While probably isn't people's favorite MCU movie, (even though, I, for one, think it's underrated), ’ Captain America is certainly many people’s favorite superhero, and for good reason. He represents the best in humanity, never forgetting Dr. Erskine’s () warning in , to ." Many also resonated with Cap's anti-government sentiment, which really began in and then came to fruition in .

However, Age of Ultron largely skipped over this aspect of the character, instead focusing on the personal divide between Cap and Tony Stark (). Yet, one deleted scene from Avengers: Age of Ultron not only showed , as well as continuing this arc of the character becoming more nomadic. Not only should the scene have been kept in to show this character beat, but it would've begun the conversation around Cap's costume, which we would later see thoroughly explored in later MCU projects.

The deleted scene in question is one that occurs at the beginning of the third act. The scene shows Cap and some other Avengers, including the Scarlet Witch () and Hawkeye (), getting out of the Quinjet in Sokovia before battling Ultron (). Cap sees . Upon acknowledging how the Sokovian people feel about the Avengers, a western force entering their country to conduct operations without sanction, rather than wearing the accessory, Steve throws it back in to the jet, allowing people to see his face and therefore connecting with the people of Sokovia more.

While it is understandable why such a scene would be removed for runtime, with Age of Ultron already having a 2-hour 21-minute length, this scene that would continue into Captain America: Civil War. Throughout Age of Ultron, we see how Iron Man and Cap disagree, with Iron Man being a "big picture" thinker, whereas Cap is far more grounded, and this scene would have shown Cap’s side quite well, as most of Age of Ultron dealt with Iron Man’s paranoia.

This isn’t the first time Captain America’s costume has been a contentious issue. In , it is Phil Coulson () who says people need the classic “old-fashioned” Captain America costume and see it as something familiar to give them hope, before the world changed with the reveal of Loki () and the more fantastical elements. Therefore, with Cap throwing away this helmet, for the world, a refreshingly self-aware representation of how many in the world view not just the West, but America itself. This idea is also discussed in , where Sam Wilson () points out the inner conflict he faces as a Black man wearing an American flag.

All of this is to say that this deleted scene should have been kept because it is part of the story of Captain America and his costume, and the costume truly does mean so much to the audience and character. , and we cannot pretend it doesn't. In this deleted scene, we see Cap beginning, more than ever, to outright reject his Western-centric image, and it would have been a nice clue as to the way the series was going to start turning. Some could argue that did show this, yet that doesn't mean Age of Ultron should've ignored it the way it did, as it focused on a more personal conflict rather than internal one on Cap's side.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is available to watch on Disney+ in the U.S.

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