Chris Evans, who is typically praised for his physique, found himself on the opposite end of the spectrum when his jawline threatened his costume.

Marvel, Chris Evans

The acting prowess of Chris Evans is known to many, as is his string of hit movies. However, in this list, his portrayal of Steve Rogers in the MCU’s Captain America stands the tallest. While the actor demonstrated the superhero magic on screen, there was a lot going on behind the scenes of the franchise that the fans and aficionados were unaware of.

Now, a fresh piece of information about the actor’s Captain America costume has surfaced, and it’s safe to assume that his muscular shape and physical fitness play a significant role in it.

Chris Evans’ jawline prompted the Marval studios to modify an iconic Captain America detail

Chris Evans has a fantastic muscular body that reflects the work and effort he put into it. However, his corpulent physique posed a challenge for costume designers on set, particularly Captain America’s cowl. In the original comics, the superhero wore an unusual cowl that covered both the top of his head and his ears. The hood was then fastened to a domino-style mask, with openings cut on the sides of his ears and covering his cheekbones.

The character’s neck was totally covered, but the rest of his face, including his chin, nose, and mouth, remained uncovered. However, Jason Surrell’s forthcoming novel ‘Marvel Studios’ The Infinity Saga-The Avengers: The Art of the Movie‘ reveals that the designers on set had a difficult time making the cowl, particularly because of Chris Evans’ strong jawline.

Designer Ryan Meinerding wanted to use a different approach than the original comics by concealing the characters’ ears, which director Joss Whedon agreed to because the helmet looked better that way. Furthermore, it was acceptable to deviate from the notion that Captain America’s cowl was part of a one-piece outfit. So, they had to design a good textured costume with a covered neck and no visible ears. Meinerding noted (via Slash Film):

These variations were done to cover Cap’s ears. (Costume designer) Alexandra Byrne had gotten to a certain point with a cowl that exposed Chris’ ears, but Joss and Marvel didn’t think it worked.

Up until that point, we were treating the cowl as the same material as the costume, but these revisions were aimed at bringing the helmet look back from ‘First Avenger’ while covering the ears.

The designer also stated that director Joss Whedon wanted to highlight Captain America’s distinctive look without having to utilize a chin strap on Chris Evans. He wanted his chiseled jawline to be prominently displayed in his clothing.

So, this unique costume was designed to strike the perfect balance between the superhero’s appearance and Evans’ physical characteristics.

Chris Evans complete body transformation for Captain America

The superhero genre requires actors or actresses to have an incredible physique. The same was applied to Chris Evans when he took on the role of Captain America in 2011. For this, the responsible hands of Hollywood trainer Simon Waterson were utilized.

Waterson, who was already a well-established name in the halls of Tinsel Town, had trained Daniel Craig for his stint as James Bond in Casino Royale. Further, he continued to train Craig for the subsequent Bond movies, all the way up to No Time to Die (2021).

According to Men’s Health, even Evans had relied on Waterson to achieve the whole Captain America figure. Under the acclaimed trainer, his routine included rigorous training programs aimed at upper body strength, lower body strength, and general muscle building. This was combined with a rigorous diet high in lean proteins and smart supplements.

Notably, the regime worked so well that the filmmakers had to utilize CGI to transform the actor into Steve Rogers before he became a super soldier. To create the right skinny, look on screen, Lola Visual Effects was used to bring the transformation to life.

Further, Leander Deeny served as a body double and Evan’s face being grafted on top of his body. As a result, this made the entire Skinny Rogers narrative a reality.

Captain America: The First Avenger currently streaming on Disney+.