Captain America: Brave New World Trailer Teases the True Mastermind Behind the MCU Film

A special look at Captain America: Brave New World alludes to the villain working in the shadows pulling the strings. Captain America: Brave New World marks Sam Wilson’s first official outing as the Sentinel of Liberty on the big screen, where he’ll be joined by Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, aka Red Hulk. We’ve seen footage of Cap squaring off with Red Hulk already, but what there hasn’t been focus on is the secret villain behind their conflict. Leader hasn’t been seen since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, but he’s scheming in the background in the Captain America: Brave New World special look.

“You know I’ve been no fan of heroes, but even I can’t deny the good that you’ve done,” Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus Ross tells Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in the special look at Captain America: Brave New World. Ross, who is President of the United States in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, wants Captain America to work alongside him. We then get footage of Captain America and Falcon on a naval ship as fighter jets fly over Tiamut, the Celestial that’s coming out of the Earth from Eternals. We then get several scenes in rapid concession, with Sam stating that someone is pulling the strings on everything. Though he’s off camera, we hear Leader say, “Captain America, you don’t even know what this is.”

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Hulk villain Leader returns in Captain America: Brave New World

Tim Blake Nelson plays Samuel Stern, aka Leader, in Captain America: Brave New World. He was part of the initial cast when the film’s title, formerly Captain America: New World Order, was first announced back in 2022. The Leader has remained in the shadows during the marketing for Captain America: Brave New World, but Nelson has spoken about how Leader will finally have a comics-accurate look for the film.

When asked about returning as Samuel Sterns / The Leader in Captain America: Brave New World back in March, he talked about his Leader appearance. “Really excited. I had a great time filming it,” Nelson told ComicBookMovie.com. “And [I] worked with the Marvel team and this wonderful makeup artist named David Atherton with whom I’ve collaborated on a dozen movies now.”

“I think people are going to be pretty excited about what this guy looks like. And what he has to say and what he does,” he added. “All power to the amazing team over there at Marvel.” While Nelson didn’t point to his Leader gaining a giant head and green skin, it may be a foregone conclusion after reading his comments. 

Captain America: Brave New World opens in theaters on February 14, 2025.