It has been nearly six years since the Avengers disbanded after defeating Thanos and mourning the loss of Tony Stark. However, the world's need for its mightiest heroes never fades, and with new Avengers films slated for 2026 and 2027, the MCU is set to reassemble its iconic team. The journey to bring back the Avengers starts with Captain America: Brave New World.
"We know people miss the Avengers and we miss the Avengers," says Nate Moore, a seasoned producer at Marvel Studios and a key figure behind the fourth Captain America film. "But we knew if we jumped right back into the Avengers after Endgame, we wouldn't give people a chance to miss it."
Moore emphasizes that the most successful Avengers teams in Marvel's comic history have always had Captain America at their core. After Steve Rogers passed the shield to Sam Wilson in Avengers: Endgame, the MCU took the necessary time to develop Wilson into the leader the team needed. This wasn't an easy transition for Wilson, as explored in the six-part Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. By the time of Brave New World, Wilson confidently dons the red, white, and blue, ready to face his next challenge: leading the new Avengers.
A pre-release marketing clip for Brave New World reveals that President Ross, portrayed by Harrison Ford following the passing of William Hurt, approaches Wilson to revive the Avengers project. This may surprise long-term fans, given Ross's history with the Sokovia Accords, which famously divided the Avengers. However, Julius Onah, the director of Brave New World, explains Ross's new perspective: "He was a guy who had this real legacy that could maybe be defined by his anger. But the man that we're meeting now is an elder statesman, a diplomat, turning a new leaf, understanding the errors of his past and wanting to do better. He wants to initiate the Avengers because they could be a benefit to the world."
As a general, Ross recognizes the tactical advantage of having a superhero team. Yet, he doesn't intend to recreate the Avengers as they were. With Captain America now officially a government role, as seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Wilson works directly with the President in Brave New World. This suggests that a Captain America-led Avengers team would effectively operate as a branch of the U.S. defense department.
"Ross is the man who passed the Sokovia Accords," Moore notes. "He certainly realized that the Avengers left unchecked may not be the best idea for anyone. And so I certainly think he understands that power is more beneficial to him if it's under his command, and he figures why not do it first before somebody beats me to the punch."
Ross's renewed interest in the Avengers likely stems from the discovery of a world-changing substance. As revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, the MCU's scientists found that the Celestial turned to stone at the end of Eternals is a source of Adamantium, a super metal rivaling Wakanda's Vibranium. With this valuable resource up for grabs, an Adamantium arms race looms, making a superhero team a strategic necessity.
"I think certainly any nation that has a group of Avengers has a leg up over anyone else," says Moore. "And Ross is a general, so certainly he understands what a tactical advantage is!"
How Sam Wilson/Falcon Became Captain America in the Comics
11 Images
Given the underlying motives behind this new Avengers team, the relationship between President Ross and Sam Wilson's Captain America is poised to be fraught with tension. Steve Rogers was staunchly against government control, and Wilson has spent his career striving to uphold Rogers' values.
"I really focused on the emotional journey that Sam was taking," says Onah. "It was really cool to then put him opposite somebody who had divided the Avengers in the past. Because of that history, Sam was put into prison. The Sokovia Accords, all the stuff that Ross pushed forward as Secretary of State came into play. These are things that when these two men walk into a room, that tension between them is palpable."
There's a possibility that Sam Wilson may not be the leader President Ross envisions. The 2025 MCU film Thunderbolts, featuring a team of anti-heroes including John Walker, who briefly assumed the Captain America mantle in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, might introduce Ross's preferred Avengers. With Ross's nickname being Thunderbolt, it's conceivable that Walker and his morally ambiguous team could become the President's Avengers.
If this scenario unfolds, Wilson could form his own independent team of superheroes, perfectly timed for the arrival of Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom in 2026's Avengers: Doomsday. Regardless of the specifics, Brave New World marks a crucial step in Wilson's journey to lead the Avengers, a path he embarked upon when he took up the shield.
Onah is excited about preparing Wilson for leadership, emphasizing his worthiness: "Historically the Avengers have been led by a Captain America, and Sam Wilson is very much so a worthy one. But part of telling this story is also reinforcing, illustrating, and dramatizing for an audience: why is he worthy?"
Wilson's worthiness stems from his empathy, which Onah describes as his superpower. Despite being just a man with a shield and mechanical wings, Wilson's ability to understand both allies and enemies enables him to effectively wield the shield and its values. "I think that's what makes him a Captain America of this moment," Onah says.
"I don't think Sam would be prepared to lead the Avengers until he truly believed that he was Captain America," Moore adds. "And our goal as filmmakers was to take him on a journey of questioning whether or not he made the right decision. Hopefully by the end, him and the audience go 'There certainly could be no one else'. He is Captain America, and hopefully he takes the tools from this movie to be able to lead the Avengers."
Wilson has little time to waste. After Brave New World, only two films stand between us and Avengers: Doomsday. It's likely that Captain America will appear in both Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four: First Steps to recruit his team ahead of the 2026 event. While this path is shorter than the five films leading to 2012's The Avengers, heroes like Spider-Man, Thor, and Bruce Banner may be ready to answer the call. The assembly of Avengers 2.0 begins here.
