Summary

  • Captain America 4 focuses on Sam Wilson's journey as the new Captain America.
  • The release date for Captain America: Brave New World moved to February 14, 2025 due to production timeline changes.
  • Captain America 4 has a promising cast that includes both returning MCU characters and new figures, setting up for a pivotal Phase 5 film.

Sam Wilson takes up the shield in Captain America: Brave New World and there's already been a lot of Captain America 4 news despite there being several MCU Phase 5 movies and shows due before its 2024 release. Captain America 4 was announced as part of the MCU timeline in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which ended with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) becoming the new Captain America. The confirmation that Sam is getting his own solo movie was one of the biggest Marvel reveals from SDCC 2022, which was also when the movie's mysterious original title was announced.

Following Steve Rogers stepping away as Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier explored Sam's struggles with whether to take up the Captain America mantle and attempt to live up to his legacy. Captain America: Brave New World will be Sam's first opportunity to show why he's the worthy successor to Steve Rogers among the many legacy heroes in the MCU. It serves as Sam's first solo adventure in the MCU and is one of the most anticipated MCU projects of the Phase 5 line-up, with fans eager to learn all the latest news about Captain America: Brave New World.

Related
Captain America: Brave New World Cast & Marvel Character Guide
Sam Wilson's big-screen debut as the MCU's Captain America will bring back several familiar faces, while also introducing new and exciting characters.

The Latest Captain America 4 News

Recent reports have suggested Captain America 4 has undergone further changes, with rumors rising that WWE star Seth Rollins has been cut from his role in the film. With Rollins popularly theorized to have been cast as part of the Serpent Society, these rumors also suggest that, if the group were part of the movie, they may be no longer.

While there is merit to the idea that the Serpent Society could appear in Captain America: Brave New World - as the group also notably appeared in Captain America: Sam Wilson #1 - there are currently no official announcements to support or deny these claims, or the claims they were cut from the film. That said, it's also worth noting that, with The Leader in the movie and Red Hulk increasingly likely, adding more prospective antagonists to the mix may have never been a part of the plan, to avoid having too many moving parts character-wise.

The most recent official Captain America: Brave New World news revolves around its altered release date, which sees the film now set to release on February 14, 2025, after being most recently moved from July 26, 2024, alongside a slew of other MCU projects. These announcements came shortly after the SAG-AFTRA strikes concluded, suggesting they're reflective of alterations made to the production timeline as a result of work ceasing or being delayed due to the strikes, which hopefully means proper time is being provided to movies like Brave New World now terms have been met for those working on them.

Captain America: Brave New World Was Confirmed At SDCC 2022

Captain America New World Order

Not long after Sam Wilson took up the role of Captain America, a new Captain America 4 was announced, allowing him to properly step into the role in his own solo adventure. The news was further confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 — when the title Captain America: Brave New World was revealed and the movie was given a release date as part of Phase 5 of the MCU. Since then Captain America: Brave New World has been on a fast-track development, though the 2023 Hollywood strikes will have naturally altered what the production schedule previously may have looked like.

Captain America: Brave New World Release Date

Sam Wilson looking in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Part of the MCU's Phase 5, Captain America: Brave New World will hit theaters on February 14, 2025. This comes after some delays, which saw the movie previously set to release on May 3, 2024, and then July 26, 2024. This also pushes back others MCU movies like Thunderbolts, which has now instead moved to release on July 25, 2025, reflecting the overall delays the MCU slate has experienced in the 2023 period.

Captain America: Brave New World's July 2024 release date was previously also the scheduled release period for Thunderbolts.

Unlike in MCU Phase 4, there seems to be a directly unified plot that connects the entire MCU Phase 5 slate. The Multiverse Saga's middle act, Phase 5, starts with Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania in 2023, with Captain America 4 positioned towards the end of Phase 5, making it notably important, as a movie about one of the major mantles in the MCU deserves to be.

Captain America: Brave New World Cast

Harrison ford thunderbolt ross Captain america 4

Character In Captain America: Brave New World

Actor

Sam Wilson/Captain America

Anthony Mackie

Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross

Harrison Ford

Samuel Sterns/The Leader

Tim Blake Nelson

Elizabeth Ross

Liv Tyler

Isaiah Bradley

Carl Lumbly

Joaquin Torres/Falcon

Danny Ramirez

Sabra

Shira Haas

Undisclosed Role

Xosha Roquemore

Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, will of course be played by Anthony Mackie. After being the Falcon since his debut in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Mackie takes on the new title and headlines his own MCU movie for the first time.

Another returning character is Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. However, with the death of actor William Hurt, Harrison Ford will be taking over the role for his first appearance as Ross. One of the biggest surprises in the cast is the return of Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns aka The Leader, who has not been seen in the MCU since 2008's The Incredible Hulk where he was teased to be becoming his villainous alter-ego.

Another surprise return was revealed in March 2023, when The Hollywood Reporter announced that Elizabeth Ross would be played once more by Liv Tyler. This is especially interesting as Tyler played Betty Ross last in The Incredible Hulk, playing the love interest to a Hulk who was at the time played by Edward Norton. Whether Thaddeus' daughter will once again reignite a romance with Bruce Banner is unclear, but the casting certainly suggests more may be revealed in the film regarding the Hulk's lore, even if Mark Ruffalo is reportedly not a part of the movie himself.

Given that Sam became Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it is not surprising that some cast members from that show will be included in Captain America: Brave New World. Fellow super-soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) will be featured in the story, perhaps delving deeper into his past as a Black super-soldier who was forgotten about by the U.S. military.

Joaquin Torres/Falcon (Danny Ramirez) will also return in his sidekick-like role opposite Sam and will perhaps follow his comic book storyline of becoming the new Falcon. Additionally, Shira Haas will play the mutant spy character Sabra from the comics, while Xosha Roquemore joins the cast in an undisclosed role.

Captain America: Brave New World Story Details

Sam wearing Captain America uniform at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Brave New World's original title "New World Order" is also the title of the pilot episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the finale of which sees Wilson becoming the new Cap. This isn't surprising as the movie's head writer is The Falcon And The Winter Soldier showrunner, Malcolm Spellman.

How Falcon becomes Captain America in the comics is actually quite different from the MCU, and holds more thematic depth. In Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Spellman used Sam Wilson taking up the Shield to explore not only the racial politics of a Black man becoming a living symbol of America's values, but also Cap's role as an intermediary between ordinary people and the authorities.

The antagonists within the movie might also shed some light on the story. "Thunderbolt" Ross and Sam Wilson have a history in the MCU as Ross threw him and other members of Captain America's team in prison. He likely still looks at him as a criminal and might not be pleased to see him carrying the shield. Ross is setting up other MCU projects as well, including Thunderbolts which could connect to this movie. The return of The Leader is also intriguing with his long history in the comics connected to the Hulk. It could mean that the movie is setting Ross up to become Red Hulk and the primary villain of Captain America: Brave New World.

Captain America: Brave New World's Title Explained

Red Skull staring menacingly

After the Captain America 4 title was changed to Captain America: Brave New World, it's possible to read Sam Wilson's first solo movie as the new MCU cap as a promise for a new era for the MCU. He will presumably be auditioning to lead the Avengers, but the very idea of a Black Captain America alone obviously promises progress.

The original title Captain America: New World Order could be a setup for Red Skull's MCU return. In Marvel Comics, New World Order is the name of an organization formed by the Red Skull, who lures the Hulk into the NWO's base in the Amazon jungle, where the Juggernaut captures Hulk to be brainwashed.

Apart from the mobster Silvermane and Red Skull himself, the real identities of the other members of the NWO are never revealed. Curiously, Harrison Ford's MCU character General Ross' has no real connection to this comic book story arc, save for the fact that he is obsessed with the Hulk. However, the inclusion of The Leader could give more weight to this possible storyline.

There's No Captain America 4 Trailer Yet

Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) makes his debut as Captain America in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The Captain America: Brave New World 2024 release date is a ways off. As such, there's no Captain America: Brave New World trailer yet, and may not be for some time. There's been no announcements of when to expect a trailer so far, but given the current release date for the film, the chances of early teaser trailers for Captain America: Brave New World arriving in late 2024 or very early in 2025 are quite high.

Key Release Dates