Here is the first official look at Captain America: Brave New World, the fourth Captain America movie. In classic Marvel style, a teaser trailer debuted on Friday morning and gives viewers plenty of ideas about what to expect when it opens in theaters on February 14, 2025. As Steve Rogers is gone, well, somewhere, Anthony Mackie officially assumes the role of Captain America. He stars with nearly all of the cast members from the trailer, including Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, and Tim Blake Nelson.

Here’s the first trailer:

Here’s the first poster of Red Hulk dramatically holding the shield.

Marvel Studios also dropped the official movie synopsis.

“After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.”

These are the most intriguing details we identified in the teaser.

Warning: Possible spoilers

1. Red Hulk

The most significant and evident revelation in the trailer is that the Red Hulk—whom we presume to be Thaddeus Ross—does appear in Brave New World. Is he, nevertheless, Sam Wilson’s friend? or an enemy? We aren’t sure yet.

Several fictional characters in Marvel comic books go by the alias “The Red Hulk.” The third manifestation is Hulk’s Joe Fixit personality, while the first two were US Army personnel.

In the 2008 Hulk series, Red Hulk (often referred to as Rulk) made his television series debut. According to the 2010 “World War Hulks” plot, this entity is actually General Thunderbolt Ross of the US Army, the father-in-law and enduring foe of Bruce Banner’s original Hulk. According to the plot, Ross was granted the ability to change into Red Hulk by A.I.M. and the Intelligencia, and he did this to strengthen his defenses against the original Hulk.

So it may follow the same storyline, but we don’t know yet. Marvel loves doing fake-outs (remember Mysterio?).

2. President Ross

The actor playing Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is Harrison Ford. In The Incredible Hulk (2008), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Black Widow (2021), the mustached William Hurt portrayed that character as a general. Hurt regrettably died in 2022.

In the next Captain America movie, Ford portrays Thaddeus Ross, who declares, “Lose the mustache or lose the election,” even though he no longer has the renowned mustache. Ross has just been elected President of the United States at the start of the movie.

3. Will Cap Rejoin the Military?

When we first meet Rogers, he joins the military to fight in WWII. But as Captain America, Steve Rogers stood up to global leaders to further the interests of humanity. Sam Wilson has taken Steve’s lead and has been at war with government authorities too. “You and I haven’t always agreed in the past,” remarks Ross. However, I would like to try again to officially designate Captain America as a military role.”

The final instance of this occurred in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, when John Walker, a veteran of the war, assumed the role of Captain America while collaborating with the American government. Due to Walker’s PTSD, anger management problems, and conceit, Wilson was chosen to replace Walker as Captain America. Naturally, not before Walker fatally injured someone with his shield.

4. “What if We Disagree?”

Wilson asks “And if we disagree with how to manage a situation, then what happens?” during Ross’s proposal for Cap to collaborate with the government. “Work with me, Sam,” says Ross later, but it is in a different scene.

Given that Ross hasn’t always been the most welcoming to superheroes in the MCU, Wilson has every right to be dubious. Wilson remembers the Sokovia Accords.

5. Wilson Joins the Team

In a brief moment, Ross is seen clapping along with others and pointing to Wilson, who sits and nods emotionlessly. Did he decide to join the team?

6. Yes, Prime Minister

Based on Sam’s outfit, this scene takes place earlier in the movie. It features Wilson, Ross, and Prime Minister Ozaki played by Takehiro Hira.

7. Multiple Captain America Suits

There are at least two, if not more, Captain America outfits in the trailer. We see the bluer one in other sequences, including the one above, which seems to be the one Sam held at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. This scene appears to be from early in the film, based on our best judgment.

8. Return of the Leader

Brave New World’s connections to the second Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, The Incredible Hulk, are among its more intriguing elements. Of course, Thaddeus Ross is in it, as is Tim Blake Nelson, who plays Samuel Sterns, also known as the Leader, and Liv Tyler, who isn’t shown in this teaser. We also don’t see his head. This is important.

His real name is Samuel Sterns, but he goes by “The Leader” due to his massive ego. Throughout the years, he has mostly been seen in comic books featuring the Hulk. He’s the archenemy of the Hulk and made his debut in Tales to Astonish #62 (1964) thanks to the collaboration of writer Stan Lee and illustrator Steve Ditko.

In the comics, Sterns was exposed to gamma radiation while he was employed as a janitor in Boise, Idaho. This caused him to change into a green-skinned, extremely intelligent being who went by the moniker “Leader” and started making attempts to rule the globe. The Hulk consistently thwarts his plans, defeating not just the Leader’s manufactured goons known as the Humanoids but also all of his schemes. Later on, Sterns would undergo many more transformations that would reshape his cranium into an enormous brain. He’s a key character in the Hulked Out Heroes narrative as one of the Intelligencia soldiers.

At the end of the last movie, we see goo dripping onto his forehead as it pulses. Presumably, we’ll discover that his head is mutated as well.

As can be seen in the trailer, he makes a fleeting appearance and speaks about how “global power is shifting.” Having said that…

9. The Global Unity Summit

We observe Sam, Ross, and other attendees at the Global Unity Summit while the Leader discusses how “global power is shifting.” Doesn’t that seem like an ideal location to break that unity?

10. Cap Still Fights the Government

Wilson fights with two armed guys, one of them is wearing a patch that appears to be a reversed American flag, after finding the previously stated laboratory. This is how the American flag is worn on the right shoulder of military personnel. That does make sense. If you are facing the flag directly, the stars should be on your right, and the stripes should follow, giving the impression that the American flag is being carried into battle. It is an indication of a military expert.

At some point, the new Captain America has to fight back against the government.

11. Redwing

As we saw in the Happy Meal. Redwing is back and cuter than ever.

12. Eternals Island

The island that was left behind at the end of Eternals—you know, the one where the enormous Celestial Tiamut freezes on Earth—will play a part in this, according to one of the major theories that this trailer supports. It appears in the background of shots on a few occasions, such as when the missiles fire at the beginning of the trailer and again afterward.

The theory is that the Celestial, the deceased Tiamut, is a rare material resource that the world’s superpowers are currently vying for control of, which explains why there are so many missiles. Another hypothesis suggests that this is how Adamantium, the superstrong metal that rivals Vibranium and is directly related to the X-Men because it is the substance that makes up Wolverine’s bones and claws, is brought to the MCU.

Alongside officials from the United States and Japan, the teaser features Sam Wilson, Joaquín Torres, and Isaiah Bradley—the Captain America character that was erased from history and first seen in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier—attending a meeting on global unification at the White House. The stylized image of Tiamut’s hand, suggesting conflict over it, is part of the summit’s logo.

13. The Map

As Captain America, Ross appears to present Sam Wilson to the world. Numerous locations are highlighted on a map. Although we don’t know why it is highlighted, we’ll make some educated suggestions.

Let’s work out everything:

• The countries shown in yellow appear to be France and the United States.
• The cities with estimated locations are highlighted in white. These include Reykjavik, Iceland; Funchal, Portugal; Coimbra, Portugal; Ben Garde, Tunisia; and Liberic, Czechia. The only place I’m unsure of is next to the bald man’s right; Mandalay, Myanmar (I’m not sure about this one, but that’s the general area); and Davao, Philippines or Guam (I’m not sure about this due to the map’s warping).
• White highlights with arrows appear to represent cities as well: Malung, Sweden; Kyiv, Ukraine; Tirin Kut, Afghanistan (Kabal appears to be quite far away from the map); and the hardest-to-locate highlight, which is in the upper-right corner. Perhaps it’s Russia’s Ilirney?

In case you were wondering, Tunsi is the name of the highlighted African nation. It’s not Wakanda because that nation borders Ethiopia and Kenya, nowhere close to the place where the African nation is marked.

Regarding Sokovia, it is situated close to both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The country in question appears to be in eastern Europe, but it doesn’t appear to be underlined on the map.

14. Isaiah Attacks

The movie has Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), who we originally met in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, having some deep-seated code triggered, which leads him to unintentionally go on a rampage and attempt to assassinate the president. You just get a taste of it here. Naturally, this reminds us of what happened to Sam and Steve’s friend Bucky.

In the comics, Isaiah Bradley is one of the superheroes who wears the title of Captain America. The character is an early example of the Super Soldier program (also known as Project: Rebirth) that the United States ran during World War II. He first appears in the seven-issue comic book limited series Truth: Red, White & Black #1 (2003), created by Axel Alonso, Robert Morales, and Kyle Baker.

Age hasn’t diminished his strength, as he easily throws a man into a wall and fires multiple shots at the president. Is he under mental control? If so, by who?

15. Your Inner Circle Has Been Compromised

After some attacks on Ross, Wilson informs him that his inner circle has been penetrated. Before this, we witness Bradley shooting at the person we assume to be Ross. What would happen if Bradley shot someone who was trying to kill Ross?

What if the government has been infiltrated by members of the Serpent Society or Six Pack (if the latter is included in the film)? It appears as though they are copying the Hydra strategy. Is this maybe a Hydra offshoot? There are many unanswered questions in this situation.

16. Labs

In response to Isaiah’s attacks, Sam is shown exploring a lab. This is likely related to the person who was able to set off Isaiah. Furthermore, labs are always significant in the realm of Captain America.

Think of the labs in Captain America. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Captain America: Civil War. Plus, the labs in The Incredible Hulk. They’re always important in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

17. A New Black Widow

We get a brief look at a new character portrayed by Shira Haas in the trailer. She goes by Ruth, and it’s thought she’s the Marvel character Sabra. Ruth used to be a part of the Black Widow program in this universe and is currently employed by the US government with Ross.

In the comics, Sabra was created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema. She made her full debut in Incredible Hulk #256 (1981) after having a brief cameo in Incredible Hulk #250 (1980). The Israeli superhero Ruth Bat-Seraph (Hebrew: רות בת-שרף) has an alter identity named Sabra. She’s a mutant who works as an operative for Mossad, the Israeli secret agency.

For the film, they’re dropping the contentious codename and just calling her Ruth. The role hasn’t been officially confirmed, but the McDonald’s Happy Meal spoiled her role and costume.

18. Xosha Roquemore

In the teaser, a second new character makes a fleeting appearance. The person we see beside Haas’s Ruth persona seems to be a Secret Service agent. Actress Xosha Roquemore makes her MCU debut as this woman.

19. The New Falcon

There’s a fleeting glimpse of Sam’s Captain America flying alongside another character. Danny Ramirez portrays the new Falcon, Joaquín Torres, who is making his hero debut.

In the comics, Torres first appears as the new Falcon in Captain America: Sam Wilson #6 in 2016. Teenager Joaquin Torres, a hybrid of a falcon and a human, rises to fame by adopting the identity Falcon and supporting Sam Wilson, the original superhero Falcon.

20. Giancarlo Esposito

We get our first look into Esposito’s persona during the exchange between Ross and Wilson. However, who is this character? As of this writing, we are still in the dark.

But who might he be playing? Given the amount of screen time he receives in the teaser, Esposito may be portraying Sidewinder, the founder and leader of the Marvel villain group Serpent Society, especially since there are already actors cast with strong ties to the gang. The Captain America films have done a fantastic job at turning ridiculous antagonists into formidable foes (see Arnim Zola, Batroc, and Hydra). It wouldn’t be impossible to reimagine Sidewinder as the head of a bunch of mercenaries targeting the US government.

Additionally, there are reports that Esposito is portraying George Washington Bridge, who makes his debut in X-Force #1 and breaks free from the realm of X-titled books. He belongs to the mercenary outfit Six Pack, which is made up of ex-members of the Serpent Society. Characters we’ve all seen in the Deadpool films, Domino, Cable, and Deadpool, were among the other members of the squad.

Is Marvel finally closing the divide between mutants and superheroes in the MCU? I sincerely hope so.

Are you looking forward to Captain America: Brave New World? Let us know in the comments below.