Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers Keeps the Beard and Long Hair in New ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Footage
Costumes define superheroes, which is why it’s so striking when a character shows up without one. Steve Rogers has spent more than a decade in a star-spangled uniform, so seeing him in a plain jacket with a scruffy beard feels like meeting a different person. That’s exactly the effect Marvel seems to be going for.
The latest reminder came in a preview that aired during Game 1 of the World Series, which contained several new scenes with the returning Avenger. Fans have been passing around close-ups of the character ever since, and the conversation hasn’t slowed down.
The new look at Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers in ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘ shows him with longer, brushed-back hair, a full beard and a dark casual jacket. He appears alongside Thor in what looks like New Avengers Tower, holding Mjolnir in a scene where Thor seems bothered that Steve can still wield it. It’s a far cry from the clean-cut soldier audiences last saw in ‘Avengers: Endgame.’
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY https://t.co/1RVQT8BIM3
— MCU – The Direct (@MCU_Direct) October 24, 2026
Marvel’s marketing has been careful about how it presented the character’s comeback. The first teaser, released in December, showed Steve putting away his Captain America suit and cradling an infant, with a title card announcing that Steve Rogers will return. In that footage he looked much as he did at the end of ‘Endgame,’ with short hair and no beard.
The first full trailer, released July 20, introduced the new appearance. Evans’ Steve sports longer hair and a full beard, a look similar to his ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ appearance rather than the clean-cut soldier of earlier films. Marvel has since confirmed it as his look for the film.
Reaction has been warm. After the trailer, many viewers praised the beard and longer hair as peak Steve Rogers energy, and others pointed out that the character often wears either civilian clothes or a rugged Nomad-style look. The new footage reinforces that impression.
Not everyone was thrilled by the lack of a costume. When ensemble artwork shown at the Bilibili World expo in Shanghai depicted Steve in casual clothing wielding Mjolnir, some fans said they appreciated the absence of a Captain America suit but wanted something more distinctive. It’s a fair point in a film packed with heavily costumed heroes.
Even Hayley Atwell has weighed in. At San Diego Comic-Con, the actress who plays Peggy Carter joked that Steve’s look has a messianic quality, and she suggested that Peggy probably has an opinion about it. She added that people can’t change their partners and can only support their choices.
That comment also nods to the story behind the look. Steve’s final scene in ‘Endgame’ saw him choose a quiet life with Peggy, and the teaser’s imagery of a house, a motorcycle and a baby suggests the new film begins from that domestic place.
New teaser for ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’. In theaters on December 18. https://t.co/gr47mK5Af7
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 24, 2026
Toy makers have confirmed the new design. Hot Toys’ 1/6-scale Steve Rogers figure shows him in a black T-shirt and brown jacket, gripping a cracked Mjolnir crackling with blue lightning. The figure features a newly developed Evans head sculpt with a detailed beard and sculpted mid-length, brushed-back brown hair.
A Special Edition version also comes with a life-size metal ring bearing a new logo that isn’t the shield. Hot Toys describes Steve as someone who believed he had closed the final chapter of his story, only to be pulled back into action by a threat across the multiverse.
The fact that Evans is back at all remains a surprise. He told Esquire in January that reports of his return were false, which made the December reveal even bigger. Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson now carries the shield, and Mackie has said in interviews that Steve is returning but not as Captain America.
That distinction makes the new look more meaningful. By dropping the suit and the clean-cut image, Marvel is signaling that this is a different phase of the character’s life. It’s also a visual cue that he’s now a former leader pulled out of retirement rather than a symbol.
Marvel’s campaign is expected to continue with more concession reveals and a new trailer rumored for mid-November. The film is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and arrives in theaters on December 18, followed by ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ on December 17, 2027.
Until then, fans will keep studying every glimpse of Steve’s reunion with Thor for clues about how he returns and what role he plays.
What do you think of Steve Rogers’ bearded, long-haired look in 'Avengers: Doomsday'?
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