Captain America: Brave New World may be the best opportunity for Marvel Studios to tackle one of the most controversial stories of Phase 5 of the MCU
One of the most controversial and mysterious Phase 5 storylines may finally be addressed in the next Captain America: Brave New World from Marvel Studios. Shortly after the premiere of the 2021 finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, marking the final transformation of Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson into the MCU’s new Captain America, Marvel Studios confirmed he would return to the big screen in Captain America: Brave New World. Scheduled for release on February 14, 2025, Captain America: Brave New World from Marvel Studios will pit Sam Wilson’s Captain America against the Leader, super-soldier antagonists, and a new president of the United States.
Marvel Studios’ presentation at CinemaCon 2024 revealed a first look at Captain America: Brave New World and provided new story details about the upcoming Phase 5 project. This included showing off Sam Wilson’s new Captain America costume and giving audiences a look at Harrison Ford’s new president, Thaddeus Ross, with the key role recast following the tragic passing of the late William Hurt in 2022. Ross will be introduced as the president of the United States in Captain America: Brave New World raises questions about the franchise’s previous president, Ritson, played by Dermot Mulroney, who was last seen making a shocking statement in Secret Invasion of 2023.
President Ritson’s war against aliens is not sustainable in the MCU
Throughout the series Secret Invasion From Marvel Studios, President Ritson’s office was quietly manipulated by members of the Skrull rebellion, including Skrull Raava, who had replaced Don Cheadle’s Rhodey. Rhodey rose through the ranks of the United States government to become Ritson’s assistant, while orchestrating several assassination attempts and plotting in an effort to incite World War III. While these plans were unsuccessful, Ritson’s new knowledge of the dangerous Skrull impostors on Earth culminated in his declaration of war on all extraterrestrial species living among humanity, which could pose a danger to innocent Skrulls, the citizens of New Asgard, and even several Avengers.
President Ritson’s declaration of war against aliens in Secret Invasion sparked a wave of violence. This most prominently featured humans targeting Skrulls, or those they believed to be Skrulls, leading to the deaths of Skrull news anchor Chris Stearns and human British Prime Minister Pamela Lawton. Something of this magnitude only works in the MCU if every subsequent project is compromised, but this has not been the case, as Secret Invasion has been practically ignored thanks to its disappointing performance. Even The Marvels didn’t mention at all Secret Invasiondespite being a kind of sequel to the project.
Captain America: Brave New World can justify leaving the suspense of Secret Invasion in the past
Although the cliffhanger ending of Secret Invasion might have been interesting to explore in the future of the MCU, it seems more likely that Marvel Studios will simply sweep President Ritson’s declaration of war under the rug. The poor performance of Secret Invasion It means that the events of the series can be glossed over, and perhaps even retconned in upcoming MCU projects, and Captain America: Brave New World It is the perfect place for this to happen. In particular, the fact that Thaddeus Ross becomes president in Brave New World means Ritson no longer holds the position, which means Marvel Studios could simply have Ross reverse Ritson’s ruling.
Currently, there has been no confirmation of a direct continuation of Secret Invasion, and it seems highly unlikely that this will ever happen, as the Phase 5 series is one of the lowest-rated projects in the MCU. Because of this, other MCU projects must address some of the unanswered questions of Secret Invasionand after The Marvels they did not mention Secret Invasion absolutely, Captain America: Brave New World is the next best option. The first glimpse of Captain America: Brave New World confirmed that President Ross’s election will be mentioned, so Ritson and his war against the aliens could be referenced, perhaps ending it before it even began.
Tobi Oulego
My name is Tobi Oulego, I am from the city of Buenos Aires and I am dedicated to the creation of film and series content. Since I was a child I have been a fan of all geek universes, I grew up with “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter” but today I specialize my content in the Marvel and DC universes
