So, the Captain America: Brave New World trailer looks good, right? Not as good as Agatha All Along in this Marvel fan’s personal, subjective opinion, but a fun slice of MCU-flavored political intrigue nonetheless. The biggest surprise featured in the teaser isn’t actually the Red Hulk cameo (we’ve known that was happening all along), but just how much of the un-Hulked Harrison Ford we see.
The Brave New World trailer leans heavily on the mass appeal of the Indiana Jones legend — I haven’t counted up the seconds, but it’s possible he steals the majority of the 1:48 minute screentime (he’s certainly got the most lines). The promo makes such a big deal of Ford’s MCU emergence that you’d be forgiven for not realizing he’s playing an old character: Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, now President Ross, previously portrayed by the late William Hurt.
Ross is actually one of the oldest of MCU characters, dating back to The Incredible Hulk and reappearing in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame, and Black Widow. So it’s rather a big deal for him to be replaced nearly 15 years into his story arc. And the trailer gives away the perfect way the movie addresses it.
Captain America 4 addresses its major Marvel recast in perfect callback to the MCU’s early days
The Captain America 4 trailer begins with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) summoned to the White House to meet with the newly elected — and newly regenerated — President Ross. And here’s where Sam drops a line that briefly leaves us reeling. “I have to admit I’m still getting used to the new look,” the hero says, and for a moment we think the film is actually going to come up with an in-universe explanation for his new face.
Ross’ reply, however, reveals the punchline. “Well, they said ‘lose the mustache or lose the election,” the president replies, referencing Ross’ previously ubiquitous face-fuzz.
For a second there, it seemed Brave New World was going to get all She-Hulk and break the fourth wall, but actually it’s instead following a much older MCU tradition — one as old as Ross’ character, in fact. This exchange between Sam and Ross feels like a direct callback to another time that Marvel recast a major player — when Don Cheadle took over from Terrence Howard as Rhodey in Iron Man 2.
“Look, it’s me. I’m here. Deal with it. Let’s move on,” Cheadle memorably said in his first seen as War Machine, as a thinly veiled wink to the audience. Both exchanges are essentially Marvel sending a message to the audience: “All right, we acknowledge we have recast this important role but we’re not going to mention it again, so suck it up and watch the film.”
Exactly why Sam or anyone else fails to mention that Ross suddenly looks like Han Solo (because Star Wars canonically exists in the MCU, remember) is probably best not to think about. Harrison Ford is here, deal with it. Move on.
Captain America: Brave New World is coming to cinemas in February 2025.
