Avengers: Infinity War Director Addresses Those Nomad Rumors

Following months of speculation, Avengers: Infinity War star Chris Evans seemingly confirmed with an autograph that Steve Roger will exchange his Captain America identity for that of Nomad in the Marvel Studios sequel. But while co-director Joe Russo doesn’t go that far, he does say the iconic hero will reflect “the spirit of that character.”

Appearing on ESPN Radio’s Fantasy Focus Football, acknowledged the comparisons made by fans and cast members alike to Nomad, the costumed identity briefly adopted by Steve Rogers in early-1970s Marvel comics after he became disillusioned by the U.S. government.

“Our approach to [Steve Rogers] was to deconstruct him, to take him in a different direction,” Russo said. “Obviously you can’t deal with a character called Captain America without dealing with the thematics behind that, so we wanted a relevancy to it, and we wanted to put him in a position where he was questioning the chain of command.”

Following the events of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, which pitted Avenger against Avenger, Evans’ Steve Rogers split with Tony Stark, abandoned his iconic shield, and freed his allies detained at the Raft prison. As Infinity War opens, he’s presumably still a fugitive.

“You’ll see in these Avengers films, he’s on a very specific journey as a character,” Russo said. “Some people have suspected that he may be Nomad heading into Avengers 3, and I wouldn’t say that he is exactly Nomad, but he is the spirit of that character.”

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Anthony Mackie as the Falcon, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, Chris Pratt as Star Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Vin Diesel as Groot, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Josh Brolin as Thanos. The film opens May 28.