Summary
Captain America: Brave New Worldis just a couple of days away from its long-awaited premiere and the film’s most recent piece of promotion gives fans an interesting and potentially impactful plot point to look forward to in the upcoming film.
Captain America: Brave New Worldhas a lot of pressure on it, being the first theatrical release of the year and the first proper project from the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the failures of 2023 andDeadpool & Wolverine’sMCU-in-name-only tribute to a different, now-defunct franchise. Most notably, Mackie’s Sam Wilson will be headliningCaptain America 4as the titular character in his first lead MCU role, withHarrison Ford signed on as Thunderbolt Ross and his alter ego, the Red Hulk, and a ton of other talented stars joining the cast as well. While the film has faced tons of issues, delays, and negative reports over the course of its production, things have recently started to look up.
Whilefans reportedly won’t be seeing too much of the Red Hulkin the upcoming film, Thunderbolt Ross seems intent on making some big moves. In a new clip aptly titled ‘Rebuild The Avengers’ onMarvel Entertainment’s official YouTube channel, Thunderbolt Ross asks Mackie’s Sam Wilson to do just that. Starting out by admitting that Wilson’s actions and accomplishments have changed his views on how much latitude ‘enhanced persons’ deserved, Ross then asks Wilson to help him rebuild the Avengers in his role as Captain America. Wilson’s response is measured, and he asks why Ross, who by his own admission caused the disbanding of the original Avengers via the Sokovia Accords, had this change of heart. This question leads to one of Ross’ most prominent character moments in the film fans have seen so far, as he admits his fault and says, “I represent all Americans now. Hell, half of them wouldn’t be herewithoutthe Avengers. The country needs this.” Wilson then asks what happens when they disagree on what to do, and Ross promises that they’ll figure it out together.
This clip is possibly the most substantial thing that fans have gotten concerning the film since the promotional tour began, and it works exceedingly well at making the two characters more compelling ahead of the release than some fans might have expected from a minute-long conversation with no special effects. It’s a scene full of the sort of purposeful writing that built the MCU in bits and pieces andadds to the wave of cautious optimism thatBrave New Worldhas caught recently. Fans that have seen the clip seem overwhelmingly impressed, with nearly nonexistent dislikes and a lot of comments praising Harrison Ford’s Ross.
Having a team of Avengers specifically created by Ross’ government presents a plethora of interesting potential outcomes. While it would trivialize any logistical issues concerning the team, it would also force the MCU to once again grapple with some real ethical and geopolitical issues that have often given rise to great storylines in the comics. While that could be the route we see in or followingCaptain America: Brave New World, the opposite could also be the case, as the new Avengers coming together is a given, but Ross’ involvement is optional. Even in a fictional setting, it can be weird for some viewers to see their heroes dismiss the interests of their own government, especially when it’s not a blown-out villainous parody of itself. Despite the tension seen between the team and the government in previous phases, it’s hard to imagine an Avengers team entirely removed from a good relationship with Washington from the beginning, effectively making them vigilantes. Fans tend to get especially riled up when Cap has to go against the US government in some major ideological parting of the ways, as shown byhow much of a stir Mackie’s recentCaptain Americacomments made onlinedespite being largely tame.
A lot of what happens next will depend on Mackie’s answer and whether or not this scene comes from the end of the upcoming film. One way or another, it’s pretty clear that Sam Wilson should lead the new crop of heroes in the MCU going forward. It’s true thatMackie has recently put a hard cap on his time as the MCU’s Captain America, but that gives him more than enough time to assemble and lead a new team of Avengers against the franchise’s next big threat in Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. Whether or not Cap and the rest of the new team save the world with or without Ross’ green light, they’ll still be Earth’s mightiest heroes and heirs to a legacy bigger than any one character or fictional government agency.
Captain America: Brave New Worldis set for theatrical release on July 17, 2025.
Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titledNew World Order)marks Sam Wilson’s first MCU big-screen appearance as Steve Rogers' successor after receiving the suit and shield in Phase 4’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie returns as the titular Avenger alongside Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumby as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson as The Incredible Hulk’s former ally Samuel Sterns. Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.
