What we can expect from 'Captain America 4: Brave New World'

• A fourth "Captain America" is in the works, directed by Julius Onah and starring Anthony Mackie.
• The cast of "Captain America: Brave New World" includes Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, and Shira Haas.
• The Marvel movie hits theaters on February 14, 2025.

After officially taking on the mantle of Captain America in the Disney+ show "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," Anthony Mackie will star in his own film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

"It's amazing," Mackie said while onstage at Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California in September 2022. "I've always come out as a secondary character in a movie. It's really humbling to come out as the lead character for the first time, in a movie, being in this universe for so long.

Julius Onah will direct the fourth Cap film, "Captain America: Brave New World" (previously titled "New World Order").

Here's what fans need to know about the movie. 

Anthony Mackie will be joined by familiar faces from the MCU and new additions 

The official cast was announced during Marvel's presentation at D23.

Carl Lumbly and Danny Ramirez, who joined the MCU in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" as Isaiah Bradley and Joaquin Torres, respectively, will return.

Tim Blake Nelson, who played Samuel Sterns in the 2008 film "The Incredible Hulk," will return. He's not the only "Hulk" actor set to appear in the film. Nelson's costar, Liv Tyler, will reprise her role as Betty Ross, the daughter of Thaddeus Ross.

Shira Haas will make her debut as the comic-book character Sabra. In January 2023, Deadline reported that "The Mindy Project" star Xosha Roquemore joined the cast, but her role is unclear. 

Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Mackie's longtime MCU scene partner, won't be part of "Brave New World." Instead, he'll return in an upcoming movie called "Thunderbolts," centered on a ragtag group that includes Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, David Harbour's Red Guardian, and Wyatt Russell's US Agent.

"I need some time from Anthony because I need to sort of find my way back to me," Stan joked during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "I know he has a lot of separation anxiety as we speak, but I try to reassure him that I'll be OK."

When asked if Chris Evans' Steve Rogers will return, Mackie told Variety, "I hope so, man. Chris is my boy. We all love and enjoy Chris. I'm highly upset that they put Sebastian in a movie with Wyatt and left me out. If Sebastian gets Wyatt, I should get Chris."

Harrison Ford will star as Thaddeus Ross, the president of the United States in the film

The MCU character was previously played by late actor William Hurt. In addition to "Brave New World," Ford will reprise the role for "Thunderbolts." 

"There's a dynamic between President Ross and Sam Wilson," Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told Entertainment Weekly in February 2023. "They have a history together, but in this film, we'll be seeing the dynamic between Captain America and the president of the United States in a way that is just incredible."

Tim Blake Nelson's character, The Leader, will be the villain of the movie

In "The Incredible Hulk," Stern was last seen mutating after Bruce Banner's blood dripped and entered a cut on his forehead. The movie hinted at his change but didn't show it. His transformation will likely be addressed when he returns as The Leader in "Brave New World."

"The Leader is a man who operates from intellect, and so it's great to have an adversary who is working with this incredible intellect to really put Sam through the wringer in this story," Onah said during an interview with "Phase Zero" host Brandon Davis for ComicBook.com at D23.

"And again, as a paranoid thriller, it's this grounded adventure where I think that everything that happens in this film feels so real and intense, because of who this adversary is," the directors said, adding that Sam will be challenged because he'll be facing "an adversary who is so terrifyingly intelligent."

Giancarlo Esposito will make his MCU debut as a villain 

Esposito alluded to joining the MCU during a panel at CCXP in Brazil in May, telling fans that he'd be playing an original, new, and fresh character. His casting in "Brave New World" was announced just as Marvel began additional photography.

Details, including his character name, are unknown, but the "Breaking Bad" actor will reportedly play an antagonist. He told Deadline that audiences will see him as a "badass" in the Marvel movie. 

"Acting is using every part of your body — your emotions, your senses, your feelings — to portray something," Esposito said. "But you haven't seen me really use my body in the way that I'll be using it."  

Director Julius Onah described the movie as a 'paranoid thriller'

"It's gonna be a really, really incredible ride," Onah told Deadline. "It's a paranoid thriller with Sam in the center of it and he is now in this position where he is a leader and he has to deal with that challenge of what it means to lead a group of people that he really cares about."

"I love classic paranoid thrillers and that's a big part of the inspiration of this film," Onah echoed in another interview at D23 with ComicBook.com. "We want to find an action that is grounded and tactile and give [Sam] new things to do that we haven't seen in those other films."

'Captain America: Brave New World' is set for release on February 14, 2025

Onah confirmed to ComicBook.com that the movie, part of phase five of the MCU, began filming in spring 2023. In December, Deadline reported that Marvel hired Matthew Orton to write additional scenes and material. Then in May, The Hollywood Reporter said that "Brave New World" would undergo reshoots over the course of 22 days. 

A teaser released in July gave fans a first look at Esposito in action and showed Ford's transformation into Red Hulk. Additional details from Marvel revealed that Haas' character, Ruth Bat-Seraph, is a former Black Widow turned high-ranking member of the US Government.

"This movie is a clear reset. It really reestablishes the idea of what this universe is and what this universe is going to be," Mackie said at CinemaCon in April. "I think with these movies, you're getting a clear, new branding of what Marvel is headed towards the same way they did with 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier.'"