:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26013756/Screenshot_2025_05_31_4.13.23_PM.png "Mariners Game #57: 5/31/25, Twins in Seattle")
The first official look at the fourth Captain America film, Captain America: Brave New World, is here. A teaser trailer dropped Friday morning and, in typical Marvel fashion, it’s filled with hints and clues as to what audiences can expect when the film hits theaters February 14, 2025. With Steve Rogers off… somewhere, Anthony Mackie officially takes on the mantle of Cap; he stars alongside Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, and Tim Blake Nelson, almost all of whom we see in the trailer.
Here are the 13 most interesting things we noticed in the trailer.
Thaddeus Ross recast
Not only is Harrison Ford making his MCU debut in the film, he’s taking over the role of Thaddeus Ross. Ross has been around his 2008’s The Incredible Hulk but was played by William Hurt until his passing in 2022. That’s why Sam makes the joke about his “new look” and Ross explains why he doesn’t have a mustache anymore.
A new Black Widow
The trailer gives us a few quick glimpses of a new character played by Shira Haas. Named Ruth, she’s believed to be the Marvel character Sabra. In this world, she’s a former member of the Black Widow program who now works with Ross for the U.S. government.
A new baddie
Legendary actor Giancarlo Esposito appears a few times in the trailer as what appears to be a villain. The rumor is he’s playing a character named George Washington Bridge, but that’s unconfirmed at the moment.
Eternals island
One of the biggest rumors this trailer confirms is that the island left at the end of Eternals (remember when the giant celestial Tiamut basically freezes on Earth?) will play a role here. You see it a few times in the background of shots, like the missiles firing early in the trailer, then again later.
Isaiah triggered
You only get a glimpse of it here but in the film, Isaiah (Carl Lumbly)—who we first met in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier—has some deep-seated code triggered which causes him to unwillingly go on a rampage trying to kill the president. This, of course, is reminiscent of what Sam and Steve’s buddy Bucky had happen to him.
Lab experiments
Probably jumping off that Isaiah stuff, we see Sam investigating some sort of lab. Our guess is this links to whoever was able to trigger Isaiah. Plus, labs in the world of Captain America are always important.
Multiple Captain America suits
The trailer features at least two, and maybe more, Captain America suits. We see the one above, which appears to be the one Sam had at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldieras well as the bluer one in other scenes. Our guess is that means this scene is from early in the movie.
The Leader returns
One of the more interesting things about Brave New World is how it’s tying back to the second MCU film: The Incredible Hulk. Thaddeus Ross is in this, of course, as are Liv Tyler (who doesn’t appear in this trailer) and Tim Blake Nelson; he plays Samuel Sterns, aka the Leader. He appears briefly, as seen above, and is also the one speaking about how “global power is shifting.” Speaking of which…
Global Unity Summit
As the Leader talks about how “global power is shifting” we see that Sam, Ross, and others are at an event called the Global Unity Summit. Seems like a good place to shift that unity, does it not?
Fire Roquemore
Another new character appears briefly in the trailer. It appears to be a Secret Service agent who we see alongside Haas’ Ruth character. This woman is played by actress Xosha Roquemore in her MCU debut.
DC destruction
The MCU has leveled many, many cities before, but Captain America: Brave New World will be the first to level Washington DC. We can see this by, obviously, the shots of the White House being destroyed (possibly by a character mentioned below) and the destruction among one of the city’s signature images: the cherry blossoms.
A new Falcon
It’s only in there super briefly, but there is a shot of Sam’s Captain America flying alongside another character. This is the new Falcon, Joaquín Torres played by Danny Ramirez, making his big debut as the hero.
Red Hulk, duh
The biggest, and most obvious, reveal in the trailer is that Brave New World does, in fact, have the Red Hulk in it—a character we assume is actually Thaddeus Ross. But is he a friend to Sam Wilson? Or a foe? We just don’t know yet.
Captain America: Brave New World opens February 14.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
