The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had its fair share of spoiler culprits over the years — Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo, we’re looking at you — but they may have some competition on their hands, as Captain America: Brave New World star Anthony Mackie has dropped a bombshell about the movie.
The ten-year MCU veteran, who plays Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, aka the new Captain America in the franchise, sat down for an interview with Entertainment Weekly and was accompanied by fellow Captain America: Brave New World stars Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Tim Blake Nelson, and Giancarlo Esposito — and he let slip a monumental piece of information about an established MCU character that might have annoyed Marvel Studios’ head honcho Kevin Feige.
Neither Mackie nor his co-stars seemed particularly upset, embarrassed, or apologetic about the reveal, so maybe they’ve been given permission to talk about specific details without venturing deeply into them, but if not, Feige might be sitting at home right now, with a mighty frown and lamenting how the studio has Holland 2.0 on its hands. So what did Mackie say, and is it something to get excited about?
What Captain America: Brave New World spoiler did Anthony Mackie reveal?
Well, during an exchange between Mackie and Ford, the conversation went as follows:
Mackie: “The events of Hulk and his film don’t pertain to this movie at all.”
Ford: “Aw, come on, man!”
Mackie: “When he shows up… Not Red Hulk! The other Hulk! There are multiple Hulks! So, when he shows up…”
Ford: “There are?”
Mackie: “Yeah. But there’s only one Red Hulk.”
Ford: “Good.”
Mackie: “There’s only one.”
Ford: “Okay, man. Good.”
Mackie: “That’s it. Solid. There will never be another Red Hulk.”
Ford: “I’m happy! Okay go on, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Mackie: “When he shows up, his world, his universe, his story, is completely separate from what… the way we utilize him in our story.”
So there you have it. Mackie’s reveal was that the MCU’s original Hulk — the one Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner becomes — will feature in Captain America: Brave New World. Presumably, his showing up will result in a Red Hulk versus Hulk showdown for the ages. So, to be clear, YES, fans should be excited.
Also, given that Mackie refers to “multiple Hulks” during his exchange with Ford, the likes of She-Hulk and Skaar may show up, too — though that’s only guesswork at this point. Should any of that happen, it’ll undoubtedly come as a massive relief to Mackie’s Sam Wilson, who seems hopelessly outgunned fighting against Red Hulk on his own or even with the help of other ordinary human superheroes like Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres, aka the new Falcon.
We should all, of course, bear in mind that, not so long ago, Ford was pretending not to know who the Red Hulk was. Given that he’s playing the Red Hulk, you have to believe Captain America: Brave New World’s cast has been instructed to tell a few little white lies, and this Hulk reveal might be some misdirection from Mackie. That said, getting fans’ hopes up about a Ruffalo appearance wouldn’t go down well if it wasn’t happening, so we’re happy to assume it is.
We don’t have too long to wait to find out, as Captain America: Brave New World will be released in theaters worldwide in Feb. 2025.