Captain America: Brave New World


Captain America: Brave New World is a 2025 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Sam Wilson / Captain America. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the fourth installment in the Captain America film series, a continuation of the television miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Julius Onah from a screenplay by Rob Edwards and the writing teams of Malcolm Spellman & Dalan Musson and Onah & Peter Glanz. It stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Captain America alongside Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. In the film, Wilson investigates a conspiracy involving U.S. president Thaddeus Ross.
Captain America: Civil War ended the Captain America trilogy starring Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, and Wilson becomes the new Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Series writers Spellman and Musson were writing a new Captain America film by April 2021, and Mackie signed on that August. Onah joined in July 2022, when the title Captain America: New World Order was announced. Additional cast members joined later that year. Nelson and Tyler returned from the second MCU film, The Incredible Hulk, while Ford replaced William Hurt as Ross following Hurt's death in March 2022; Ross becomes the superpowered Red Hulk in the film. Filming took place from March to June 2023 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with additional filming in Washington, D.C. The subtitle was changed to Brave New World during filming. Matthew Orton joined in December 2023 to write for reshoots, which took place between May and November 2024, and added Esposito to the film. The involvement of Edwards and Glanz was revealed that December.
Captain America: Brave New World premiered on February 11, 2025, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and was released in the United States on February 14 as part of Phase Five of the MCU. It grossed $415 million worldwide. The film received mixed reviews from critics for its story, connections to other MCU projects, and visual effects. The performances, particularly those of Mackie and Ford, received praise.

Plot

Five months after Thaddeus Ross is elected president of the United States, he sends Sam Wilson and Joaquin Torres—the new Captain America and Falcon, respectively—to Oaxaca, Mexico, to stop the illegal sale of classified items stolen by Sidewinder and his mercenary group Serpent. Wilson and Torres recover the items, but Sidewinder escapes. Torres is excited to be taking on Wilson's former mantle of Falcon, but Wilson is hesitant to involve Torres in dangerous missions due to the pair not having superpowers like former Captain America Steve Rogers. After the mission, Wilson and Torres train with Isaiah Bradley, a super soldier who was imprisoned and experimented on by the U.S. government.
Ross invites Wilson and Torres to a summit with world leaders at the White House, and Wilson accepts on the condition that Bradley is also invited. Ross asks Wilson to help him reform the Avengers. During the summit, Ross explains that a new metal, adamantium, has been discovered on "Celestial Island", which was formed when the Celestial Tiamut emerged in the Indian Ocean. The recovered items were the first refined samples of the metal and were stolen from a Japanese mining operation. To avoid an arms race, Ross proposes a treaty to govern adamantium's mining and distribution. As he is talking, the song "Mr. Blue" plays and causes several men, including Bradley, to begin shooting at Ross and other dignitaries. Apprehended by Ross's head of security, former Black Widow Ruth Bat-Seraph, the men regain their senses and deny any knowledge of the attack.
While investigating, Wilson is ambushed by Sidewinder and captures him. Torres tracks a call on Sidewinder's phone to a hidden black site in West Virginia called Camp Echo One. Ross tries to salvage the treaty, but the Japanese government blames him for the theft of their adamantium and the subsequent White House attack. Ross realizes that the mastermind behind these events is Dr. Samuel Sterns, who gained advanced intelligence after being exposed to the blood of Bruce Banner / Hulk during the Abomination's rampage through Harlem. Ross imprisoned Sterns at Camp Echo One, publicly blamed him for the Abomination's actions, and promised to release him if Sterns helped advance him to the presidency. Wilson and Torres find Sterns and learn how he uses technology and the song "Mr. Blue" to control minds. He escapes while they are fighting mind-controlled soldiers.
Ross sends Bat-Seraph to secure Camp Echo One, where she finds and helps Wilson and Torres. The trio meet with Wilson's military friend Dennis Dunphy, who has Sidewinder in custody. Wilson learns enough from Sidewinder to deduce Sterns's plan to destroy Ross's reputation. Wilson, Torres, and Bat-Seraph go to Celestial Island where Ross and Ozaki, the Prime Minister of Japan, are racing to claim ownership of adamantium. Ross tells Wilson that he is dying of heart failure and had Sterns develop pills that have prolonged his life; Ross refused to release Sterns for fear that he would no longer make the pills, leading to Sterns's anger and plans for revenge. Sterns takes control of the minds of two American pilots and makes them attack the Japanese fleet. Wilson and Torres intercept the planes and convince the Japanese to stand down, but Torres is critically injured in the fight.
Wilson is consoled by his friend Bucky Barnes. Sterns kills Dunphy, who learned that the pills have been adding gamma radiation to Ross's body, and surrenders himself to Wilson. Sterns's arrest and connection to Ross are publicly revealed while the latter is at a press conference. Ross loses control of his emotions and transforms into a red Hulk, destroying part of the White House. Wilson injures Ross enough that he can be reasoned with, and reminds Ross of visits to Washington, D.C.'s cherry blossom trees with his estranged daughter Betty. Ross reverts to normal. After the incident, Bradley is exonerated, Wilson invites a recovering Torres to join the Avengers, and the treaty is ratified. Ross resigns and has himself incarcerated at the Raft, where Wilson and Betty visit him. In a post-credits scene, an imprisoned Sterns warns Wilson of a coming attack from other worlds.

Cast

  • Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Captain America:
An Avenger and former pararescueman who was trained by the military in aerial combat using a specially designed wing pack. Producer Nate Moore said Wilson's Captain America is an underdog similar to Rocky Balboa from the Rocky film series, because he does not have the abilities or allies of the previous Captain America, Steve Rogers. Wilson has to earn the mantle after claiming it without support. Director Julius Onah said the film would show Wilson "stepping up to be the leader as Captain America". Mackie said Wilson would not be a judgmental Captain America and has a different understanding of good and evil, with a focus on listening, compassion, and counseling. He likened his performance to the Tupac Shakur song "Hit 'Em Up". Onah said empathy was Wilson's "superpower". He wanted to use the character's emotional intelligence to help resolve President Thaddeus Ross's story, for which Wilson has to "see past his own blind spots" regarding Ross. Since Wilson is not a super soldier like Rogers, he uses Captain America's shield and his wingsuit—both made from the fictional metal vibranium—to "level the playing field" in fights. To prepare for the film's action sequences, Mackie focused on yoga and Pilates routines to improve his flexibility and core strength.
A first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force who takes on Wilson's former mantle of Falcon, using a similar wing pack. Mackie said Wilson and Torres have an equal friendship, in contrast with Wilson's admiration of Rogers and dislike of Bucky Barnes in previous MCU projects, though Torres looks up to Wilson as an inspiration. Mackie gave Ramirez advice on wearing the Falcon costume. Ramirez compared working in the MCU to his experience joining the Top Gun franchise in the film Top Gun: Maverick. That film and its star Tom Cruise inspired Ramirez to ensure the film's flying scenes used the correct body positions and physics.
  • Shira Haas as Ruth Bat-Seraph:
An Israeli former Black Widow who serves as President Ross's security advisor. Moore said the character's perspective on Ross puts her on a collision course with Wilson, and Onah described her as a "great part of the tapestry" of the film's paranoid thriller story. She is briefly seen wearing a suit that resembles the comic book character's white and blue costume, but it is partly concealed under a jacket.
  • Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley:
An African-American Korean War veteran and super soldier who was imprisoned and experimented on by the U.S. government for 30 years. In the film, Samuel Sterns takes control of Bradley's mind and frames him for an assassination attempt on President Ross, leading to Bradley's arrest. This begins further exploration of the injustices that Bradley has faced in his life. He is released and exonerated at the end of the film thanks to Wilson's actions.
  • Xosha Roquemore as Leila Taylor:
A Secret Service agent working for President Ross who has a history with Wilson. Taylor is a romantic interest for Wilson in the comics, but the film does not indicate any romantic interest between the characters.
  • Giancarlo Esposito as Seth Voelker / Sidewinder:
The leader of Serpent, a violent special-ops team. Esposito described Sidewinder as an intelligent "badass". He said the physicality of the role differentiated Sidewinder from his character Gus Fring of the Breaking Bad franchise, who is also an intelligent antagonist, and he was excited to show his physicality on screen. Esposito does not wear a comics-accurate, snake-themed costume in the film, but wanted to feature some references to the comic book costume by including some of the colors from that version in his film costume. Esposito's eyes were also changed to be blue to match the comic version of Sidewinder. Onah and Esposito took inspiration for Sidewinder from the real-life private military company Wagner Group, as well as warlords from Africa who have a "powerful aura that commands the respect and loyalty of followers".
  • Liv Tyler as Betty Ross:
A cellular biologist and Thaddeus Ross's estranged daughter who resents her father for his obsessive pursuit of Bruce Banner / Hulk years prior. Onah said it was a "no-brainer" to bring Tyler back after so many years since her first appearance in the film The Incredible Hulk, and he said she was central to President Ross's storyline in Brave New World. In the final cut, Betty is often mentioned but she is only heard on a phone call and then briefly appears in one of the last scenes. Onah said they considered including her earlier in the film, but decided to save her for the end to help build Ross's longing to reconnect with Betty.
  • Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns:
A cellular biologist who was accidentally cross-contaminated with Banner's blood during the events of The Incredible Hulk, gaining superhuman intelligence. Nelson was glad to return to the character after years of disappointment over a sequel to The Incredible Hulk not being produced, and was satisfied with what the writers conceived for what Sterns had been doing since that film, with the character being imprisoned and exploited by Thaddeus Ross. Nelson said portraying Sterns's pathos and rage required him to "grow up" as an actor. Blue Whale Studios created the prosthetic effects for the character's comic-accurate large head, which Nelson had requested to have the "deformation" visible for himself and the other actors to experience on set. Onah noted that the character has different appearances in the comics, with some being more human and others being "incredibly grotesque", and multiple versions were explored for the film. Blue Whale Studios' approach was ultimately changed ahead of the film's reshoots, with the final version leaning into the grotesque side with "parts of his brain seemingly bursting from his skull", one eye glowing green, and the other clouded and seemingly blind; Onah hoped this design still fit the film's grounded tone. Visual effects were used to augment the character's appearance.
  • Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross / Red Hulk:
The newly elected president of the United States who wants to work with Captain America. Ross was previously a U.S. Army general and then the U.S. Secretary of State in the MCU. Moore said there are "natural sparks" between Wilson and Ross due to the events of the film Captain America: Civil War, but producer Kevin Feige said their dynamic is changed now that they are Captain America and president, respectively. Ford said similarities between Ross and any real-life presidents were coincidental and his focus was on the character's own history, personality, and circumstances. In the film, Ross wants to "turn a new leaf" and distance himself from his more emotional, volatile past, hoping to reconnect with his daughter Betty. His regression to "the guy he doesn't want to be anymore" is represented by the character's transformation into the monstrous Red Hulk, which is portrayed by Ford through motion capture. Onah and Ford convinced Marvel Studios that Red Hulk should not speak in the film, believing it would undermine the character's emotional storyline if Red Hulk was a "rational being" rather than a "figure of rage and anger". Ford replaces William Hurt, who portrayed Ross in the MCU from 2008 to 2021 before his death in March 2022.
Additionally, Sebastian Stan reprises his MCU role as Bucky Barnes in an uncredited cameo appearance. Barnes is campaigning to be a congressman, setting up his role in the film Thunderbolts*. Also appearing are Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Copperhead, a large member of Serpent; William Mark McCullough as Dennis Dunphy, a U.S. military commander and ally to Wilson; and Takehiro Hira as Japanese prime minister Ozaki.