What happened to Captain America? The new rebrand, explored

Captain America is undergoing significant rebranding for Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World.

He’s got a different face, a different name, and is played by a different actor, so, for those who have not kept up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the last five years, the shift might be a little confusing.

Brave New World will be Anthony Mackie’s first solo headlining film as the all-American hero, replacing Chris Evans, who played the role for eight years. The 45-year-old actor first ed the franchise in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as veteran United States Air Force Pararescueman Sam Wilson, befriending the first Captain America, Steve Rogers, and becoming his faithful sidekick.

Sam Wilson’s road to becoming Captain America

Before Sam Wilson became Captain America, he had already ed the Avengers. After following Steve Rogers in his mission to stop Hydra in The Winter Soldier, he decided to help his friend find Bucky Barnes, and, by the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, had been recruited by the super-hero team.

Sam played a huge role in Steve’s third film, even if that was more of a knock-off Avengers movie than a third Captain America installment. Steve faced off against Tony Stark after the two disagreed on whether the Avengers should be ed and supervised by the United Nations under the Sokovia Accords — a clash which was made worse by the discovery that the man Steve was trying to protect while all of this was going on, Bucky Barnes, was responsible for the murder of Tony’s parents.

After the whole ordeal, including a stint in a maximum security prison for Sam, the pair became runaways, while Bucky hid out in Wakanda. That is until an intergalactic threat against the Avengers and basically the entire universe became so great that Steve, Sam, and the rest of the gang’s infractions were quickly forgiven — enter Thanos, the mad titan set on decimating half of the existing population.

Unless you lived under a rock in 2018 and 2019, you probably know how that whole situation played out. Initially separated and spread out across different galaxies, the Avengers were no match for the purple giant and did not manage to stop him from collecting every infinity stone and seeing his plan through. After most of them, including Sam, were “blipped” — an MCU term for being turned into dust for five years — the team was down to the six original Avengers who staged a time heist to collect the same stones from different moments in the past, in order to undo Thanos’ damage. Now united, the Earth and fellow planets’ mightiest heroes finally managed to stop the enemy, unfortunately sacrificing Tony Stark in the process.

Steve Rogers was then in charge of traveling back in time again and replacing the stolen infinity stones in the specific moments they had previously been taken from, so as not to disturb the Sacred Timeline and create new branched-out parallel universes (for more on that, you’ll have to check out Loki). However, the First Avenger, who you will recall was frozen for 70 years, had different plans and took the opportunity to reunite with the love of his life, Peggy Carter, in 1949.

Back in the present timeline, Sam and Bucky spot Steve, aged 112, on a nearby park bench. He tells Sam he decided to live the life that was taken from him when he crashed into the snow in the ’40s and then gives him his shield, with it ing on the Captain America mantle. Sam accepts it, promising him he will do his best.

During Sam and Bucky’s Disney Plus The Falcon and The Winter Soldier spin-off series, we see Sam struggle with the responsibility that comes with the shield, handing it over to the U.S. government to be displayed in a museum, except they give it to an unhinged U.S. Army Captain named John Walker who takes no time soiling the name and reputation of Captain America. Thankfully, Sam soon realizes that Steve was right and that he’s the only man for the job, even if his version of The Star-Spangled Man will be different, adjusted to his personal morals and principles.

That’s where we stand ahead of Captain America: A Brave New World, which will see the newly elected president of the United States Thaddeus Ross (played by Harrison Ford, stepping in for the late William Hurt) call on Sam to make Captain America an official military position. Judging by the trailer, Sam isn’t too fond of the idea.

Captain America: A Brave New World will premiere in theatres globally Feb. 14, 2025, as part of Phase Five of the MCU.