Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is ready to wield the shield, but are you ready to watch him fly? Captain America: Brave New World is just days away from its theatrical release, but it can be a lot to prepare for. Whether you’re a new viewer or a longtime fan, venturing into the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be daunting. The Infinity Saga alone has 23 movies. The MCU features a lot of world-building and history, so if you need a refresher heading into this new Captain America chapter of the Multiverse Saga, we’ve got you covered.
Here’s what you need to know in preparation for Captain America: Brave New World:
Sam Wilson is Captain America
Read that again — we’ll say it again. Sam Wilson is Captain America, and there is no debate. He’s not Falcon anymore. He’s not the Black Captain America either. He’s Captain America — period.
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam explores the complicated relationship between being a Black man and the role of Captain America. Sam starts the show by giving up the shield, seemingly donating it to the Smithsonian Museum for display. The shield, however, is then given to John Walker (Wyatt Russell), the federal government’s choice for the next Captain America. By the end of the series, Sam takes back the shield and embraces the mantle despite the complicated nature of being a Black superhero with “America” in his name. He stands up to the Global Repatriation Council and urges them to serve the post-Blip world and treat refugees better.
Captain America is a High-Tech Hero
At the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 5, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) gives Sam a metal briefcase, saying he “called in a favor with the Wakandans.” It contains Sam’s first Captain America suit and vibranium wings, which he debuts in the series finale. He still uses the primarily white-based suit in Captain America: Brave New World but also debuts a primarily blue-based suit.
The vibranium wings also give Sam a new advantage. They allow him to fly but are strong and durable enough to be a fight tool. They’re even powerful enough to cut through airplane wings! Certain promotional spots for the upcoming film also show a closer look at Sam’s wings. The interior sometimes features a glowing purple woven pattern reminiscent of T’Challa’s Black Panther suit. This leads us to believe his wings could have the same abilities to absorb, store and release kinetic energy like T’Challa’s suit did.
Sam’s look in Captain America: Brave New World also features a brand new flight helmet, seemingly made of nanotech.
Incoming: A New Falcon in Captain America: Brave New World
Hand-me-downs have never been more high-tech. In episode 5 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam passes on his old, damaged EXO-7 Falcon wings to Joaquín Torres (Danny Ramirez), the Air Force lieutenant Sam worked with throughout the show. Joaquín gave Sam the initial intel about the Flag Smashers, a group of super soldier anti-nationalists, and continually fed him information for that mission.
Sam passing on the Falcon mantle to Joaquín is much less formal than when Steve Rogers passes the Captain America mantle to Sam. But Captain America: Brave New World will be the first time we officially see Joaquín as Falcon.
Rectify and Recognize: Isaiah Bradley and His Super Soldier Story
First introduced in episode two of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Isaiah Bradley makes his return in Captain America: Brave New World. Isaiah is a Korean War veteran who was among the Black soldiers unknowingly used as test subjects for the Super Soldier Serum in the 1950s. He became a super soldier but others didn’t.
Some soldiers who the serum was unsuccessful for ended up in a POW camp that the U.S. wanted to blow up. Isaiah defied orders to save them but wasn’t celebrated for saving his brothers like Steve Rogers was after Azzano as seen in Captain America: The First Avenger. He was punished and experimented on further. The experiments only stopped because a nurse faked his death and helped him escape.
Isaiah resented the country and government because of his experience. But The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ends with him finally receiving proper recognition. Isaiah is brought to tears and seems content upon seeing his statue in the Smithsonian Museum.
The rectification will be important to remember going into Captain America: Brave New World, because something’s up. No one expects Isaiah to love America, but his violent actions in the first teaser trailer don’t align. He attacked personnel at the White House and shot at Thaddeus Ross before breaking and jumping out of a window.
From Army General to President: Thaddeus Ross’s Return in Captain America: Brave New World
Portrayed by the late William Hurt, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross made his MCU debut in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, where he was the Lieutenant General of the U.S. Army. Ross’s last MCU appearance was in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War as the U.S. Secretary of State. He presented the Avengers with the Sokovia Accords and helped enforce the regulations, ultimately breaking the superhero group apart.
Captain America: Brave New World features him as President Ross — and Red Hulk — now played by Harrison Ford. It’s unclear what year the movie is set, but the Sokovia Accords have since been repealed (as revealed by Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law). He even wants to re-form the Avengers. In a clip from Captain America: Brave New World, Ross asks Sam to help rebuild the team. Sam expresses his hesitations and even references the Sokovia Accords. So the two may be trying to be civil in this new narrative, but they also have history.
The Fall of Tiamut, The Rise of Adamantium
Tiamut’s loss is the Earth’s gain. Or at least whoever gets to the Celestial corpse first? Most commonly associated with Wolverine’s claws, adamantium makes its MCU debut in Captain America: Brave New World. Its origin varies from the comics and Fox’s X-Men projects. Instead of being a manmade alloy, adamantium is an element found in the corpse of Tiamut, the dead Celestial that the Eternals stopped from devouring Earth in Eternals.
Recent promos for the movie have revealed that adamantium is “the most versatile element,” so expect it to play a significant role in the film — and likely in the MCU as a whole moving forward.
Incredible Characters Make Their Comeback in Captain America: Brave New World
You may not need to have seen The Incredible Hulk to be familiar with (now) President Ross, but that’s not the case for Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) and Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson). Neither character has appeared in the MCU since the aforementioned film (Betty was featured in What If…? but not in another live-action project set in the Sacred Timeline). Nearly 20 years later, they’re both back in Captain America: Brave New World.
Betty is Bruce Banner/the Hulk’s former love interest and Thaddeus Ross’s daughter. Meanwhile, Dr. Sterns is a biologist, initially referred to as the online alias “Mr. Blue,” who helped Bruce find a potential antidote for the Hulk condition. Obviously, that didn’t work out. But Dr. Sterns later suffered an accident in the lab after Hulk’s antagonist, Emil Blonsky/Abomination, attacked him. His open wound came into contact with the Hulk’s blood and caused his head to mutate and grow in size. Captain America: Brave New World will reveal the first proper onscreen look at his villainous, fully mutated The Leader.
Captain America: Brave New World is in theaters on February 14.
