The trailer for Captain America: Brave New World has arrived, and at a brisk sub-two-minute runtime, there’s a lot to unpack. Red Hulk, The Leader, G.W. Bridge… The characters come so fast and furious, that there’s almost no time for Sam Wilson’s new Captain America.
But we’ve got time! Lots of time to break down all the not-so-hidden trailer moments and Easter eggs you may or may not have missed. Including an appearance (finally) by Eternals Tiamut. So let’s get into it, and break down the 14 biggest moments in the Captain America: Brave New World trailer… Plus a few wild predictions.
1. Harrison Ford Is President Thunderbolt Ross… Minus The Mustache
In a scene that either made you roll your eyes or clap and cheer, Harrison Ford is introduced right off as the new Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. He takes over from William Hurt, who passed away in 2022. And the trailer cheekily points this out with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) saying, “I have to admit, I’m still getting used to the new look,” to which Ross says, “They said gotta lose the mustache, or lose the election.” Get it? Because we know they recast the role, but in-world they’re talking about the mustache? Oh, we do have fun here.
2. Meet Shira Haas As Ruth… Not Sabra
In the film, Shira Haas plays Ruth Bat-Seraph. According to a new official character description: “A former Black Widow, Ruth is now a high-ranking U.S. government official who has the trust of President Ross.” So not to get too deep into this, but at one point Haas was playing Sabra, an Israeli superhero, which has drawn a fair amount of ire online due to the ongoing real-world conflict in the area. Whether they’ve changed the character entirely through reshoots, or there’s a third-act reveal is TBD. But there she is — and she’s seen later in the trailer toting a gun, as well.
3. Giancarlo Esposito Is G.W. Bridge… Probably
Speaking of reshoots, Giancarlo Esposito was a late addition to the movie — and the MCU — but he’s all over the trailer. I’m spitballing here, but it looks like all the footage comes from one scene, so I would be surprised if he’s actually in the film more than as a glorified cameo. He’ll reportedly play G.W. Bridge, aka George Washington Bridge, a character first introduced by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld in X-Force #1. All you need to know from the comics is that he’s usually a mercenary or S.H.I.E.L.D. operative. He’s Nick Fury, but more in the field. That’s pretty much it!
4. Will Sam Visit Zemo In Prison?
This is pure, wild speculation before we get back to actual info. There’s a quick shot of Sam entering some sort of facility as Ross says, “We haven’t always agreed in the past.” Ross is referring to the events of Captain America: Civil War, where Sam was on Steve Rogers’s (Chris Evans) side, and Ross was on the other. However, if Sam is visiting a jail, he could be getting info or advice from Zemo (Daniel Brühl), a key character from both Civil War and the Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV series. That said, we last saw Zemo on The Raft — which doesn’t really look like the shot above. So perhaps, never mind. Okay, back to real info.
5. Welcome Back, Tiamut
Hey, you remember how at the end of Eternals, a giant Celestial named Tiamut was turned into the world’s weirdest island? The internet sure does, because every time a new Marvel project drops, without fail, someone will post “Why does nobody in the MCU talk about the giant Celestial in the ocean?” and gets one billion reposts and likes. Time to put that engagement farming to rest, because Tiamut is in Captain America: Brave New World. It’s blink-and-you-miss-it, but after some missiles are fired off, you can clearly see the hand sticking out of the ocean in the scene. And it looks like, based on later footage, a big action scene happens here.
6. Isaiah Bradley Is Back — And He’s Going To Kill The President!
Definitely returning from Falcon and the Winter Soldier is Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, aka the man experimented on by the US government to try and make a new Captain America. Here, Bradley seems to be trying to kill Ross at a press conference, before jumping out the window of the Oval Office. But shades of Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) trying to kill the President in X2: X-Men United, there’s a very good chance he’s being mind-controlled by someone else…
7. The Film’s True Villain… Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader
Here’s the real villain of the movie, not Bradley: it’s Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader. Last seen in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, Tim Blake Nelson returns after some of Bruce Banner’s (Edward Norton) blood fell into a gash in his head. Now he has what looks like a lumpy, green head — and not the super-tall noggin the bad guy sometimes sports in the comics. The Leader has a lot of different powers in the books, but the important ones to know here are that he’s super-smart, and can control other people’s minds.
And not to put too fine a point on it, but as Sterns says “Global power is shifting… You’re just a pawn.” we get a shot of someone with a green hand taking photos of Sam, Isaiah, and Joaquin Torres (more on him in a sec) at the White House. So yeah, The Leader is likely there, takes control of Bradley, forces him to attack the President, and all the while he’s operating from the shadows.
8. Who Will Die?
There’s a full-on military funeral happening with a flag on the casket, gun salute, etc. While I might be connecting too many points here, I’m guessing this is likely Arlington National Cemetary… But more pertinently, who is going to die in the movie? It needs to be a significant character, and it’s not Sam or Ross. Pure speculation, but seems like there’s a good chance Bradley might die at some point in the film to motivate our hero, give everything some gravitas, etc.
9. Who Is Shadowboxing?
In a super-quick shot mostly obscured by some flashing titles, we get to see two people fighting. One seems to have a female form, and the other wearing a jacket. I’m guessing the guy on the right is Sam, based on him seemingly always wearing jackets in this movie (when he isn’t in one of his many Cap uniforms). As for the other person, it could be Ruth with her hair down. However, again random stab here, but I’m guessing it’s Rosa Salazar, who otherwise isn’t seen in the trailer. She’s playing Rachel Leighton, aka the snake-themed villain known as Diamondback. And we know she’s in the movie because she’s already shown up in the Happy Meals.
10. “You May Be Captain America, But You’re Not Steve Rogers”
Likely the key line in the whole movie, Ross tells Sam, “You may be Captain America, but you’re not Steve Rogers,” with Sam following up, “You’re right. I’m not.” And to back that up, it sure seems like he starts the movie with a bright red, white, and blue costume, before getting a much greyer one by the end of the movie — the opposite path to the one Steve took in The Winter Soldier, going from murky, spy grey to his star-spangled outfit by that movie’s end.
11. No, Sam’s Shield Doesn’t Destroy The White House… So What Does?
In a neat little match cut in the trailer that 100% definitely does not happen in the movie, it sure looks like Sam somehow tosses his shield in an underground facility, and it obliterates the White House. Clearly, there’s digital trickery going on here, so what — or who — does wreck the venerable institution? Probably the guy at the end of the trailer, who they were most likely saving for that final reveal.
12. Captain America’s Flight Suit Revealed
How can Sam, a regular guy, hold his own against armies and superpowered freaks? Well, it doesn’t hurt that he has a flight suit complete with Ant-Man style helmet, and Vibranium wings that — as we see shortly after the shot above — slice through fighter jets like butter. Here you can see him flying around Tiamut, and later breaking the sound barrier with his head.
13. Falcon II Takes Flight
Don’t worry, Sam will still have backup in the form of Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), another vet of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. And though the full costume reveal was already spoiled by Happy Meals, we get some brief glimpses of the new Captain America and the new Falcon flying through the air together.
14. Red Hulk Arrives
…and in the worst kept secret in the world, in the final seconds of the trailer, Harrison Ford’s Ross arrives as Red Hulk. How that happens most likely has to do with The Leader. But here he’s seen during that cherry blossom fight, catching Cap’s shield and smashing it into the ground. And yes, that’s definitely Ford CGI-ed to be a big, red, angry Hulk President. Probably gonna hurt his reelection chances worse than the mustache, to be honest.
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