Just because Tony Stark has perfected his own super suit doesn’t mean he’s any good at making them for the shield-slinging legend Captain America. For example, in 1995’s “Captain America” #438, Steve’s Super Soldier Serum is causing some issues to the point of paralyzing our hero. To keep him in action, Tony builds him an exoskeleton with shoulders padded so high he resembles a patriotic linebacker. Some modifications were made when the suit returned in 2014, but the heavy build is closer to that of David Harbour’s Red Guardian.
A third variation appears in “Avengers: Tech-on,” a series published as part of a partnership with Japanese toy company Bandai in which Rogers and the rest of the Avengers are rendered powerless and therefore forced to resort to armored suits to take on Venom, Loki, and the Red Skull. Naturally, Steve’s suit comes with a shield so that it falls in line with his original outfit, but ultimately, he looks more like a Transformer than a superhero — which is cool, just not as cool as Esh-El’s designs.
