New 'Infinity Wars' footage could signal a drastic shift in Captain America's identity

Marvel Comics

Steve Rogers transforms himself into Nomad

At Disney's D23 Expo this past Sunday, attendees were shocked to see Captain America (Chris Evans) - or, Steve Rogers - sporting a beard in the new "Avengers: Infinity Wars" trailer.

While Disney has not yet made the "Infinity Wars" trailer available online to the general public, MCU exchange reported that Captain America is in fact flaunting some new facial hair.

MCU Exchange speculates that this new look is an indication that Captain America's identity will shift drastically in "Infinity Wars," and that we'll see Rogers take on the identity of Nomad.

Nomad is the character that Rogers adopts in a series of "Captain America" comics that were released in 1974. They take place shortly after "Civil War" leaves off, when Rogers becomes disillusioned by the current state of American politics, and chooses to distance himself from a country whose values he feels have changed drastically. The Nomad comics were released right after Nixon's Watergate scandal, and most likely served as commentary on the political climate of the time.

This isn't the first time that Nomad has been brought up in the last few years. Shortly after the release of "Captain America: Civil War" in 2016, the directors Joe and Anthony Russo spoke about the somber ending of "Civil War," in an interview with HuffPost.

"I think him dropping that shield is him letting go of that identity," Joe said, in reference to Captain America leaving his shield behind at the end. "[It's] him admitting that certainly the identity of Captain America was in conflict with the very personal choice that he was making."

The Russo brothers indicated that Captain America's identity changed at the end of "Civil War," and may very well have been alluding to Rogers' eventual transformation into Nomad.

Nomad isn't known for being a bearded superhero, but perhaps the change in the otherwise meticulously groomed Captain America's appearance is meant to signify Rogers' transformation into the less patriotic Nomad.

But we won't know for certain until "Infinity Wars" makes its way to theaters May 4, 2018.