Captain America: Brave New World has a new trailer which opens with Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (played by Harrison Ford, replacing the late William Hurt) running for what appears to be the role of the American president. It isn’t confirmed, but we see what appears to be a press release being given when the trailer opens.

During this press conference, an attempt on the president-elect’s life by what appears to be the very first proto super-soldier, Isaiah Bradley, who was the only successful test subject and survivor of three hundred Black soldiers involved in the process to refine the super-soldier serum used on Steve Rogers.

The assassination attempt leads Sam back into his role as a duly-appointed member of the American military and assigned to protect Ross. This is the problematic start of Captain America, Brave New World, as the current bearer of the codename, Captain America, Sam Wilson, a former military operative and Avenger begins to piece together who or what is behind this plot against Thunderbolt Ross.

With the state of the world after the last Captain America film, and the ‘Captain America and the Winter Soldier’ series, this film appears to be trying to get the world back on an even keel, given the public revelations of alien life capable of affecting humanity in unimaginable ways, the American political landscape is sure to be volatile.

Looking through the cast we will get to see a number of old faces and a couple of new ones. Of note are Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), possibly an agent of SHIELD, (assuming the organization still exists) and the mysterious Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine played by Julia Louis Dreyfus who spirited the Wish version of Captain America, John Walker away during the Captain America series.

However, it appears President-elect Ross has kept secrets, revealing in a final moment of the trailer, the Red Hulk catching the shield and casting it away. In the comics, Ross exposes himself to a variation of the process which creates the Hulk, becoming the Red Hulk, a cosmic-powered, and bright red version of the jade juggernaut. In the MCU, the Hulk was an experimental version of that serum which produced unpredictable superhuman capacity and was allegedly no longer in experimentation.

With lies and secrets like these, Captain America: Brave New World appears to once again reveal hidden layers and mysteries to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Welcome back, Captain America, we hope you survive the experience.

• Anthony Mackie as Captain America
• Harrison Ford as Thunderbolt Ross (rumored to be the Red Hulk)
• Giancarlo Esposito as a mysterious armed assailant
• Carl Lumbly reprising his role as the original super-soldier
• Sebastian Stan returns as Bucky Barnes

Coming out Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2025