‘Captain America: Brave New World’: What to Expect

The latest adventure of our favorite star-spangled hero will be coming soon to the big screen. Originally titled Captain America: New World Order, Captain America: Brave New World will follow Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson continues to take on the mantle after the events of the Disney+ series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2022, the new installment of the Captain America film series was announced as an upcoming chapter of the MCU’s Phase Five, of which Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed an entire slate of projects in the works and mapped out.

We last saw Sam Wilson coming into his own as the new Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier with the helping hand of Sebastian Stan‘s Bucky Barnes, who he grows to trust and befriend over time, despite their initial dislike for one another. Emily VanCamp starred as Sharon Carter, a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and niece of Peggy Carter. It also introduced Wyatt Russell as the faux Captain America John Walker, who turned into the villainous U.S. Agent. Returning from Captain America: Civil War, Daniel Brühl appeared as the classic Captain America villain Baron Zemo. But not all series’ cast members have been announced to return for the film. There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding the film. Find out what we know about Captain America: Brave New World below.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on August 5, 2024.

Does ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Have a Release Date?

Captain America: Brave New World is now scheduled to release on February 14, 2025. Brave New World has been delayed numerous times, having been initially scheduled for a May 3, 2024, release then being delayed to July 26, 2024, before finally landing on its current February 2025 date. Marvel has made some sweeping changes to their film schedule recently, with Captain America: Brave New World being just one of the movies affected. The movie will be opening against The Smurf Movie starring Rihanna and the romantic comedy sequel Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

Does ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Have a Trailer?

Marvel Studios released the teaser trailer for Captain America: Brave New World on July 12, 2024. The trailer begins with Sam Wilson meeting with President Thunderbolt Ross at the White House, as the latter suggests putting Captain America into the military, before saying “Work with me, Sam. We’ll show the world a better way forward.” The trailer then shows Sam and Joaquin Torres attending an event hosted by Ross, where Isiah Bradley gets up from his seat and proceeds to attack the president. From there, the trailer cuts to a montage where Sam informs Ross that his inner circle has been compromised. During the montage, we see quick glimpses of what looks to be The Leader, as well as a new villain played by a certain Breaking Bad alum. The montage ends with Ross telling Sam, “You may be Captain America, but you’re not Steve Rogers.” Sam responds by saying “You’re right. I’m not.” The trailer ends with a tease of the Red Hulk, who violently throws Captain America’s shield into the concrete.

Footage of the movie was screened during Disney’s CinemaCon 2024 panel. Collider’s Britta DeVore was in attendance and described what she saw in a piece for the site saying:

The footage saw the two of them in conversation in an office, where Ross asks Wilson to help him rebuild the Avengers. The footage then shifted to a hint at the conflict they will face, as a speech Ross is giving turns dangerous when the crowd is turned into super soldiers after hearing strange music. The footage ends with Wilson, his Falcon wings spread, Captain America shield in hand.

In a piece for Collider, Taylor Gates and Aidan Kelly, who were in attendance during Marvel Studios’ panel at San Diego Comic 2024, recapped the footage shown from Captain America: Brave New World, writing:

An exclusive clip was played after which featured

Harrison Ford

, who plays President Thaddeus Ross, briefing a group at the White House about adamantium that was discovered. Though they’ve squabbled over things before, he says, this element belongs to all of them. Ross thanks Captain America (Mackie), welcoming him to the White House and telling him that, while they haven’t always agreed in the past, he wants his help — his help rebuilding the Avengers, to be more precise. Sam is predictably confused, considering the Sokovia Accords of it all, but Ross says half of the country wouldn’t even be here without them.

Things then take a turn for the intense, with Sidewinder scheming and shooting and Sam meeting with Ross and an ambitious woman named Ruth (
Shira Haas
), who Ross clearly trusts. To top it off, we see Ross turning into Red Hulk behind the presidential podium.

What Is the Plot of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?

The official plot synopsis for Captain America: Brave New World by Marvel Studios reads:

After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.

When speaking about the film at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2022, director Julias Onah described the film as a “paranoid thriller.”

It seems more and more likely that Brave New World will follow in the footsteps of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, one of the most critically-acclaimed movies in the entire MCU, which took inspiration from 1970s political espionage thrillers like 1975’s Three Days of Condor (and cast Condor’s star Robert Redford as the villain, Alexander Pierce). Diving into broken political systems and government distrust have been key themes explored in the Captain America films. Still, it remains to be seen what kind of fascist conspiracy Sam Wilson will face.

Harrison Ford is taking on the role of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross after the passing of William Hurt, who portrayed the character in four films. Wilson and Ross have a history because, if you remember, Ross threw Wilson in prison at the end of Civil War because he violated the Sokovia Accords. Executive producer Nate Moore said Sam Wilson would clash with Thunderbolt Ross in the film. When we spoke to Moore about the film, he said,

“Well, look, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, he is going to bring his own team to play… There will be some natural sparks there, which I think will be really fun.”

In another interview, Mackie revealed more about what we can expect in the scenes between Wilson and Ross.

“Ross and Cap have always had that relationship, where they were friends and they respected each other, but they always bumped heads. That’s their relationship in the storyline.”

Due to prior licensing agreements, Happy Meal toys at McDonald’s were released in late April 2024 confirming that Ford’s Thunderbolt Ross will be getting a gamma-fueled makeover in the movie as the Red Hulk.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, a clip for the movie was shown that reveals that Captain America: Brave New World will also introduce Adamantium (which Wolverine’s claws are made out of) to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The clip showed Ford’s President Ross addressing a global audience and mentioning a Celestial (from Eternals) that has been found in the ocean, claiming that it is made out of Adamantium.

Who Stars in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?

The newly star-spangled man with the plan, Captain America, will be played by Anthony Mackie. As they reprise their roles from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, Danny Ramirez and Carl Lumbly will return as Joaquin Torres and Isaiah Bradley, respectively. Two actors from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk will revisit their roles, including Tim Blake Nelson as iconic Hulk villain Samuel “Leader” Sterns and Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, the daughter of Thunderbolt Ross.

In an interview with ScreenRant, Nelson expressed his excitement about reprising the role after over a decade:

“Very excited about it. I’m headed to Atlanta tomorrow to continue working on that. It’s been very exciting to bring back a character from 16 years ago and imagine how he has aged with me and how that has manifested. The Marvel team has come up with a really interesting explanation—revelation, I should say, as to what he’s been up to for 16 years and why.”

Harrison Ford was announced to take over the role of Ross in 2022. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ford revealed why he took on the role,

“I watch all these terrific actors having a good time in Marvel movies. I like doing something different to what I’ve done and pleasing people. So I’ll try a piece of that.”

Anthony Mackie praised Ford and posted a heartfelt Instagram post of the two. The photo also gives us a look at Sam Wilson’s new suit.

During an interview at San Diego Comic-Con, Ford revealed what it was like wearing a motion-capture suit to play Ross’ red-skinned alter-ego, the Red Hulk, saying:

“It took being an idiot for money, which I’ve done before.”

Ford quickly clarified his statement, saying that he didn’t mean it to be disparaging, saying:

“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.”

Filling out the rest of the cast, Shira Haas, who received widespread critical acclaim for her role in Netflix’s Unorthodox, will play Sabra, Marvel’s first Israeli superheroine comic book character and notably a mutant.

Giancarlo Esposito, who is best known for his role as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul as well as Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian, has also joined the movie in an antagonistic role. Esposito hinted about his role while attending the 2024 Phoenix Fan Fusion convention, saying:

“The MCU has knocked on my door and it’s a role you won’t predict. It will be teased and there will be a series afterwards.”

At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, it was revealed that Esposito would be playing the role of Sidewinder, the leader of the Serpent Society. If that name rings familiar to you, back in 2014, Feige pranked the press at an event claiming that the third Captain America movie would be titled “Captain America: Serpent Society” and not Captain America: Civil War. Now, the reptilian supervillain team is finally getting their chance on the big screen. In the comics, Sidewinder has teleportation abilities and is a strategic genius. However, it seems like the movie will take a more grounded approach in terms of the character’s costume, which resembles a humanoid snake in the comics.

Xosha Roquemore (The Mindy Project) and Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel) will also star in undisclosed roles. Sebastian Stan will not be returning as Bucky Barnes in the film because The Winter Soldier will be a part of the Thunderbolts film, starring a team led by Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfous). WWE star Seth Rollins has also joined the film in an undisclosed role, but many speculate that he will be playing a villain in the film.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mackie seemed to imply that Mark Ruffalo‘s Hulk will be making an appearance in the movie, saying:

“The events of Hulk and his film don’t pertain to this movie at all. When he shows up, his world, his universe, his story, is completely separate from the way we utilize him in our story.”

It would make a lot of sense for Ruffalo to reprise his role as the green-skinned hero, especially since so many supporting characters from The Incredible Hulk will be making an appearance in the movie. If anything, it would be kind of strange if the Hulk wasn’t in the movie. You can’t just introduce the Red Hulk into the MCU and not have him fight the Green Hulk.

Who Is Making ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?

Julius Onah, who previously directed films such as Luce and The Cloverfield Paradox, is directing the film. Onah has previously said to Collider,

“I’m really excited to see this man go from a counselor, as an ex-Army vet, to a Falcon, to Captain America, and bring that set of experiences and that point of view into the decision-making that one has to make, as this incredibly powerful character in the MCU.”

Onah would later emphasize that the action in Brave New World will be “grounded” and “tactile.” The film will probably be more like Captain America: The Winter Soldier or even the Scarlet Johannson-led film, Black Widow.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier scribe Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson will pen the script.Kramer Morgenthau will be the cinematographer, and Gersha Phillips will be the costume designer alongside MCU favorite Ramsey Avery. Ramsey Avery will be the production designer and has previously worked on the Marvel films, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Kevin Feige and Nate Moore serve as producers on the movie, with Louis D’Esposito and Charles Newirth executive producing.

When and Where Did ‘Captain America: Brave New World Film’?

Reports on the film first emerged in early 2021, and began principal photography on March 21, 2023, at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, under the working title Rochelle Rochelle. Anthony Mackie was spotted on set in a new costume on May 16, 2023. You can take a look at the behind-the-scenes here.

In late June 2023, Morgenthau announced on Instagram that filming for Captain America: Brave New World had wrapped.

In December 2023, it was reported that the movie would be undergoing extensive reshoots and rewrites, with Moon Knight’s Matthew Orton brought on to write additional material. The reshoots began in late May 2024 and lasted for 22 days. While reshoots may sound like a scary word for some movie fans, the reshoots for Brave New World weren’t as extensive as they were for two other recent Marvel Studios movies: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels.

In May 2024, Empire revealed a behind-the-scenes look at Onah directing Mackie and Roquemore on the set of Brave New World.