Warning: This article contains spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World.The events of Samuel Sterns a.k.a. the Leader carefully pulls the strings to stir up international conflict and transform the President of the United States into a monster in front of the whole world.
Captain America: Brave New World reveals that President Ross' role in Hulk and Abomination's disastrous battle in Harlem has been made public, though he managed to turn public opinion around and win the presidency. Meanwhile, Sam Wilson and Joaquin Torres have gained popularity as the government-sponsored superheroes Captain America and Falcon. Samuel Sterns comes dangerously close to ruining President Ross and Sam Wilson's reputation, getting Joaquin Torres killed, and starting a new world war, but thanks to Captain America, the world may be taking a huge step in a much more positive direction.
What Happens To Ross & Is He Still Red Hulk?
Thaddeus Ross Lost His Job But Accepted His Condition
Following President Ross' public transformation into Red Hulk and the subsequent destruction of the White House, the US government makes the reasonable decision of removing Ross from office. Samuel Sterns' capture and imprisonment seemingly allow Captain America to clear Ross' name, but Ross' actions as Red Hulk are serious enough to warrant an impeachment. Captain America: Brave New World brings back the Raft, where Thaddeus Ross and Samuel Sterns are both incarcerated. Although Ross' considers his public Red Hulk transformation a humiliating experience, he lets Sam Wilson know that he understands what needed to be done.
Where Is Steve Rogers During The Events Of Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World will be released worldwide this weekend, and it once again raises the question of Steve Rogers' whereabouts.
Considering the fact that a high-security prison in the middle of the desert wasn't secure enough to prevent Samuel Sterns from exerting influence on the outside world, the Raft is an obvious alternative. The fact that Thaddeus Ross is also sent to the Raft suggests that his Red Hulk transformation isn't fully under control yet. Captain America launches an investigation into the pills Sterns designed for Ross, and the results reveal that they've been building up Gamma radiation in Ross' body. As of Captain America: Brave New World's ending, Ross seems to need the pills to survive. So, for the time being, Ross is still at risk of transforming into Red Hulk if he loses his temper.
Who Is President Of The United States Now?
The United States Has A New President After Thaddeus Ross' Red Hulk Incident
Even though Captain America exposed Samuel Sterns' schemes to the world, Thaddeus Ross' presidency has to be cut short, and Ross needs to be sent to the Raft. Captain America: Brave New World doesn't reveal who succeeds Ross as President of the US. Given that Captain America: Brave New World doesn't explain exactly how the US government deals with the fallout of President Ross' Red Hulk transformation, it's safe to assume that it follows the standard procedure and allows Ross' Vice President to assume the presidency. Curiously, though, Captain America: Brave New World doesn't feature Ross' Vice President in any scene.
As determined by the Presidential Succession Act, if the Vice President is also unable to take office, the Speaker of the House, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and a long list of cabinet are next in the presidential order of succession.
Despite Ross' unfortunate incident, the international treaty for the shared acquisition of adamantium has been signed, preventing a worldwide conflict and granting the US access to adamantium. Regardless of whether Ross' Vice President or another member of the cabinet assumes the presidency, the MCU's next US President now has a lot of power in their hands. Not only is adamantium available for technology and defense purposes, but issues such as the regulation of enhanced individuals, extraterrestrial immigration, disaster prevention, and surveillance could be powerful tools for whoever calls the shots now.
What Happens To The Leader aka Samuel Sterns
Samuel Sterns Is No Longer Pulling The Strings, But He Knows A Lot That The Avengers Don't
Samuel Sterns' revenge plans progress smoothly until Captain America and Falcon successfully deescalate the United States and Japan's encounter on Celestial Island. Shocked by his plan's improbable failure, Samuel Sterns chooses to fast-track the climax of his personal vendetta against Thaddeus Ross and push him over the edge in order to reveal the Red Hulk to the world. Sterns' final plan succeeds, but Captain America stops Red Hulk before he can do more damage. Captured by the authorities and without any means to mind control his captors, Samuel Sterns accepts defeat in the Raft.
At the Raft, the Leader is unable to study the multiverse further, but his knowledge may already be enough to predict future MCU events
As revealed by Captain America: Brave New World's post-credits scene, Samuel Sterns has been studying more than just weapons, secretly altered medicines, and revenge plans against Ross and the government. Sterns threatens Captain America with other worlds that will fight to survive when they clash with Sterns and Cap's own, alluding to the multiverse and the imminent arrival of disastrous multiversal incursions similar to the ones that Doctor Strange and Spider-Man avoided in Spider-Man: No Way Home. At the Raft, the Leader is unable to study the multiverse further, but his knowledge may already be enough to predict future MCU events.
Captain America Sets Out To Rebuild The Avengers - Who Will Be On The Team
Captain America Will Assemble A New Team Of Avengers After The Events Of Brave New World
President Ross' personal request to assemble the Avengers doesn't sit well with Captain America, as Ross previously designed and tried to enforce the Sokovia Accords, which aimed to control and regulate the actions of all vigilantes and enhanced individuals. Captain America confirms his suspicions when Ross loses his temper and dismisses Cap's attempts to investigate the real culprit behind Isaiah Bradley's assassination attempt on Ross. Still, Captain America recognizes the need for an official Avengers team, and shares his idea with Falcon as soon as the latter recovers from his injuries.
Official MCU Avengers Still Active |
Current Whereabouts |
|---|---|
Captain America (Sam Wilson) |
On active duty |
Hawkeye (Clint Barton) |
Semi-retired in New York |
Ant-Man & Wasp |
Resting in San Francisco |
Hulk |
Resting in Los Angeles |
Thor |
Training Love in New Asgard |
Doctor Strange |
Fixing incursions in the Dark Dimension with Clea |
Spider-Man |
Rebuilding his life in New York |
War Machine |
Recovering somewhere in the US |
The Guardians of the Galaxy |
Disbanded. Peter Quill is currently resting at his grandfather's house in Missouri. |
Some heroes are more likely to answer Captain America's call. In Captain America: Brave New World, Cap and Falcon joked about Ant-Man, while President Ross and Samuel Sterns addressed their connection to Bruce Banner. Bucky Barnes also makes a cameo in Captain America: Brave New World before his co-starring role in Thunderbolts*. Therefore, Captain America's next Avengers team could start with these . Before other big names the fight, currently active newcomers such as She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Shang-Chi, and Daredevil might receive their Avengers hip. Then, multiversal heroes such as Deadpool, Wolverine, and the Fantastic Four could get a spot in the team as well.
What Happens To Sidewinder & The Serpent Society
Sidewinder Has Been Imprisoned, But He Promises He'll Escape
Hired by Samuel Sterns to bait Captain America and President Ross into putting his plans in motion, Seth Voelker a.k.a. Sidewinder has two brutal encounters with Captain America, one of which almost leads to his death. Captain America neutralizes Sidewinder and sends him to a private high-security base, where they negotiate. Sidewinder offers his intel on Samuel Sterns in exchange for full immunity, but Cap rejects it. Sidewinder settles on a cell of his own at Allenwood, and reveals everything Captain America needs to know about Sterns, ending the conversation with his promise of escaping sooner or later.
Captain America: Brave New World's Budget & How Much It Needs To Make At The Box Office To Succeed Explained
Captain America: Brave New World needs to gross a significant amount for Marvel at the worldwide box office, but it remains an achievable goal.
Sidewinder agrees to work with Captain America and teases future criminal activities, presumably with the rest of the Serpent Society, which have only begun to extend their blooming empires in Captain America: Brave New World. Curiously, Samuel Sterns attacks the base where Sidewinder is temporarily imprisoned soon afterward, meaning there's a chance Sidewinder escaped much sooner than expected. Giancarlo Esposito's Sidewinder will probably return in a future MCU project with other high-ranking of the Serpent Society.
Where Are Isaiah Bradley And Ruth Bat-Seraph
Isaiah Bradley And Ruth Bat-Seraph Earned Their Vacations
Isaiah Bradley finds himself in a familiar situation when he's imprisoned for his assassination attempt on President Ross. After a grueling process that almost leads him to solitary confinement and a death sentence, Sam Wilson clears Isaiah Bradley's name and makes sure he's released and all charges are dropped. At the end of Captain America: Brave New World, Isaiah Bradley tells Sam Wilson that he's attending a sports event with Ruth Bat-Seraph in an act of gratitude for her help. Ruth Bat-Seraph is likely to retain her job and maintain with Captain America due to her important role in taking down Samuel Sterns.
Who Are Others Coming From The Multiverse?
The Leader Forecasts A Clash Between Universes In The Near Future
In Captain America: Brave New World's post-credits scene, Samuel Sterns informs Captain America that a much bigger conflict is imminent. The villain is vague in his explanation, but teases that he has seen "plain as day" how worlds just like theirs exist somewhere out there, and that a clash is inevitable. Samuel Sterns' ominous threat is a clear tease of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, where all Marvel universes will likely have to fight each other in order to survive catastrophic incursions that may doom all timelines except one. Samuel Sterns' words are rather ambiguous:
"It's coming. I've seen it in the probabilities, seen it plain as day. All you heroes protecting this world, you think you're the only ones, you think this is the only world. We'll see what happens when you have to protect this place... from the others."
Either Sterns' mention of "others" refers to the existence of alternate "worlds" or timelines that will soon collide — an event that has already been set up by previous multiverse-themed titles — or "others" alludes to the existence of other heroes who will defend their own worlds. The latter option would work as a set-up of specific multiversal variants who will lead their respective timelines' efforts to eliminate the rest. These characters could be actual heroes serving their own interests, like Earth-838's surviving heroes and Earth-10005's X-Men, or they could be full-fledged villains, like a dark team of evil Avenger counterparts led by Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.
Captain America: Brave New World
- Release Date
- February 14, 2025
- Runtime
- 118 minutes
- Director
- Julius Onah
Cast
Sam Wilson / Captain America
Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross / Red Hulk
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Dalan Musson, Malcolm Spellman
- Prequel(s)
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Franchise(s)
- Captain America, Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Main Genre
- Superhero
- Studio(s)
- Marvel Studios
- Distributor(s)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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