After the recent failures faced by the MCU, looks like the superhero universe will make a roaring comeback with their upcoming projects. As if the Deadpool & Wolverine hype was not enough, Marvel has also dropped the first teaser to Captain America: Brave New World. The upcoming 2025 MCU flick has caught the attention of fans after making the return of some iconic characters.
Since its announcement, one of the primary highlights of Captain America: Brave New World was its heavy connectivity to The Incredible Hulk. It was announced that Tim Blake Nelson will return as the iconic Hulk villain in the 2025 movie. Although we did not get a clear shot of Leader in the latest teaser, the hawk-eyed fans took no time to catch his glimpses and even dialogue.
Looks like the Leader is the primary big bad in Marvel’s Captain America 4
The Captain America trilogy starring Chris Evans still raises discussions among Marvel fans for the sleek action and the mature storylines. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is hailed as one of the most fan-favorite movies in the universe. While it looked tough for Anthony Mackie to pull off a similar feat in his upcoming MCU outing, the teaser proves that we may get another banger.
After it was announced that Captain America: Brave New World will feature the return of Tim Blake Nelson‘s Samuel Sterns aka Leader, many fans were excited to see how is he featured in the film. When the teaser was dropped, we did not get a clear look at one of the smartest Marvel foes, but exactly at 1:04, we can see Sterns standing before a window and his voiceover stating “Global power is shifting, you’re just a pawn.”
Just a few seconds after the Global power dialogue we could see a set of green hands holding a camera to capture the chaos likely caused by Isaiah Bradley. When we last saw Sterns, he was Mr. Blue in Edward Norton’s The Incredible Hulk. In the last scene of the 2008 film, we saw Hulk’s gamma-radiated blood leaking into a cut on his forehead with a grin on his face suggesting the arrival of Hulk’s biggest archenemy.
In the comics, the transformation bestowed Samuel Sterns with extraordinary intelligence and expertise in physics, genetics, and robotics. With his enhanced mind, he is even stronger than our beloved Robert Downey Jr.‘s Iron Man. From the teaser, it is very clear that whatever Carl Lumbley’s character was trying to do to Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus Ross did not seem natural. The Leader is likely to be the big baddie and the cause of everything that plays out in the film.
The fans cannot wait to see Leader in the MCU
With the serious tonality, the geopolitical tension, Samuel Sterns’ reference, and a brief glimpse at Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk, Captain America 4 looks like a complete package. But one of the primary attractions of the Julius Onah directorial is undoubtedly the arrival of the Leader. Soon after catching his references in the teaser, the fans took over X to express their excitement.
Take a look at some of the tweets:
Is that a green hand? The Leader is here. #CaptainAmericaBraveNewWorld pic.twitter.com/Lshp01A7BP
— It Was All a Dream, I Used to Read Wizard Magazine (@UpToTASK) July 12, 2024
You can hear his voice in the trailer
— Ponyboy (@Ponyboy669_) July 13, 2024
Good to see Tim back after all these years. He’s a great actor and to see him return finally as a really cool MCU villain is dope! I’m genuinely really excited for this movie after the trailer
— Nashy LV (@Nashy_LV) July 12, 2024
Only took 17 years
— Matt Boesch (@mattboesch8907) July 12, 2024
Theory: Red Hulk is the supporting villain while The Leader is the main villain & secret threat. After all, he’s overdue since that teaser in the 2008 Hulk film.
— Naraox (@AarontheWise) July 12, 2024
He’s gonna eat so bad
— Eron J. (@eronjbutler) July 12, 2024
It cannot be denied that the presence of so many Hulk characters and extensive reshoots raised some doubts among fans regarding the project. But call it a better marketing technique or the real potential in the film, the teaser has generated a significant interest in the project. Now it will be interesting to see if Captain America: Brave New World can match the standards of the previous films in the series.
Captain America: Brave New World will be released on February 14, 2025.
