The Marvel Cinematic Universe pressed the reset button when it launched the Multiverse Saga, using the Infinity Saga's conclusion as an opportunity to begin stories anew. New characters came to the forefront, as did some of the long-standing ones that just hadn't received the spotlight they deserved, and the franchise even extended into the world of streaming TV with various MCU Disney Plus shows.
Among all of those new beginnings was Sam Wilson's evolution from The Falcon into the new Captain America, taking over the mantle from his dear friend Steve Rogers - who actually passed it onto him in Avengers: Endgame. And now, Sam takes center stage in Captain America: Brave New World - the fourth movie in the Captain America franchise, the third to feature star Anthony Mackie in that role, but the first to have him front and center as the new Cap.
If you plan on checking out Captain America: Brave New World and would like to know how to catch up on the world of the MCU prior to that - or revisit the relevant titles - here are the shows and movies you should watch before seeing the upcoming film.
Note: As this is the fourth Captain America movie, the three that came before it are obviously important to the backstory of this one (particularly the second as Sam Wilson debuted in that one), so it would be a wise idea to watch them if you have the time. However, as this is essentially a reboot with a new Cap, there are other titles more important to this particular story.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
The priority to watch, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the title you should absolutely watch - or rewatch - before watching Captain America: Brave New World. Released in 2021, the six-episode series was the second-ever MCU show produced for the Disney Plus streaming service and it sees Steve Rogers' two best friends, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, attempt to work together to preserve his legacy and save the world from the Flag-Smashers.
The series takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame and showcases Sam as he struggles with the prospect of becoming the next Captain America. His friend trusted him with the mantle, but he's not sure that he wants to take that on, but whenever the decision is taken out of his hands and the US government appoints a new Cap, he and Bucky step up to see if Steve's "successor" is worthy of that legacy.
Steve Rogers may have given Sam Wilson the shield in Avengers: Endgame, but The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the project in which Sam truly becomes Captain America. It's also a great buddy action-comedy-drama that does both of its titular characters a lot more service than most of the MCU movies did.
The Incredible Hulk
If you haven't been keeping up with the regular updates leading up to Captain America: Brave New World's release, you might be surprised to see this one here. But, believe it or not, 2008's The Incredible Hulk will be quite relevant to this movie. In fact, it will probably be more relevant to this particular film than it ever has been to any of the MCU movies ever.
Harrison Ford stars in Captain America 4 as President Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, taking over the role from the late William Hurt (who debuted the role in the 2008 movie). The former general isn't the only Incredible Hulk character to appear in the upcoming movie, however, as Tim Blake Nelson returns as Samuel Sterns, a.k.a. The Leader. We haven't seen him since the 2008 movie, so it would probably be a good idea to watch it and familiarize yourself - or refamiliarize yourself - with the villain.
With the Ross family playing a major role here, The Incredible Hulk becomes one of the most important movies to rewatch ahead of an MCU film since, well, The Avengers in 2012.
Eternals
Again, this one might surprise you if you haven't seen Captain America: Brave New World's promotional material, but yes Eternals is oddly important to the events of this one. Why? Well, because it will reference a major event that took place in that movie that fans have been waiting for the MCU to at least mention since it first happened in the 2021 movie. Now is that time.
Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals looked at the MCU's first superheroes - Ancient beings known as the Celestials who finally decided it was time to come out of hiding to protect the Earth from their rivals known as the Deviants. It raises some interesting questions along the way (primarily why they didn't help The Avengers defeat Thanos) while also making that major event that we just spoke about happen.
Although it wasn't the best-received of the MCU movies, its star-studded cast (consisting of the likes of Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, and Barry Keoghan) and its larger-than-life visuals ensure it's a thrilling watch.
Got more time? Here's Sam Wilson's entire MCU journey if you'd like be to fully prepared for Captain America: Brave New World
Sam Wilson is at the center of Captain America: Brave New World as he plays the title role in the movie, but this isn't the first Captain America movie that he has appeared in. Anthony Mackie's reliable hero has been a fixture of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since his debut back in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier when he proved himself a loyal and trustworthy ally to the original Cap Steve Rogers.
If you would like to familiarize yourself with the character formerly known as The Falcon, here are all of the movies that Sam Wilson has appeared in thus far, including Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) - six-episode Disney Plus series
- Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
It has also been confirmed that Anthony Mackie will reprise his role as Sam Wilson / Captain America in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). So we'll be seeing plenty of our new Cap as the MCU continues the Multiverse Saga.