Potential spoilers follow for Captain America: Brave New World.
Captain America: Brave New World is almost here. The penultimate Marvel Phase 5 movie will land in theaters on Friday, February 14, so there’s no time like the present to get the scoop on what we know so far.
You can learn more about Marvel‘s first film of the year in my Captain America: Brave New World guide, including its story synopsis, trailers, and possible impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) future. But, you’re far more interested in reading about its cast and who they’re playing, aren’t you? Below, you’ll find a full round-up of the movie’s confirmed cast, who they’ll portray, and where you might have seen them before (NB: I haven’t included any rumored cameos, so there’ll be no spoilers on that front).
As I mentioned up top, there are some very light spoilers ahead for Captain America 4, plus full spoilers for projects like The Incredible Hulk and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched them yet.
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America
After making his debut in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Mackie has portrayed Sam Wilson in eight Marvel projects over the past decade. In many of them, Mackie’s Wilson also goes by the superhero pseudonym Falcon, the *ahem* wingman of Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers, aka the original Captain America.
However, that changed with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which saw Rogers pass his legendary mantle onto Wilson. Initially weighed down by Rogers’ legacy, Wilson finally adopts the superhero alias in the final episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier (FATWS), the second MCU TV show that aired on Disney Plus. Now, Wilson (and Mackie by proxy) is set to fly high as Cap 2.0 in his first standalone movie.
Away from Marvel’s cinematic juggernaut, Mackie has featured in numerous films and TV shows, including Black Mirror, Altered Carbon, Million Dollar Baby, The Hurt Locker, Twisted Metal, and What If…?. After Brave New World, he’ll voice Herman, a giant sentient robot in The Electric State, which will debut on Netflix in mid-March.
Harrison Ford as US President Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross/Red Hulk
An actor who needs no introduction, the legendary Harrison Ford will make his first superhero film appearance in Brave New World as Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, a role held by the late William Hurt until his passing in March 2022. Ford, who’s most famous for playing roguish smuggler Han Solo in Star Wars, was cast as Ross seven months after Hurt’s death.
Whereas Hurt’s Ross was a US general and later Secretary of State, Ford’s iteration is the US’ latest president when the film begins. He starts out as an ally of Mackie’s Cap, but that won’t remain the case. Additionally, as Brave New World‘s first trailer revealed, his gamma-irradiated, red-skinned alter-ego will also make his MCU debut here. You really won’t like Ross when he’s angry…
Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres/Falcon
As I joked earlier, every Cap needs a dependable wingman – and Ramirez’s Torres is the guy that Mackie’s Wilson can rely on. Introduced in FATWS, Torres is a US Air Force lieutenant who helps Wilson (and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, who’ll next appear in May 2025’s Thunderbolts film) thwart the Flag Smashers, aka that series’ antagonists. In Captain America 4, Torres is still employed by the US Air Force, but he’s also succeeded Wilson as the MCU’s Falcon.
Like Mackie, Torres has starred in Black Mirror. Other notable acting credits of his include On My Block, The Gifted, and Top Gun: Maverick.
Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns/The Leader
Almost 16 years have passed since Tim Blake Nelson made his only MCU appearance. That came in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk movie – yes, it’s still canon in Marvel’s shared universe – and saw Blake Nelson play the antagonistic figure known as Samuel Sterns. His supervillain era began during that flick, too, when he was exposed to some of Bruce Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood and turned into The Leader, an individual who possesses supreme intellect, telepathy, and telekinesis in the comics.
We don’t know if The Leader will have all of these superpowers in Captain America 4, but he’ll likely be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes. His appearance has been teased in the film’s various trailers and TV spots, so don’t be surprised if The Leader ends up being Brave New World‘s Big Bad. Or, at the very least, he’s responsible for Ross’ transformation and instigating the political row over the discovery of adamantium.
Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley
Lumbly’s Bradley was also introduced in FATWS on Disney Plus, aka one of the world’s best streaming services. Like his comic book counterpart, Lumbly’s Bradley was a super-soldier (yep, just like Steve Rogers) after becoming one of the few test subjects whose body didn’t reject the US’ attempts to imbue more individuals with its experimental super-soldier serum. He was also involved in the MCU’s version of the Korean War.
However, in FATWS, we learned that he was not only incarcerated for 30 years – the US government feared the ramifications of having a Black super-soldier – but also experimented on by the very administration that he fought for. Unsurprisingly, once he was a free man, Bradley distrusted anyone who worked for his nation’s ministry until he met Wilson in FATWS.
The scope of Lumbly’s role in Brave New World is currently unclear. Based on its trailers, he’ll be the individual who tries to assassinate Ross (my best guess is he’s been brainwashed by Stern somehow), which leads to him being sent back to prison. Whether he’ll appear after that incident, though, is unknown.
As for where you may have seen Lumbly previously, he’s recently appeared in The Fall of the House of Usher and Obliterated on Netflix. His extensive back catalog also includes appearances in the Supergirl TV show, Justice League Unlimited, Alias, Doctor Sleep, and Pacific Heights.
Shira Haas as Ruth Bat-Seraph
A mutant (though she’s not affiliated with the X-Men) in Marvel Comics, Bat-Seraph’s backstory has been completely reworked for her MCU iteration. In the source material, she’s an Israeli superhero known as Sabra, who possesses all of the usual abilities (super-speed, strength, and endurance, plus accelerated healing factor) as well as the power to transfer her energy to other people.
However, in the comics, Sabra is also an agent of Mossad, aka Israel’s secret service. Given what has transpired in Israel and Gaza since the events of October 2023, Marvel has retooled Bat-Seraph for this movie. Now, she’s simply one of Ross’ closest confidantes and, curiously, a former Black Widow.
As for Haas, she’ll be familiar to anyone who’s watched Netflix’s Bodies TV series. She was also part of the cast of The Zookeeper’s Wife, Mary Magdalene, and Unorthodox among others.
Giancarlo Esposito as Seth Voelker/Sidewinder
Most famous for playing Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian, Esposito was a late addition to Brave New World‘s cast. Indeed, he was only hired to play Voelker, the leader of the Serpent Society, ahead of the film’s first batch of reshoots.
In the comics, Voelker, whose supervillain alias is Sidewinder, was an economics professor before being chemically mutated by nefarious oil company Roxxon. After that, he gained the ability to teleport and formed the Serpent Society, a criminal gang of similarly-styled and named reptilian villains.
Like Bat-Seraph, Voelker’s character has been repurposed for the MCU. Here, rather than being a superpowered individual, he’s a criminal mastermind who uses guns and explosives to do his dirty work.
Xosha Roquemore as Leila Taylor
Another character whose comic book history has been altered for her MCU counterpart. In the source material, Leila Taylor is Wilson’s long-time love interest, a social activist fighting for equal rights and justice, and a writer for The Daily Bugle. That’s the same newspaper that a certain Peter Parker/Spider-Man is a photographer for.
But I’m getting off track. In Brave New World, Taylor is one of Ruth’s fellow secret service agents. She’s also Wilson’s person on the inside and keeps Cap 2.0 updated on the goings-on within the US government.
Roquemore’s biggest roles to date have been in Space Jam: A New Legacy and Cherish the Day. She’s also had supporting roles in shows like The Sex Lives of College Girls on Max, Big Mouth on Netflix, and The Mindy Project on Hulu.
Takehiro Hira as Japanese Prime Minister Ozaki
Widely known for playing Ishido Kazunari in FX’s TV adaptation of Shōgun (he’ll likely appear in Shōgun season 2, too), Hira has been hired to portray Japan’s Prime Minister Ozaki in Captain America: Brave New World.
Like Lumbly, I’m not sure how big of a role Hira will have in one of 2025’s most exciting new movies. He’ll definitely be part of the global forum where the world’s biggest nations assemble to find a diplomatic solution to the ‘who owns adamantium’ conundrum. It’s anybody’s guess if Hira’s Ozaki will appear in other important scenes in Cap 4‘s near-two-hour runtime, though.
For more coverage on all things Marvel, read my guides on how to watch the Marvel movies in order, the best Marvel movies, Daredevil: Born Again, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
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tom.power@futurenet.com (Tom Power)
