The new footage from Captain America: Brave New World secretly hints at a dark future for the Avengers in the MCU. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige provided the audience of this year’s SDCC and D23 with a taste of what’s to come in Captain America: Brave New World, releasing new footage for the upcoming Phase 5 movie. This delivered a better look at Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk, officially confirmed adamantium’s introduction, and revealed more about the Celestial Tiamut, but also included one hidden detail that could spell bad news for the MCU’s new Avengers.

Captain America: Brave New World is gearing up to be the perfect continuation of the MCU’s Captain America franchise. Not only did Captain America: Brave New World’s first teaser trailer draw comparison to the tone of 2014’s The Winter Soldier, but one detail in the movie’s newly-released footage could hint at a major storyline from 2016’s Civil War being reimagined in the MCU’s Phase 5. Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson will surely have his work cut out for him in his theatrical debut as the Star-Spangled Man-with-a-Plan.

President Ross Wants To Build HIS Avengers Team In Captain America: Brave New World

Back in April, Marvel Studios released the first footage from Captain America: Brave New World, showing a selection of clips, some of which compiled the movie’s first teaser trailer. It was previously reported that Harrison Ford’s President Ross asked Sam Wilson to rebuild the Avengers in this footage, suggesting Wilson’s Captain America would take a leadership role in the team. However, new scenes from Captain America: Brave New World shown at SDCC and D23 revise this, as President Ross actually asks Wilson to help him rebuild the Avengers.

The Avengers haven’t been seen collectively since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame , and Captain America: Brave New World confirms that the group is currently inactive.

This implies that President Ross hopes to take a more hands-on role in the Avengers team, picking and choosing who he wants to be a part of it, while Sam Wilson may simply be the face of the government-funded group. This presents a challenge for Sam Wilson’s Captain America, who would perhaps be happy to build his own version of the Avengers, but wouldn’t want the United States’ president to be involved. This mirrors Captain America: Civil War’s storyline brilliantly, and repeats the same strong conflict between Wilson and Ross.

Sam Wilson Previously Opposed Government Oversight Of The Avengers

Sam Wilson being asked to build President Ross’ version of the Avengers would be a fantastic source of conflict between the pair in Captain America: Brave New World. This is tried and tested, as Sam Wilson has already made his thoughts regarding government oversight of the Avengers perfectly clear. During the implementation of the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War, Wilson sided with Steve Rogers’ Captain America, who reasoned that the Avengers didn’t need to be policed and managed by a United Nations panel.

This disagreement culminated in Rogers, Wilson and Natasha Romanoff becoming fugitives, and being hunted across the globe by none other than then-Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross. Wilson and Ross’ feud is also referenced in Captain America: Brave New World’s footage, but it seems the pair haven’t quite buried the hatchet, and will, in fact, come to blows again in the MCU’s Phase 5. While Sam Wilson might refuse Ross’ offer to build him an Avengers team, another upcoming MCU movie suggests Ross may simply attempt it anyway.

Captain America 4 Could Explain Exactly The Thunderbolts Team Forms In The MCU

Shortly after Captain America: Brave New World’s premiere in February 2025, Marvel Studios’ first Thunderbolts team will burst onto the big screen. Thunderbolts* is expected to explore the formation of the titular antihero team, perhaps under the watchful eye of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina and the CIA. It’s also very possible that President Ross could have a pivotal role in bringing the Thunderbolts together, and Captain America: Brave New World could set this up perfectly, should Sam Wilson refuse to rebuild the Avengers.

Without the advocacy of a bona fide superhero, President Ross might attempt to build his own Avengers team anyway. This could explain why Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes and others come together to form the MCU’s Thunderbolts team. This would put a dark spin on the Avengers, as each member of the Thunderbolts has history as a villain or antihero. It surely won’t be long before a new Avengers team is officially forming in the MCU’s future, but Captain America: Brave New World could set the stage for something much more twisted indeed.