It looks as though Marvel’s Falcon and Winter Soldier Disney+ series will feature comic-book-accurate Hydra designs. Hydra made their MCU debut in Captain America: The First Avenger, and Steve Rogers initially believed they died with the Red Skull in the Second World War. Of course, he was wrong on every count - as he learned to his cost in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Cap was horrified to learn Hydra had evolved into a parasite within SHIELD, and he decided the best course of action was to burn it all down - destroying both Hydra and SHIELD. Hydra’s leaders scattered to the winds, and the Avengers hunted them across the globe. Ant-Man confirmed they’re still active, though, with Hydra agents attempting to purchase Pym Particles. But it seems the terrorist group could have a larger presence in the MCU’s Phase Four - and they may even adopt comic-book-accurate designs.

The Marvel Disney+ trailer featured a shot in which Falcon engaged in an aerial dogfight with an unknown group of agents. They’re actually wearing traditional SHIELD skydive/glide suits, similar in design to the one used by Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Significantly, however, the outfits have been colored green and yellow; the traditional colors of Hydra in the comics. The implication appears to be that Marvel is about to give viewers a comic-book-accurate Hydra.

There’s a sense in which this is quite a high-risk proposition for Marvel. After all, although Hydra haven’t been seen on the big screen since 2015’s Ant-Man, their story was continued on television by Agents of SHIELD. Over the years, Agents of SHIELD has done pretty much everything possible with Hydra, right down to wiping Hydra out in season 5. Of course, it’s true that Agents of SHIELD may not be canon any more; but this isn’t really a good time to encourage speculation on that point, given Agents of SHIELD’s seventh - and final - season will air later this year.

Assuming Agents of SHIELD isn’t canon, Hydra has had both the time and the opportunity to regroup. The Avengers considered Hydra to be a high-priority threat, but they were torn apart by the passing of the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War, and thus wouldn’t have been chasing them down anymore. Meanwhile, it’s entirely possible Hydra saw lots of opportunities for growth in the aftermath of Thanos’ snap in Avengers: Infinity War, a global catastrophe that meant the world would have forgotten all about this particularly dangerous group. They’d have had plenty of time to restructure, and even choose a new aesthetic.

Ironically, Agents of SHIELD probably explains Marvel’s decision to kit Hydra out in their comic book uniforms. Marvel Studios has never liked repeating plot points and ideas that have been done before; every road traveled by Agents of SHIELD would therefore close off a path for them. By this point, the only thing left to do with Hydra is to go back to their comic book roots and embrace them in all their exaggerated wackiness for Falcon & Winter Soldier.

More: Why Bucky DOESN’T Shoot Zemo In Falcon & Winter Soldier

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