Steve will have any kind of suit or mantle in Doomsday, as there probably won't be time for any superhero tailoring as Incursions wreak havoc across the Multiverse and the end of all life inches closer.
Steve's new look has been widely memed in the MCU fandom as he is completely lacking any superhero suit, tossing aside any stars and stripes or tactical gear in favor of a muscle-fit T-shirt and olive-brown trousers. Fortunately, Steve is as worthy as ever to wield Mjolnir and its accompanying powers of Thor into battle.
What Is Steve Rogers' Avengers: Doomsday Return Really All About?
Fans already know that Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom has a score to settle with Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday, as he somehow caused the Incursion that led to his wife and son's deaths. That may indicate that Steve found his 20th-century home with Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter on Earth-828, rather than the past of Earth-616, and that his presence there ultimately caused an Incursion.
During the Doomsday trailer, Doom tells our heroes that they have lived "stolen lives" and that it is time for them to "give them back." That line is likely aimed at Steve Rogers, who cheated time in Endgame to get his happy ending with a wife and son, which may have stolen that very same thing from Doctor Doom.
Chris Evans has already confirmed he will return in Avengers: Secret Wars, meaning Steve Rogers will survive Doomsday and exist on Battleworld. However, as Doctor Doom reigns supreme on the patchwork world, one can only imagine the torment carved out for Steve that he will need to be freed from.
In the 2015 Secret Wars comic storyline, Doom takes Sue Storm as his wife and Franklin and Valeria Richards as his children, stealing the perfect happy family from his archrival, Reed Richards. Perhaps Marvel Studios will flip the script on that concept by having Doom marry Peggy Carter and adopt Steve's unnamed son as his own, as yet another means of torturing the man he blames for his loss.
