TheMarvel Cinematic Universeis in a time of transition in its postAvengers: Endgameera. Many of the original heroes, such as Iron Man and Captain America, have retired and, in the case of the latter, the mantle has been passed down to the next generation.
Anthony Mackie is now the new Captain America, as shown byThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. That Disney+ series, which was only the second in theMCU, showed the origins of Mackie’s Sam Wilson as he struggled to accept his new role as the world’s Captain America. Now that he is the hero, he will get his own solo film in the form ofCaptain America: Brave New World, which was previously titledCaptain America: New World Order.
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Not much is known about the plot of this film beyond the fact that it will be more grounded in nature, akin toCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, which was essentially a superhero version of a political thriller. One thing that is known, however, is that Harrison Ford will appear in the new film as Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, taking over the role from William Hurt, who died last year. For years now, the MCU has slowly been building towards Ross becoming the Red Hulk, just as he does in the comics, but it seems that fans will have to wait a little while longer for that transition. It is highly unlikely that the Red Hulk will appear in this new Captain America sequel, but Harrison Ford’s presence will surely excite fans who are itching for this classic comic book villain to come to life on the big screen.
Red Hulk will not appear in Captain America 4
Reports suggest that Harrison Ford will have much screen time inBrave New World,which makes sense given just how famous the actor is and how picky he can be with choosing roles. He was notably mixed on returningto theStar Warsfranchise for years, for example, although he did eventually reprise his role inThe Force AwakensandThe Rise of Skywalker.
Harrison Ford was pictured on set of the new MCU film in an officially released photo, which came with the announcement of the title change, showing that he will spend time as Ross in human form in this movie. In Al likelihood,Red Hulk will come to life with CGIin the future, so that Ford is on the set of this new film shows that he will be focused and playing Ross as a human (for now).
Captain America 4 will be more grounded
As stated, the new Captain America film will focus more on the political side of the MCU, a drastic change from some of the cosmic and multiverse escapades seen in stories likeWandaVision,Spider-Man: No Way Home, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,andGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.For many fans, the transition back to Earth with a more grounded story will be a welcome change of pace after so many multiverse stories, some of which have been received with mixed or even negative reviews (especially the thirdAnt-Manfilm).
In the Infinity Saga, which began all the way back in 2008 and concluded in 2019 withAvengers: Endgame, part of the charm was the way in which the franchise could successfully explore the different parts of the universe.The Winter Soldiercame out in the same yearas the firstGuardians of the Galaxyfilm, for example, so fans are clearly excited to return to that side of the story.
In many ways, some of the most successful MCU stories have been the more grounded and serious ones. All three Captain America movies starring Chris Evans were incredibly well received, with the first being a World War II drama, the second being a political thriller, and the third being a political movie with superhero characters and themes.
Red Hulk will be teased for the future
The nature of that grounded story means that it’s unlikely that Red Hulk will appear in the new Captain America film. Instead of appearing directly, Red Hulk will instead be teased for the future, and he will seemingly have a big role going forward in the MCU, particularly in the stories that are set on Earth. Harrison Ford being the new Red Hulk in this cinematic universe is a real coup for the franchise as well, only adding to the excitement over the future of this character and his role in the story going forward.
Next up in the MCU isSecret Invasion,which premieres on June 21 exclusively on Disney+. That will also be a grounded story, with the writers and showrunners directly citingThe Winter Soldieras inspiration. Nick Fury is a lead character in that show alongside Emilia Clarke, who will play a new hero and the daughter of Ben Mendelsohn’s alien skrull.
