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Captain America: Brave New World propels theMarvel Cinematic Universeinto a narrative rich with political intrigue, personal redemption, and hidden threats. As Sam Wilson fully embraces his role as the new Captain America, he confronts complex challenges that test his resolve and redefine heroism.
The film’s conclusion delivers a series of impactful events, from President Thaddeus Ross’s transformation into the formidable Red Hulk to a post-credits scene that hints at looming interdimensional conflicts. In this article, we delve into the climactic ending of Brave New World, unpacking its significance and exploring how it sets the stage for future MCU storylines.
Spoilers For The Movie Ahead!
The Story Of Captain America: Brave New World
The story follows Sam Wilson as he is getting accustomed to his role asthe new Captain America, working withthe newly elected President Rossto solve international problems. The task the movie opens with isthe recovery of a valuable mineralstolen from the Japanese government.
It is unclear if Sam is formally working for the American government or who founds his gadgets and weapons.
This mineral is adamantium, the apparent strongest mineral in existence.Its source is Celestial Island, the place where the celestial failed to emerge at the end of the Eternals film; it seems that whatever Sersei did to the celestialcreated this new mineral.
During a celebration of the successful operation at the White House,an attempt is made to kill President Ross. One of the would-be assassinsis Isaiah Bradley, a friend of Sam whodoesn’t even remember shooting at the President, claiming that he lost consciousness for a while.
Sam then conducts his own investigations to find outwho is really behind the attackand how they forced Isaiah to do it. It turns out that the one behind it allis Samuel Sterns, a scientist Ross kept hidden for his own personal gain and survival.
Samuel Sterns’ Plan
Samuel Sterns was last seen in the movieThe Incredible Hulk, where the gamma-radiated blood of Bruce Banner entered his brainand started mutating it. The mutation made Sternsa master of probability, able to know what will likely happen in the future thanks to math alone.
Thaddeus Ross saw this potential andfed more radiation to Sterns, turning him into the creature he is today. It is likely that Ross used Sterns’ ability to predict the futureto mold events in his favor, hence why he ended up becoming President of the United States.
Rosspromised to release Sternswith a Presidential pardon should he be elected, but several months after the election,Sterns continued in captivity. This is why Sterns decided to take matters into his own hands,ruining Ross’ life, reputation, and integrity.
The Red Hulk
Since Sterns is a master of probability, he was already aware ofthe unlikelihood of Ross keeping his word, hence why he started to hatch a plan. He developeda method of mind controlwhile alsofeeding small doses of gamma radiationto Ross via his heart medicine, so he could have others push Ross to the limit and make himtransform into a monster.
Sterns hires the mercenaries from the beginning of the movie tosteal the adamantium from the Japanese, knowing that Captain America will recover it. He then filtered information to the Japanese government to make it look as ifRoss stole the adamantium in the first place, which placed both nations against each other.
It is likely that all the mind-controlled people in the movie were targeted by Sterns years ago, getting fed constant subliminal messages until they were activated via a song.
The final play by Sterns was toprovoke Rossuntil hetransformed into the Red Hulk, but Sam Wilson manages tostop that and the military escalationsbetween Japan and the U.S.A. This forces Sterns togive himself up to the authoritiesas a final move to push Ross to the limit,shedding light into his shady dealsduring a press conference.
Sterns’ plan finally succeeds:Ross becomes the Red Hulkand starts a rampage. Beating impossible odds,Sam manages to stop Rosswith a combination of skill, luck, and gear, ultimately calming him down with a last-minute speech.
The Ending
Rosssteps down as the Presidentof the United States, surrendering to the proper authorities andbeing incarcerated in the Raft.
Since we don’t know who the Vice President was, it isn’t clearwho the current Presidentof the United States is, something that might be revealed in the film Thunderbolts.
After a brief conversation with Sam,Ross is then visited by his daughter, Betty, played by Liv Tyler. This is significant due toher role as the same characterinThe Incredible Hulk movie, giving closure to her plotline that started all those years ago.
For his part, Sam now decides thatit is time for the Avengers to be formedonce again, although their possible members aren’t clear. His conversation with Joaquin (the new Falcon) makes it evident thatthey will both be part of it, but we will have to wait to see the Avengers assemble again.
The Post-Credits Scene
Once the credits finish rolling,Sam visits someone else at the Raft, Samuel Sterns. It seems that Sam simply wishes to gloat about his victory, but Sterns isn’t all that bothered by being in the Raft, and in fact,he has a warning for the Captain.
Sterns claims thatthere are other worlds, with their own heroes, and that Sam isn’t ready for what is to come. The audience knows thatthe multiverse existsin the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that upcoming films will deal with those topics, but it is strange thatSterns is aware of it too.
However, as a master of probability, it is possible that he calculated the chances ofother universes being real, but he might know more about the upcoming threats. This might be more than a mere tease, with Sterns turning intoa key figure for future plotsin the multiversal wars to come.
