We haven’t seen any footage of Avengers: Infinity War just yet (well, at least not officially), but we already know that Steve Rogers’ character will be in a very different place from when we last saw him. Following on from giving up his shield and becoming a fugitive in Captain America: Civil War, Chris Evans’ First Avenger has likely stepped away from the mantle of Captain America in the team-up film. Just look at the promo images we’ve seen so far – he’s even got himself a beard.
So, Cap may be gone, but will Steve pick up a new superhero alias instead? His Infinity War co-star Sebastian Stan seems to think so. When signing a Captain America: The Winter Soldier poster for a young fan, Stan – who plays Bucky Barnes in the MCU – added an unexpected extra detail alongside his autograph. As you can see, he squiggled a beard onto Cap’s face and added a speech bubble saying: “Ah, I’m Nomad!”
In the comics, back in 1974, Steve Rogers uncovered the Marvel universe equivalent of the Watergate scandal concerning President Nixon. Having lost faith in truth, justice and the American way, Rogers stopped calling himself Captain America and went by Nomad instead, as in, “a man without a country.” Eventually, however, he decided that Cap should represent the spirit of the nation and not those in charge and so suited up in the old red, white and blue again.
Given that Rogers’ faith in the government has taken a knock recently, due to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s corruption in Winter Soldier and Civil War‘s Sokovia Accords, it does seem that the MCU is heading for its own version of this storyline. Which has led fans to theorize about Nomad coming into play in Infinity War. But is Stan just poking fun at this rumour with his drawing, or is he referencing an actual plot point from the film?
All will be revealed when Avengers: Infinity War arrives in theaters on May 4th, 2018.