Captain America: Brave New World (2025) is a superhero film adapted from Marvel Comics, directed by Julius Onah and starring Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford. The film is part of the MCU and was released by Marvel Studios. Runtime: 1h 58m. Rated PG-13. Audience rating: 6.0/10.
What is Captain America: Brave New World (2025) about?
Sam Wilson, now as the new Captain America, finds himself caught in an international incident and must uncover the nefarious plot behind a sinister conspiracy.
Released in 2025, Captain America: Brave New World was directed by Julius Onah and produced under the Marvel Studios banner. The film occupies a significant place within the MCU — contributing to the ongoing narrative and mythology of that cinematic universe.
The film features lead performances from Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, among others, anchoring a story that adapts characters first brought to life in Marvel Comics. Its source material gives the film a foundation rooted in decades of published storytelling, which Onah and the creative team interpret through a cinematic lens.
The film's 6.0 audience rating indicates a mixed response. Even so, it holds interest as part of the broader MCU catalogue and for how it fits into the lineage of Marvel Comics-based cinema.
What happens in Captain America: Brave New World (2025)? — Full Plot
We open at the White House. President Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross (Harrison Ford, replacing the late William Hurt) is welcoming Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) — the new Captain America — to discuss the global cosmic crisis. Multiple alien artifacts are appearing on Earth following the events of Eternals (2021)'s celestial emergence.
Sam's old friend Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) — a former super-soldier from the 1950s Black Captain America program — has been mind-controlled and attacks the President during a political event. Sam intervenes and prevents the assassination. He realizes Isaiah is being controlled by an unidentified person.
Sam investigates. He learns that an old enemy — Samuel Sterns (the Leader, played by Tim Blake Nelson reprising his role from The Incredible Hulk (2008)) — has been operating from a black site. Sterns has been weaponizing experimental gamma radiation for use against world leaders.
Sam discovers the Leader has been manipulating Ross. Throughout the film, Ross is dealing with chronic illness — increasingly visible mood swings and physical deterioration. The Leader has been quietly injecting Ross with experimental gamma radiation, transforming him into Red Hulk (the cosmic adversary's variant Hulk form).
Ross/Red Hulk emerges during a globally-broadcast political event. The transformation makes him violent and uncontrollable. Sam Wilson, with the help of Joaquin Torres (the new Falcon), must subdue the rampaging President without killing him.
The final battle takes place across the Washington Monument and the National Mall. Sam confronts Red Hulk with the help of an Avengers contingency team. The Leader is captured. Ross is restored to his human form via emergency medical procedures.
Captain America: Brave New World grossed $415 million globally — modest commercial success and the first MCU film of 2025. Critics responded warmly to the franchise's commitment to the Captain America mantle transition. Anthony Mackie's Captain America is confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday (December 2026).
Who stars in Captain America: Brave New World (2025)?
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What are some facts about Captain America: Brave New World (2025)?
Captain America: Brave New World released in 2025, placing it within the 2020s era of comic book cinema — a decade that saw superhero films become the dominant force at the global box office.
Directed by Julius Onah, the film was produced by Marvel Studios and adapts source material from Marvel Comics.
The principal cast features Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford, with key supporting roles played by Danny Ramirez, Tim Blake Nelson.
The film belongs to MCU — the Marvel Cinematic Universe — the highest-grossing film franchise of all time.
Captain America: Brave New World carries an audience rating of 6.0 — a middling reception but one that hasn't prevented its cultural footprint.
The Marvel Comics source material for Captain America: Brave New World has been in continuous publication for decades, giving filmmakers a rich well of storylines, character arcs, and iconography to draw upon.
Modern superhero films like this one use a mix of practical effects and digital VFX, with entire sequences often shot against volume walls or LED stages pioneered by shows like The Mandalorian.
Captain America: Brave New World is catalogued on Movies on Comics among our collection of 162 comic book films spanning 48 years of cinema — from Richard Donner's 1978 Superman to the present day.
