Captain America: Brave New World was a big part of Marvel’s massive presentation in Hall H at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, with an even bigger reveal being the introduction of Red Hulk.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. As the segment began, Kevin Feige onstage set the tone: “We had a movie called Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which was a realistic, relatively realistic movie,” he said, adding that the studio had returned to “a realistic action movie level” within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Speaking of land, Captain America himself, Anthony Mackie (appearing onstage with the rest of the cast), described Sam as an “intelligent character,” connecting his character to his first appearance as a counselor in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Also announced onstage was that Giancarlo Esposito will play Sidewinder, king of the Serpent Society, a comic book villain who first appeared in 1980. (Amazingly, the character was added in entirely during the film’s extensive reshoots.)
Due for release in February, the film will see Sam Wilson (Mackie) fully embrace his role as the new Captain America. He struggled with the idea of taking over the role from Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but after John Walker (Wyatt Russell) ingests the Super-Soldier Serum and his job is derailed, Sam finally accepts what his friend wants for him.
The problem is that President Thunderbolt Ross (Harrison Ford, taking over from the late William Hurt) wants to make Captain America an official military title, an idea that the two will butt heads over, as the film’s first trailer makes clear.
Of course, Thunderbolt Ross has his own superpowers — in the comics, he’s also the Red Hulk — so the footage shown at SDCC was a gradually building tension that seemed designed to foreshadow the anxiety and growing rage that leads to the Hulk-out.
It starts with some sort of ceremony at the White House, where Ford CEO Ross has invited an unidentified group of executives to a “historic event.” Something that Ross calls “cosmic” has landed across the ocean, and whatever it is, adamantium has finally made its appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (For those who remember, adamantium is the fictional metal that Wolverine’s claws are traditionally made from.)
Ross argues that the precious metal doesn’t just belong to one country (a seeming jab at Wakanda’s monopoly on vibranium), but to all of us.
In the next scene, Ford’s Thunderbolt Ross asks Captain America to “rebuild the Avengers,” explaining that his change of heart (remember, he was the one who instigated the Sokovia Accords) came after the events of Avengers: Engame.
“The threat shows no signs of abating,” Ross said.
Then, a mix of new footage and trailer footage shows the attack on the White House. During the attack, we see a panicked Ross being protected by Secret Service agents, who appear to be doing their job. More action scenes ensue, with Cap and the new Falcon flying around, Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) looking pretty pissed, and an overall opaque look.
And then we finally see the Red Hulk at the end. President Ross is holding a press conference and, for reasons that are not revealed, he is very stressed. He leans back behind the podium, but the podium starts to shake, and as he stands up, we see him transform into the Red Hulk. The Red Hulk resembles Harrison Ford, and the Green Hulk resembles Mark Ruffalo.
After the video ended, Ford, who famously hates San Diego Comic-Con, came onstage.
“This is a character based on a lot of the history that I’ve built with Bill. [William Hurt] “I played this character before, but now I’m Thaddeus. I’m excited and proud to be a part of the Marvel Universe,” Ford told the jubilant crowd.
The film also stars Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Shosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler and Tim Blake Nelson. Captain America: Brave New World is produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore, with Louis D’Esposito and Charles Neuwirth serving as executive producers.
Captain America: Brave New World will hit theaters on February 14, 2025.
