The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan is back! This time, however, it's Sam Wilson donning the suit of stripes and wielding the shield, carrying on the legacy of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers. That's right; after spending a decade thrilling us with his performances as The Falcon, Anthony Mackie takes flight in the leading role of Captain America: Brave New World.
The first of three Marvel Cinematic Universe movies set for release this year, it's said to return to the more grounded thriller vibes of the second film in the franchise, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as Sam Wilson looks to prove to the world that he is every bit as resilient and committed as his predecessor was. He shouldn't have to after he stepped up to stop The Flag-Smashers in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but he's going to do it anyway - because that's who Sam is.
The film's release is imminent and audiences are ready for another MCU adventure. The fact that this one has been years in the making just makes it all the more thrilling. If you're ready to enjoy Cap's next adventure, there are some updates you might like to know before heading into the film.
Brave New World is the shortest Captain America movie yet
There have been a lot of discussions about Captain America: Brave New World's runtime. Some initial reports detailed how it might be the longest film in the MCU subfranchise while others subsequently revealed that it was much, much shorter than that. The final runtime has since been confirmed as 1 hour and 58 minutes, officially making it the shortest of the four Captain America movies.
Fans are particularly concerned about the shorter runtime because it suggests that a lot of material has been cut from the film during reshoots. Blockbuster movies benefit from shorter runtimes so this could be a fantastic thing for the film, particularly because it's pretty close in length to the first two Captain America movies (which were very well-received) but due to all the reports of rewrites and reshoots, it may also suggest that the film has since been sliced and diced beyond what it was originally set to be - and that can often result in a poorly-received surface-level product.
Here's hoping that the movie is ultimately a strong action thriller with great pacing and that the concerns about the product itself are quickly quashed. Anthony Mackie (and Sam Wilson) deserves an epic first flight as Captain America.
WWE Superstar Seth Rollins' character was cut from the film during reshoots
Last year, there were plenty of rumors that WWE Superstar Seth Rollins would be appearing in Captain America 4. Shortly afterwards, photos from the film's set confirmed as much, showcasing Rollins potentially squaring off against Captain America himself. Although his character was never confirmed, scoopers suggested that he might be playing Klaus Voorhees, a.k.a. King Cobra, as part of the Serpent Society.
However, insiders subsequently reported that the character had been cut from the film as part of its various reshoots, with Giancarlo Espostio's Sidewinter being called in earlier than expected to serve as one of the film's antagonists instead. Set photos soon confirmed that Esposito, who had been confirmed for future appearances in MCU films, was indeed debuting earlier than anticipated in Brave New World.
Rollins himself has since confirmed the rumors that his role was completely cut from the movie, telling fans that he is not in the movie, adding that he wouldn't even be able to tease audiences with what to expect as it changed so much due to extensive rewrites and reshoots.
So, if you were planning on seeing Captain America: Brave New World for Seth Rollins, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion will unfortunately not be appearing in it. Here's hoping Marvel finds a way to incorporate him - and the Serpent Society - in a future film.
It's looking like it will perform better at the box office than early expectations
Over the course of the past year, there has been a lot of talk about how well Captain America: Brave New World might perform at the box office. Although the Captain America franchise is one of Marvel's most lucrative properties, the change of leading man could have an impact on its performance simply because it's not the same character. That's not specific to Sam Wilson or Marvel; we've seen this with other franchises, where sequels and spinoffs led by a different character don't often perform on the same level as the previous movies. And then there is also the fact that a number of Marvel's recent movies haven't performed as expected, perhaps indicating the beginnings of fatigue in the Multiverse Saga.
There were also reports that the film had a super-sized budget, which would have made it significantly harder for it to turn a profit, or even break even. And all of that had fans worried about the fate of the new Star-Spangled Man.
The good news is that those rumors were negated when it was officially confirmed that the budget was actually $180 million - much smaller than expected. Better yet, the film is currently tracking to make around $95 million domestically on its opening weekend. Considering that doesn't even take its eventual international takings into account, it's looking increasingly likely that the film is going to be financially successful, defying expectations while it's at it.
It probably won't reach the box office heights of the second and third film in the franchise ($700 million and $1.1. billion, respectively), but it very well could clear the $370 million that the first film in the franchise, 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, made. And considering this is essentially a resetting of the franchise, that is a pretty darn good outcome!
Captain America: Brave New World is released in movie theaters on February 14, 2025.