We Finally Know Why Steve Rogers Looked Uncharacteristically Solemn In That Avengers Shawarma Scene
2012's "The Avengers" was a game-changer, to put it lightly, and ended the first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on a high note. At last, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) were all in the same place with goals of stopping a common enemy: the God of Mischief himself, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Thankfully, before his invasion of Earth could truly commence, the heroes managed to work as one for the first time and ultimately save the day.
Unsurprisingly, Earth's Mightiest Heroes attained legendary status in-universe and continued to work together until the cataclysmic events of "Captain America: Civil War." Though they're all just technically co-workers, it should come as no surprise that their time thwarting the forces of evil caused strong relationships to form between them. In fact, it's not incorrect to say that they became like a family — whether that meant supporting one another through hard times or bickering like children. Aside from the battle of New York itself, the origin of their strong bond can be traced back to one now-famous meal.
At the tail end of "The Avengers," we see the team sit down at a local shawarma joint for a bite after their hard-fought victory. No one says a word as they enjoy their food, but it's hard to ignore that Captain America appears particularly solemn compared to his comrades. Here's the interesting reason why the Star-Spangled Man looked so gloomy during the Avengers' first post-fight meal.
Cap's beard camouflage
Unlike his fellow Avengers, who either sat and chewed their food or simply looked about the restaurant, Captain America kept his face concealed for the entire shawarma scene. He sat at the end of the table with his head on his fist, making it so that we could only see from his nose up. One could infer that his posture was no more than a stylistic choice or that Chris Evans found it comfortable, but in reality, the actor covered up part of his face intentionally to hide a messy, beard-covering, continuity-maintaining makeup job (via CBR).
As revealed by "The Avengers" executive producer Jeremy Latcham in "The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe," when the time came to shoot the shawarma post-credits sequence, Chris Evans had grown a beard for 2013' "Snowpiercer." He couldn't shave it off, so to look more like his clean-cut "Avengers" self, an attempt was made to cover the facial hair. "We pasted this special-effect skin makeup over it. But it was all bumpy and looked terrible, so we just asked him to lean on his hand to cover it up," Latcham recalls in the book.
These days, the "Avengers" shawarma scene is a beloved piece of MCU history that has even been immortalized in Funko Pop! form. Even though he might not look enthused to be there among his peers, Captain America's disinterested posture beats the hastily-done, unnatural-looking alternative.