Captain America 4 Star Tim Blake Nelson Confirms We’ll See the Leader Return “In a Big Way” (Exclusive)

Decades after his initial onscreen debut in The Incredible Hulk, Samuel Sterns / The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) is about to return. Nelson has been confirmed to be reprising his role in Captain America: Brave New World, a 2025 film that will pit the character against Sam Wilson / Captain America (Anthony Mackie). In a recent interview with ComicBook.com to promote his new movie Asleep in My Palm, Nelson confirmed that The Leader will definitely factor into Brave New World, and that the new iteration of the villain will be “great.”

“You’re gonna see me in a big way,” Nelson explained in our interview, which you can check out above. “What they’ve come up with is great.”

Why Didn’t The Leader Appear in She-Hulk?

Prior to Captain America: Brave New World, Marvel fans had theorized that Nelson’s version of The Leader would make an appearance in 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Disney+ series. Despite several Easter eggs seeming to tease his arrival, The Leader did not factor into the show in any way — although there were originally plans for him to.

“In my original pitch, I did have The Leader in there,” She-Hulk: Attorney at Law showrunner Jessica Gao revealed in an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com. “Just as an option, as a suggestion, you know? But really, I can’t remember why [it was scrapped]. I don’t remember if it was organically taken out, because we just came up with other stuff, or if we were told no. I honestly don’t remember. But there was thought about either bringing him back or doing some version of a new version of Leader, or some relation to him. But, I mean truly, this was three years ago, and the show has evolved so much that I don’t remember what actually happened.” 

What Is Captain America: Brave New World About?

Captain America: Brave New World will follow the new adventures of Sam Wilson / Captain America (Anthony Mackie) following the events of The Falcon and Winter Soldier. The film will also star Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres / Falcon, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, and Shira Haas as Sabra. Xosha Roquemore, Seth Rollins, and Rosa Salazar have been cast in currently-unknown roles.

“It kind of brought my Marvel experience full circle because we shot in D.C. at the same hotel that we shot ‘Winter Soldier’ at,” Mackie said of the film in a previous interview with The Wrap. “One of my first Marvel scenes was me sitting at a table talking to the senator and me and Chris [Evans] and Scarlett [ Johansson] kidnapping him and we go back and we stay at the same hotel and we shot at that same area. So in that regard, it was really emotional to think how far my character has come and where he is now after the 10 years that I’ve been in the MCU.”

Are you excited for The Leader’s return in Captain America: Brave New World? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Captain America: Brave New World will be released exclusively in theaters on February 14, 2025. Asleep in My Palm opens in LA theaters and additional markets on Friday, March 8th.