5 Ways We Expect Captain America: Brave New World to Change the MCU Forever

Captain America: Brave New World is the MCU’s first big screen foray since the massive success of Deadpool & Wolverine. This film is the first taste of the main MCU status quo that fans have gotten in a long time, and it has a lot riding on it. Captain America: Brave New World is Anthony Mackie’s first big screen foray as Captain America and introduces two major new(ish) villains, which is definitely going to change the tenor of the MCU.

However, those aren’t the only changes that we want to see. Captain America: Brave New World‘s title implies a new day for the MCU, and the only way to pay that off is to go big or go home. There are some changes that the movie should make to the MCU – ones that will change things just in time for Phase Six of the MCU.

5. Red Hulk’s Presidency Shifting the Superhero Community

General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross being president in Captain America: Brave New World is a major shift in the power structure of the MCU. Captain America: Civil War was the last major change to the status quo of the MCU’s superhero community, so it’s fitting that another Captain America movie presents another major shift. Ross has always been anti-superhero, in the comics and the movies, and having him in charge of the government should signal a big change in how the superhero community and the government interact.

Comic fans are used to the government meddling in superhero affairs, and that’s what Ross’s presidency needs to bring to the MCU. Red Hulk is a dangerous opponent in battle, but his true threat is the power he wields over the government and what he can do to the superheroes. This is an opportunity to shift the MCU in a number of socio-political ways.

4. The Intelligencia Working from the Shadows

In the comics, Thunderbolt Ross became the Red Hulk thanks to an organization of super-intelligent villains known as “The Intelligencia.” The Intelligencia has had multiple members over the years – Doctor Doom, Klaw, Egghead, Mad Thinker, Red Ghost, the Trapster, the Wizard, and the Leader – several of which are familiar to MCU fans, and several of which are only in the comics. Captain America: Brave New World is going to give fans a long-awaited change – Tim Blake Nelson’s Leader was teased waaaay back in Phase One – and using him to introduce the Intelligencia is perfect.

The Intelligencia should be a villain group operating out of the shadows, one that is manipulating events for their own dark purposes. The Intelligencia can become a major power in the MCU, using their genius and technology to silently sabotage the heroes. Plus, the fact that Doctor Doom is a member means that the Intelligencia can easily be a cat’s paw for the villain, allowing fans to feel his presence before they see him.

3. Addressing The Future of the Avengers

One of the biggest questions that MCU fans have is exactly what the disposition of the Avengers is. The team has been absent for a while now, and it’s about time to start revealing what the future of the team is going to be in the MCU. Captain America: Brave New World should answer that question in some way.

Related: Captain America: Brave New World Already Sets a Record for the Franchise (And It’s Surprising)

Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars are coming, bringing one of Marvel’s greatest threats with them. The Avengers are definitely going to need to assemble, so getting some information on the team needs to happen sooner rather than later. Their biggest ally in the government – Nick Fury – is gone and Ross is president. Fans know that Thunderbolts is going to deal with a government-sanctioned superteam, possibly taking the position that the Avengers used to have. Half of the founders of the team are dead. What place will the Avengers play in the MCU going forward? It’s about time we find out.

2. Sam Wilson Coming Into His Own as Captain America

Being Captain America is about more than throwing the shield and fighting the bad guys: it’s about being a symbol of the best parts of what America represents. Captain America is a leader, someone that everyone looks up, and Steve Rogers is a legend who made Captain America a mantle that is now indispensable to the superhero community. Rogers trusted that Sam would be able to fill his shoes, and Captain America: Brave New World needs to prove that Sam Wilson was the right choice.

Sam has been Captain America for several years in the MCU and has his own partner in Joaquin Torres’s Falcon. Captain America: Brave New World should not only show Sam comfortably in the mantle of Captain America (after first stepping into it at the end of Falcon and the Winter Soldier), but it should demonstrate that he’s gotten better since then. The heroes of the MCU are going to need a new leader, and Sam needs to be in a position to be that guy.

1. Adamantium Changing the Balance of Power

Adamantium is one of Marvel’s most storied metals, but up until recently, it hasn’t been used in the MCU. While it was technically introduced to the MCU by Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World is going to give the origin of adamantium in MCU proper, with the implication being that it’s related to Tiamut, the Celestial that almost destroyed the Earth in Eternals. Bringing adamantium into the MCU is going to have major repercussions.

Up until now, Vibranium has been the most important metal in the MCU, but bringing Adamantium in will completely change that balance of power (and economics). Adamantium is basically unbreakable, making it a metal with a lot of military applications. All of Wakanda’s power is based on Vibranium and the tech that can be created with it, but when Adamantium is around, that’s going to change. The effects Adamantium can have on the MCU are manifold, and Captain America: Brave New World is the perfect place to set up those plotlines for the future.

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