Thanos is invading Earth and the Avengers are divided.

Since the events of Captain America: Civil War, Steve Rogers has seemingly dropped his superhero identity, along with his shield at Iron Man’s feet.

Now a fugitive, Cap reappeared in Marvel's Avengers Infinity War trailer with a rugged new beard and without his uniform’s Captain America logo.

Now the film’s directors have spoken out on whether or not Cap is now Nomad, a new identity he takes on in the comics.

Speaking on ESPN Radio, they said: “Our approach to [Steve Rogers] was to deconstruct him, to take him in a different direction. 

“Obviously, you can't deal with a character called Captain America without dealing with the thematics behind that, so we wanted a relevancy to it and we wanted to put him in a position where he was questioning the chain of command. 

“You'll see in these Avengers films, he's on a very specific journey as a character. 

“Some people have suspected that he may be Nomad heading into Avengers 3 and I wouldn't say that he is exactly Nomad, but he is the spirit of that character.”

At a recent fan event Chris Evans, who plays Cap, signed a replica shield “Cap” and “Nomad”.

Meanwhile Bucky star Sebastian Stan signed it: “I’m with Nomad.”

Avengers: Infinity War will be released in UK cinemas on April 27, while Avengers 4 will be released on April 26, 2019.