Most Marvel Cinematic Universe fans would agree that the opening action sequence from Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one of the best beginnings we’ve seen from any of the franchise’s 29 movies to date, with Steve Rogers and S.H.I.E.L.D. kicking plenty of ass as they infiltrate an enemy ship.
On top of introducing the Russo brothers to the masses as orchestrators of fine-tuned superhero set pieces, Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers also opted for a more subtle and stealthy ensemble than his standard red, white, and blue getup. While Marvel characters get new costumes each time around for merchandising purposes, this particular example has an interesting backstory.
During a discussion on Reddit over the merits of the first Avenger’s muted blue number, fans began to pore over the minutiae of the scene, and some fascinating details emerged as a result.
The most interesting response came from a user who pointed out that “It’s a callback to his origins. For stealth, grunts in WW2 would smear boot black on the shiny bits of gear and clean it off when they get back. We learned later on that camo patterns, grays, and blues provide better results than pure black since black makes your silhouette stand out against most backgrounds. So, yeah. He “paints” it as part of his prep for jobs needing stealth.”
That paints the entire sequence in a brand new light, with the aesthetic alterations both aiding the mission’s chances of success, while also harking back to Captain America’s wartime origins.
