Ever since Steve Rogers decided to hand his shield off to his buddy Sam Wilson (a.k.a. Falcon) at the end of Avengers: Endgame, fans have wondered what was next. We got a Disney+ series that showed Sam’s hesitance to pick up the mantle of Captain America and the history that comes with it. By the end of the series, he knew he was the only person who could take on the role of Captain America. Now, where do we go? It looks like the upcoming story of super heroes and alter egos, Captain America: Brave New World, will tell us when it reaches theatre screens on February 14, 2025.
Captain America: Brave New World, is the first Marvel movie to feature Sam Wilson in his Captain America costume and new role. Director Julius Onah, whose previous credits include The Girl Is in Trouble, The Cloverfield Paradox, and Luce, told Empire that, while Sam did already suit up as Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, this movie is “really his coming-out show. It’s about putting him through the paces. Part of the challenge for Sam as Captain America, working within the government, is the way he’s going to make decisions. The point of view he’s going to have will at times put him at odds with the President.“
The action sequences will also be putting Sam to the test, especially since he doesn’t have the benefit of Super Soldier Serum giving him any enhanced abilities. As Onah put it, “The action in this movie is incredibly exciting because this is a guy who can break, this is a guy who can bleed. We get to have a lot of fun pushing him to the limit.“
A full trailer for the film was unveiled at the first-ever edition of D23 in Brazil.
This Marvel Comics adaptation was initially revealed to be Captain America: New World Order. If you’re a wrestling fan like me, you had visions of Sam decked out in his new Captain America gear, fighting off Hulk Hogan clad in his old black and white wrestling gear from the days of his heel run as leader of the faction the nWo. While these are only fun ideas that nerds like to put together at the mention of the New World Order, others seemed very surprised by the use of the subtitle.
Even before WCW thought up the name of the renegade group, it was used by conspiracy theorists to describe the powerful elite that want to form a single-world government and enslave everyone. There is a lot more to go into, but seriously, there is not enough time, and JoBlo doesn’t want to end up on a conspiracy hit list. Google it if you feel brave enough. Some believed it also has a tinge of antisemitism within these circles as well. As production began, the name was changed to Captain America: Brave New World. Some feel this sounds like a more positive-sounding title as it looks forward to a new world. Those who have read the Aldous Huxley book think that might be a little naive.
With this film being in the Phase 5 lineup of the MCU, you know there have to be some returning superheroes. Of course, Anthony Mackie will be back as Sam Wilson. He’ll don the red, white, and blue as the new Captain America as we saw him embrace the part at the end of Falcon And The Winter Soldier. How will the character handle carrying his own movie? That’s the big question. As a sidekick to Steve Rogers, Sam worked as the wise-cracking guy with wings. Even as one of the main characters of the Disney+ series, he could at least share some of the lead with Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier. Now, he will be front and center. We’ll see if the character has the legs . . . er wings to carry the story on his own.
One of the characters we met in the series was Isaiah Bradley, who was the first African American Captain America. While Steve Rogers was taking an ice nap, the government was still working to find a way to replicate the super soldier serum. Unfortunately for Isaiah, his chance at becoming a super soldier was not his choice. He was imprisoned and experimented on until he escaped. His love for state and country is not riding very high these days.
Another character crossing over from Disney+ is Joaquin Torres, who seems to be taking up the mantle of Falcon. We saw him in some episodes of the show and had worked with Sam Wilson before. Now, it looks like he will earn his wings and help the Captain. Onah has said that the brotherhood between the new Captain America and the new Falcon is an important element of the film. “There’s this incredible big brother/little brother dynamic between them (Sam Wilson’s Captain America and Joaquín Torres’ Falcon). It’s going to be one of the key emotional centers of the film. These guys are incredible fighters. And Sam has been there and back. He’s got some tricks up his sleeve, and over the course of the film there are things he comes to learn that become other tools in his arsenal, when he’s facing even the most impossible of threats.“
The two significant returns that surprised many people were two characters and actors from way back in The Incredible Hulk. Tim Blake Nelson has returned as scientist Samuel Sterns. He was contaminated by Hulk’s irradiated blood and seemed to be set up as a future Hulk villain, The Leader. His enhanced intelligence due to the irradiated blood makes him a formidable foe. The plot thread seemed to have been left dangling as no more solo Hulk films were made. Now he’s finally returning, and the director told Empire that, “Sam finds himself almost standing between Samuel Sterns and what he thinks the government owes him, and how he wants to go about getting that.“
Addressing the fact that his character was missing from the MCU for a long time, Nelson told Variety, “I deeply, deeply grieved over the prospect of not being able to come back into the MCU. All I wanted to do, as an actor, was to figure out what happens to this guy. 18 years later I got to do it and I wasn’t disappointed. It was a great challenge and I was guided beautifully by Julius Onah, who’s an indie director. These are real directors who want to work with real actors and give them opportunities to play outlandish characters. Marvel supports that.“
Liv Tyler is also returning as Betty Ross. She was the love interest of Bruce Banner and the daughter of Thunderbolt Ross. The entire film of The Incredible Hulk seemed to have been forgotten except for William Hurt’s appearance in a few movies and Tim Roth’s recent return on She-Hulk. Now it looks like they are finally pulling in some other characters to fill out the Hulk’s roster. Mark Ruffalo seemed to announce he’d be coming back for this film but Marvel has said that was untrue. Maybe a post-credits scene?
Sebastian Stan won’t be showing up as Bucky Barnes, but he is in the upcoming film Thunderbolts. Mackie has said that he was disappointed Marvel decided to move forward with a Captain America movie instead of a second season of Falcon And The Winter Soldier because he wanted to spend more time hanging out with his friends from that show, Stan and Daniel Brühl (who played Baron Zemo).
It’s not clear if Samuel L. Jackson will be around as Nick Fury. We know for sure that Iron Man won’t be showing up. Sadly, Steve Rogers was left a widower when Peggy Carter passed away, but it seems unlikely Chris Evans will be putting on old age makeup again to give us a glimpse into his current life.
The most significant addition comes with Harrison Ford taking over the character of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. William Hurt, unfortunately, passed away in 2022. Before, when an actor passed away, Marvel shied away from recasting the character. This time, they decided to bring in a new actor. This seemed to raise some questions about why it was okay in this instance but not for Black Panther after Chadwick Boseman died before being able to film the sequel.
Getting Harrison Ford in the movie is definitely a plus, no matter his role. This time around, Ross will be the new President Of The United States. Now that the gruff military guy is in charge of the whole country, how will that play against the world of superheroes? Well, as unveiled by the teaser and Comic Con footage, Ross himself will have powers, with his role as Red Hulk confirmed. Heck, Ford himself even came out on the Comic Con stage a went into hulk mode!
While speaking with Variety, Ford was asked what it took for him to do the Red Hulk mo-cap performance. He replied, “What did it take? It took not caring. It took being an idiot for money, which I’ve done before. I don’t mean to disparage it. I’m just saying you have to do certain things that normally your mother would not want you to do — or your acting coach, if you had one. But it’s fun, and I enjoyed it. I had a great time, and I’m delighted at the response that we got with the trailer.“
It’s always exciting to see a hero take on a villain who’s more powerful than they are, but if you’ve been wondering how Sam Wilson could possibly fight the Red Hulk, Mackie has already spilled the beans. While speaking at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore (via ComicBookMovie), he said it’s all thanks to his “high-tech suit. I went to Wakanda, met with everybody in Wakanda, we had dinner. It was a great time. They threw me a welcome party. It was dope. But when I was leaving, they gave me a suit, right? I put it on. I can kick harder, I can fly faster, and it gives me the ability to be more agile in my skills, so it’s taking all my skills to a completely different level.“
The comic book character of Sabra will be making her MCU debut played by Shira Haas. Some were concerned that debuting an Arab character during the times of unrest that is currently happening in the world might have consequences. Marvel has assured fans that they have taken care to update the character for a modern audience as they have with other heroes that have been brought to the big screen. In the comics, Sabra is a mutant who can transfer her life essence into others and even give them superpowers.
On May 31st, it was announced that Giancarlo Esposito is joining the cast during a 22 day stretch of reshoots, taking on an unspecified villain role. At Comic Con, Esposito announced he’s playing Sidewinder, the head of the Serpent Society!
Speaking to Deadline, Esposito promised, “When you see me in the MCU, you’re going to see a badass.”
Filming began in March of 2023, and the looming writer and actor strikes had fans wondering if they would finish before the strikes started. Marvel indicated that it shouldn’t interrupt filming all that much as there were already planned breaks between the regular shoot and later reshoots. In theory, this film was already ahead of where Deadpool And Wolverine was at in production. They felt they should remain on course for their July 26th, 2024 release date. For whatever reason, it was decided to go full steam ahead on finishing Deadpool And Wolverine and release it on this date and push Brave New World to February 14, 2025.
In all honesty, it was probably their best decision. Deadpool And Wolverine seems guaranteed to be a billion-dollar movie. The hype is already at a fever pitch. This new version of Captain America still seems like it could end up being a gamble one way or the other. Fans can be fickle about their favorite character. Falcon And The Winter Soldier didn’t light up Disney+ but fared well enough. Gambling a summer release date on a character that is unsure if he can carry his own film might be something Marvel isn’t looking to do with some of their recent films falling below expectations lately.
Here’s some official information, directly from Marvel:
Anthony Mackie returns as the high-flying hero, who’s officially taken up the mantle of Captain America. Harrison Ford makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as newly-elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, a role originated by the late William Hurt. Ross and Sam have a bit of a history: In his previous role as Secretary of State, Ross was responsible for arresting Sam and his fellow Avengers during the events of Captain America: Civil War. Now as president, Ross is eager to work with Sam, hoping to make Captain America an official military position. But that tentative alliance is jeopardized when Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident, with friend and retired super-soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) as the prime suspect. Sam’s investigation send him on a dangerous chase, and (leading to) a deadly showdown and a tease of the menacing Red Hulk. Danny Ramirez returns as former Air Force lieutenant Joaquin Torres, who’s picked up Sam’s old wings and taken on the role of Falcon. Tim Blake Nelson is also back as Samuel Sterns, AKA The Leader, appearing in the MCU for the first time since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. New to the cast is Shira Haas, who joins as Ruth Bat-Seraph. A former Black Widow, Ruth is now a high-ranking U.S. government official who has the trust of President Ross. Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, and Xosha Roquemore also star. The film is directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore. Louis D’Esposito and Charles Newirth serve as executive producers.
Mackie has said that the new movie is in line with the tone and style of the previous Captain America movies. Speaking at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Mackie said (with thanks to SuperHeroHype for the transcription), “If you look at these Marvel movies, they go with different genres. You have the fantasy world, you have the space world, you have the raccoon world. With the Captain America stories, it has always been the realistic, grounded world.“
Before the release date bounced to July of 2024 and then February of 2025, Captain America: Brave New World was originally expected to reach theatres on May 3, 2024 – and when you make a tie-in deal with McDonald’s, they don’t care if your release date moves. They’re going to release their Happy Meal tie-in toys to coincide with the release date they were told when the deal was made. That’s why Captain America: Brave New World toys were dropped into the Happy Meals sold throughout the world in May of 2024, nine months before anyone will have a chance to see the movie. Sam Wilson Captain America, with and without wings; the Joaquin Torres version of Falcon; Shira Haas’ character Ruth; the character Diamondback, believed to be played by Rosa Salazar in the film; Cap’s shield, Redwing, and yes, even Red Hulk. Toys of these characters and items have already been added to collections long before we’ll see any of them in action.