Captain America: Brave New World is coming out this February, and here are a few things to remember before seeing it!
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a tough time in the last couple of years. 2023 saw Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels both disappoint, with the latter being an outright flop. They took it easier, with the only movie in 2024 being Deadpool & Wolverine which grossed over $1 billion at the box office and earned rave reviews from critics.
That puts a lot of pressure on Captain America: Brave New World. This newest film is one of the last of Phase 5 of the MCU, putting Anthony Mackie in the main spotlight as Sam Wilson takes over the mantle of the Star-Spangled Man a decade after debuting in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
As the build to it comes to a conclusion, there are a few things fans need to remember about this property, both from the previous films and TV shows. So here’s a quick primer on what to know before Brave New World opens a brave new time for Captain America!
Steve Rogers gave up the shield
Avengers: Endgame had the Avengers doing their best to restore those “dusted” by Thanos in Infinity War (which included Sam Wilson). That involved a “time heist” to pluck the Infinity Stones from the past to form a new Gauntlet to restore those lost. This led to a massive battle against Thanos’ forces.
Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteered to go back and replace the Stones in their proper time frames. Old friends Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson (Mackie) waited for his return only to meet a now elderly Steve. He had decided to stay in the past and live a long life with love Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).
The aged Steve announced he was giving up being Captain America and handed the shield to Sam. It was a true passing of the torch for one of the MCU’s iconic heroes.
Sam didn’t want it
This led to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, which opened by revealing that Sam didn’t want to become the new Captain America. He preferred his usual costume as the Falcon aiding the government and fighting threats like the Flag-Smashers. Sam was afraid of not living up to Steve’s legacy and donated the shield to the Smithsonian Museum.
Bucky argued with him about this, feeling the country needed Captain America. Sam still refused, content to let the legacy live on. But the government had other ideas…
John Walker took the mantle
The government decided that there had to be a Captain America, no matter what. They thus selected top soldier John Walker (Wyatt Russell) as the new Cap with an altered uniform. While lacking the Super-Soldier serum, Walker embraced the job as he admired Steve. He and his friend Lemar Hoskins, a.k.a. Battlestar, were soon working, hunting a group called the Flag-Smashers.
Bucky wasn’t happy about a new Cap, but Sam was willing to give Walker a chance. He did feel off seeing another man as Cap, yet didn’t seem to believe America would accept him in the role. That had Bucky making a major revelation…
The secret Super-Soldier
In a fight, Sam and Bucky realized the Flag-Smasher operatives had taken the Super-Soldier Serum. Sam was confused as to how this was possible given the Serum had never been replicated. Bucky told him that wasn’t quite true.
The pair headed to Baltimore to meet Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), a former Korean War veteran who had been subjected to the Serum. He and the Winter Soldier fought then, while Bradley spent 30 years after the war experimented on by both the government and Hydra. That obviously made him a bitter man and he refused to help Sam.
The encounter shook Sam with the realization that there had been a black Super-Soldier. It also made him start reconsidering the Cap role even as Bradley warned him how the American people would never accept a black man with that mantle.
Walker had a breakdown
Sam and Bucky broke Helmut Zemo out to hunt the Flag-Smashers, tracking them to Latvia. Walker was shaken by an encounter with Wakanda’s warriors (who were also hunting Zemo) and was tempted to use a vial of the serum to boost himself.
In a fight, Lemar was killed. Driven by rage, Walker took the serum, hunting down the killer and beating him to death with the shield in full view of onlookers. Within moments, the image of Captain America murdering a man had gone viral.
Walker was stripped of his costume and rank and discharged. He was then met by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia-Louis Dreyfus), who wanted to recruit him for a secret job. By the end of the series, Walker had taken on the new identity of US Agent, setting the stage for his return in Thunderbolts*.
Sam took the Shield back
With Walker having disgraced the shield, Sam realized he’d made a mistake refusing it before. He trained with the shield, integrating it with his usual moves and flight suit. When the Flag Smashers planned to attack a conference in New York, Sam used a new costume designed by the Wakandans, still able to fly with a red-white-and-blue motif.
Sam made a big splash by saving the conference and stopping the Flag Smashers. He got help from Bucky and Walker redeemed himself by choosing to help civilians in danger rather than get revenge. Sam also proved he could deliver a strong speech on American values to be more accepted. The series thus ended with Sam as the new Captain America.
A nice touch was Sam deciding that Isaiah deserved recognition for his service. He thus arranged for the Captain America display at the Smithsonian to now honor Bradley and allow the man to be famous for his actions.
Thaddeus Ross has a different role (and face)
A recurring face throughout the MCU has been General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. Played by William Hurt, the veteran started hunting down Bruce Banner/the Hulk in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. He then moved up to become Secretary of State and pushed the Registration Act that set up the events of Captain America: Civil War. Afterward, Ross continued to try to hunt down the rogue Avengers, appearing in 2021's Black Widow. After the Blip and the Avengers' successful saving of half the universe, it was unclear what kind of relationship he had with the heroes.
Tragically, William Hurt passed away in 2022. Harrison Ford takes on the role going forward, debuting in Captain America: Brave New World as Ross is now President of the United States. That will lead to the plotline of the movie, which sees Ross under attack and he and Sam clashing on what Captain America should be.
A new Falcon?
Introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) is a top pilot who became Sam’s partner in the field. He proved himself extremely well throughout the series, showing Sam that he could be trusted with responsibility. And that responsibility seems to be coming through in a major way, as sneak peeks of Captain America: Brave New World appears to show him using an altered version of Sam’s old flight suit to become a new Falcon.
So we’ll continue the iconic Cap/Falcon partnership, just with Sam now in the new role of Cap, and Joaquin Torres as his new wingman.
Sam Sterns and his threat
Almost forgotten in the MCU lore, 2008’s The Incredible Hulk had Bruce Banner seeking help from scientist Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson). In a conflict, Sterns was exposed to gamma radiation, which seemed to transform him.
That was the last we had seen of the character in the MCU until now. Early leaks indicate Sterns is back and now fully transformed into the iconic Hulk villain, the Leader. He’s likely pulling the strings on the mysterious Serpent Society and may even be responsible for transforming Ross into a Red Hulk. It took a while, but the MCU is finally paying off on the tease of a major villain.
So that’s the skinny on what to know before Brave New World opens and letting this new Captain America fly high for fans.
Captain America: Brave New World opens in theaters February 14.