Captain America: Brave New World actually cut a massive Young Avenger from an early draft, and I’m still not over it. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been laying the groundwork for the Young Avengers for several years now, introducing key members across multiple projects. With Captain America: Brave New World set to continue Sam Wilson’s journey as the new Captain America, I hoped the movie would also further develop one of the most significant Young Avengers prospects. Despite this character appearing in early drafts, they were frustratingly cut from the movie.

Like most movies in the MCU timeline, Captain America: Brave New World underwent some changes in development. While this is common MCU practice, with Brave New World, it led to some significant line-up changes. Notably, Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder was added entirely during Captain America: Brave New World’s reshoots. Infuriatingly, a major member of the Young Avengers was cut from an early draft of the movie.

The MCU Has Been Increasingly Setting Up The Young Avengers

Numerous Original Young Avengers Have Been Established In The MCU

Marvel’s Young Avengers are a team of adolescent counterparts to the Avengers line-up, who form in the wake of the “Avengers Disassembled” storyline. The MCU’s Young Avengers has been in the making for a while now, with several members from the original team already introduced. Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) has taken an active role in rallying young heroes, as evidenced in The Marvels, where she seeks out Kate Bishop (Hawkeye) to discuss forming a team.

Other key Young Avengers members have also been introduced, including Billy Kaplan (Wiccan) and Tommy Shepherd (Speed) in WandaVision and Agatha All Along, America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Cassie Lang (Stature) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Meanwhile, Hulk’s son Skaar debuted briefly in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Thor adopted the young superhero Love, and Riri Williams stars in her own miniseries with the MCU’s Ironheart. However, one major member is still missing from this line-up.

I’m Sad Captain America: Brave New World Cut Patriot From Its Story

Eli Bradley Was Supposed To Appear In Brave New World

With so many Young Avengers falling into place, Captain America: Brave New World seemed like an obvious place to reintroduce Eli Bradley, AKA Patriot. Played by Elijah Richardson, Eli Bradley was first introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as the grandson of Isaiah Bradley, the forgotten super soldier who was experimented on by the U.S. government. Given his family history and comic book origins, Eli is a natural fit for a future iteration of the Young Avengers in the MCU.

However, despite the increasing focus on assembling the next generation of heroes, Eli’s role in Captain America: Brave New World was removed. This leaves his MCU future uncertain. In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant’s Liam Crowley, former Marvel VP Nate Moore addressed Eli’s absence:

Liam Crowley: We get to explore a lot more of Isaiah in this film, which I love. He was one of the most rich characters we had introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He was always paired in that show with Eli Bradley, his grandson. Why this time around just go with Isaiah solo and no Eli?

Nate Moore: There are early drafts of the script where Eli was in it, but we started to feel like there were too many characters to track and we want to make sure if a character is in the film, they have something to do. And so we had to make the tough decision to just explore Isaiah and to see how Isaiah being pulled into Sam’s world maybe affects him. We also wanted Sam and Isaiah. We wanted room to build up their relationship without a third party kind of commenting on it. And so this film is very much about establishing that Isaiah has become not only a mentor to Sam, but a training partner. He is a super soldier. I think it allows Sam to expand on his physical skills, but that relationship might not be the best thing for Isaiah in the long run.

While it’s understandable that the filmmakers would want Captain America: Brave New World to focus on Sam and Isaiah’s dynamic, removing Eli entirely feels like a missed opportunity. His brief but notable appearances in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier teased a larger role in the MCU, and this film could have been a perfect place to continue his development. Consequently, however, the path is now clearer for Eli’s return in the MCU’s future.

Why Eli Bradley Would Still Be A Perfect Pick For The MCU’s Young Avengers

Eli Bradley Was A Founding Member Of The Young Avengers

Eli Bradley is one of the founding members of the Young Avengers, first appearing in Young Avengers #1 (2005). He initially claims to have inherited Isaiah’s super soldier abilities and becomes Patriot. Eli embodies the same sense of justice and responsibility as Captain America, serving a similar role within the team.

In truth, Eli was using the mutant growth hormone (MGH), an illegal substance that temporarily granted him enhanced strength, speed, and endurance. Later, when critically wounded, he does receive a blood transfusion from Isaiah. This actually does grant him super soldier abilities, allowing Patriot to retain his position within the Young Avengers.

Given that Isaiah Bradley was further developed in Brave New World, it makes even more sense for Eli to be introduced via him. Eli could be training with Isaiah, much like Sam has been, when he discovers his grandson’s abilities. This parallel could have been an excellent way to establish Eli’s superhero journey. Even though he didn’t appear in Captain America: Brave New World, Eli would have broadened the MCU’s future. Nevertheless, Eli is now perfectly primed to storm into the franchise as Patriot.