10 Coolest Things To Expect From Captain America: Brave New World

Captain America: Brave New World will usher in so many new concepts to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with high expectations on delivering a multitude of fresh ideas. The upcoming Captain America: Brave New World will be the first Captain America solo film to center on Sam Wilson’s new take on the character, officially passing the torch to the hero formerly known as Falcon. There’s a lot to get excited for, from new characters to the return of old favorites and long-awaited follow-ups on past MCU plotlines.

The story will see Sam Wilson navigate the fallout of a dangerous attempt on the new president, former General “Thunderbolt” Ross’ life, leading to a complex web of political deceit. Taking on villains like the Red Hulk, the Leader, and Sidewinder, Sam Wilson will have his hands full on his first true test as Captain America. Half traditional superhero movie and half political thriller, Captain America: Brave New World is shaping up to be a strong start to the MCU’s slate of 2025 releases.

10

The Introduction Of Adamantium

Vibranium is no longer the only game in town

Split image of President Thaddeus Ross clapping his hands in front of the corpse of Tiamut in the MCU

Custom image by Ollie Bradley

It seems that Captain America: Brave New World will finally get around to checking in on some long-dormant MCU plotlines, using one of them to introduce Adamantium to the franchise at long last. The end of Eternals saw the partial emergence of the failed Celestial Tiamut, whose massive corpse was last seen partially sticking out of the Indian Ocean. While many Marvel projects came and went while somehow not addressing this seemingly world-changing phenomenon, Captain America: Brave New World will use it as a springboard to introduce a valuable new substance.

Originally hailing from the X-Men comics, Adamantium is a fictional metallic element with a tremendous level of durability, even stronger than Vibranium according to Captain America: Brave New World trailers. The metal’s most famous use was being welded to the skeleton of the mutant Wolverine, increasing his efficiency as a living weapon. It seems as though the Marvel Cinematic Universe will introduce Adamantium with a race to mine the dead Celestial’s bones of it, igniting a new rush for a valuable resource.

9

The Return of Betty Ross

Will finally reference The Incredible Hulk directly

Liv Tyler's Betty Ross in The Incredible Hulk

2008’s The Incredible Hulk sits at an odd intersection of Marvel canon. Despite being one of the first MCU movies ever filmed, the re-casting of Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner and the subsequent lack of solo Hulk movies distanced the events of the film pretty drastically. Now, Harrison Ford’s re-casting as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross has alienated the MCU from the film even more, although She-Hulk: Attorney at Law brought Emile Blonsky’s Abomination back into the fold.

That being said, Captain America: Brave New World will see the long-awaited return of Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, General Ross’ daughter and Bruce Banner’s original love interest. The last time audiences saw Betty, she was tearfully washing her hands of Bruce Banner and The Hulk once and for all, with Dr. Banner returning her a lost necklace as a final goodbye gift. It’ll be interesting to see how exactly she figures into the plot of Captain America: Brave New World as a Gamma-radiation researcher and the now-president’s daughter.

8

The Return Of The Leader

One of the most long-awaited teases in MCU history

Samuel Sterns' Leader in Captain America Brave New World

In many cases, the MCU has issues not paying off teases, taking years to get back around to paying off certain cliffhangers if they get to them at all. Dr. Samuel Sterns’ transformation into the leader is one of the most long-awaited developments for the franchise that lay dormant for an absurdly long time, with The Incredible Hulk suggesting that the scientist was turned into Bruce Banner’s big-brained supervillain. Now, with Captain America: Brave New World, audiences can looking forward to seeing Tim Blake Nelson return as Sterns after over 15 years.

It remains unclear exactly what capacity The Leader will appear in throughout the story. As an expert on Gamma radiation, it makes sense that Dr. Sterns would be the one behind President Ross’ transformation into the Red Hulk in the first place, perhaps using the world leader as a pawn in his own insidious game. In his brief trailer appearances, Sterns’ head looks concerningly normal-sized, and it remains to be seen if he has even morphed into the iconic antagonist at all after all this time.

7

President Ross As The Red Hulk

Will be one of the film’s primary selling points

Red-Hulk-from-Captain-America-Brave-New-World

Custom image by Yeider Chacon

One of the most heavily-advertised aspects of Captain America: Brave New World will be the introduction of President Ross as The Red Hulk. One of the more recent major Hulk villains to come out of the Marvel comics, the Red Hulk is created when Ross recruits the talents of A.I.M. and Intelligencia to give him his own Gamma-powered mutate form, allowing him to personally battle his old enemy. In the comics, General Ross’ iconic mustache somehow sheds and grows back with each transformation, making his identity difficult to ascertain at first.

Captain America: Brave New World won’t be focusing on the mystery as much, with the identity of the Red Hulk being made clear from the trailers. Ross’ mustache will simply be shorn from the beginning, apparently owing to a more presentable campaign presence, but also serving as a tongue-in-cheek way to justify the Harrison Ford recast of William Hurt’s character. The MCU’s President Ross seems to not be in control of his transformations of actions as Red Hulk, suggesting a very different dynamic at play.

6

Sam Wilson’s First Movie As Captain America

Captain America: Brave New World will make history

Steve Rogers Sam Wilson Captain America custom image MCU

Custom Image by Alex Valentino

Perhaps the single most significant thing about Captain America: Brave New World will be the introduction of Anthonie Mackie’s Sam Wilson as the titular all-American hero, officially passing on the mantle from Steve Rogers. Formerly the superhero known as Falcon, Sam Wilson was famously gifted the iconic Captain America shield by an elderly Steve Rogers at the end of Avengers: Endgame, marking him as the successor for the role. Captain America: Brave New World will mark the true start of Wilson’s superhero career under the name.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier technically was the debut of Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, with the entirety of the show focusing on Wilson struggling with accepting the honor due to the implications of a Black man draping himself in American symbolism. Anthony Mackie’s recent words on playing Captain America have also weighed in on this topic, making him a great fit for such a delicate role to handle. Considering how well he worked as a supporting character, it’s about time Sam Wilson got his own movie.

5

Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder

Another villainous role for the fan-favorite actor

Sidewinder emptying his gun in Captain America Brave New World-1

Captain America: Brave New World won’t stop at re-introducing and re-imagining existing characters, bringing some entirely new faces into the fold as well. The most alarming of these is Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder, who seems to have a hand in the political game of chess being played throughout the film, also seen wielding a hefty revolver in the trailer. In the comics, Sidewinder is the leader of the Serpent Society, a cabal of snake-themed villains for hire, though it’s safe to say the movie version will shake out quite differently.

Giancarlo Esposito was once known for playing goofy background characters in films like Maximum Overdrive and Do The Right Thing. But ever since his success as the mastermind drug kingpin Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Esposito has been somewhat typecast in villainous roles, playing similar antagonists in The Mandalorian, Far Cry 6, and The Boys. Sidewinder will be the latest in a long line of cinematic villains to benefit from his cold demeanor.

4

Isaiah Bradley’s Assassination Attempt

Will tear Sam Wilson’s alliegances in two

Isaiah Bradley in prison in Captain America Brave New World

The Incredible Hulk won’t be the only MCU project Captain America: Brave New World will be pulling returning faces from. Isaiah Bradley will also get an appearance, returning from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Bradley was revealed to be one of the MCU’s many attempts to re-create super soldier serum, unfairly experimented on and wrongfully imprisoned to keep him quiet. Bradley ends up faking his own death to escape to a quiet life, but is introduced by Sam by way of Bucky Barnes.

As a friend and mentor, Sam works to get Bradley’s story in the Captain America museum, casing light on the tragically realistic story of an exploited African American man forgotten by the U.S. government. Obviously having no love for the latter, Isiah seems to be behind an attempt on President Ross’ life, but it’s obvious that there’s more to the story than meets the eye. It seems as though Isaiah Bradley’s premise will tear Captain America’s loyalty in two across a complicated narrative.

3

The Weapon X Program May Be Teased

The introduction of Adamantium is as good a time as any

Split image of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine with his mask on in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) on the left, Weapon X version of Wolverine escapes his cell in X-Men Apocalypse (2016) on the right

Custom Image by Severina Chu

The question of how the Marvel Cinematic Universe will introduce the X-Men remains to be answered after the events of Deadpool & Wolverine, with a solo X-Men film supposedly in development. The presence of Adamantium will be the first strictly X-Men-related concept in a mainline series other than Deadpool & Wolverine, opening the door for many tantalizing developments. Specifically, Captain America: Brave New World could lead to the creation of a Weapon X program.

It’s been theorized that Captain America: Brave New World will end with Sam Wilson refusing to lead a new government-sponsored Avengers team, recognizing the same danger that official federalization could have on the heroes just as Steve Rogers did. This would leave the U.S. government seeking a new alternative to their superpowered muscle needs. Enter Weapon X, the dangerous mutant experimentation program responsible for the likes of Wolverine, Deadpool, and Sabretooth.

2

Captain America’s Refusal May Create The Thunderbolts

President Ross’ signature team could manifest earlier than previously thought

The Thunderbolts stand in a field in USA Today exclusive

The establishment of Weapon X might be a bit of a stretch for the government of the MCU to go for should Sam Wilson fail to be their new superhero puppet, but another group of less-heroic characters is far more likely. Thunderbolts* will be the next MCU superhero movie released by the MCU after Captain America: Brave New World, officially establishing the titular team. Essentially Marvel’s answer to DC’s Suicide Squad, The Thunderbolts are made up of former villains and shadier characters bound together and forced into action by the government.

It’s easy to see how Captain America: Brave New World could easily lean in to the upcoming Thunderbolts* movie. Just like with Weapon X, The Thunderbolts would be the logical next step for the U.S. government should Sam Wilson and the other heroes fail to comply. Not only that, but in the comics, The Thunderbolts are actually named after General “Thunderbolt” Ross, who forms the first iteration of the group. Ross’ renewed importance will be an opportune moment for the MCU to set up their next movie.

1

Captain America Will Be Joined By A New Falcon

The old identity won’t be going to waste

Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres in Captain America Brave New World Next to Marvel Comics Falcon

One element of Captain America: Brave New World that isn’t being discussed enough is the presence of Joaquín Torres as the new Falcon. Just because Sam Wilson is moving on to become Captain America doesn’t mean that the identity of the Falcon has to retire forever, and a similar passing of the torch was done in the comics. Joaquín Torres first appeared in the MCU as an Air Force lieutenant who helps Sam Wilson gather info on the Flag Smashers in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Granted, the Joaquín Torres of the MCU has already proven to be quite different from the comic version, who is a literal human/bird hybrid resulting from insidious experimentation. But it never made sense that Sam was the only one to successfully pilot the experimental flight suit, putting it to good use in multiple Avengers movies. It’ll be nice to see Wilson soaring side by side with a brand-new hero in Captain America: Brave New World.

Upcoming MCU Movies

  • Captain America- Brave New World - Poster

    Captain America: Brave New World

    Release Date

    February 14, 2025

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  • Thunderbolts (2025) Official Poster

    Thunderbolts*

    Release Date

    May 2, 2025

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  • 01593277_poster_w780.jpg

    The Fantastic Four: First Steps

    Release Date

    July 25, 2025

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  • Avengers 5 Concept Poster

    Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

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  • Spider-Man Homecoming Mondo Poster

    Spider-Man Homecoming 4

    Release Date

    July 24, 2026

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  • Avengers: Secret Wars

    Release Date

    May 7, 2027

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