Marvel Studios revealed more details about several upcoming projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at CinemaCon in April 2024. Disney and Marvel Studios’ presentation on April 12 at 2024’s CinemaCon, an annual gathering of movie theater owners, saw Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige confirm new updates concerning a number of upcoming MCU projects. This included revealing never-before-seen footage, first-look images, and video messages from several MCU stars promoting their upcoming movies, raising excitement for the MCU’s Phases 5 and 6, hinting at some huge successes for Marvel Studios, and delivering major revelations about projects that will soon be hitting theaters.
Marvel Studios’ CinemaCon presentation included several updates, but these were mostly focused on promoting the two projects set to release earliest in the MCU’s current release schedule. Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine will hit theaters in July 2024, while Captain America: Brave New World won’t be far behind in February 2025. Kevin Feige also revealed more about the development of Thunderbolts and even teased the beginning of production on The Fantastic Four. This saw Kevin Feige confirm themes, major events, new characters, and shocking cameos, suggesting that the MCU’s upcoming Phase 5 and 6 slate will be far from disappointing.
Following the conclusion of the MCU’s Infinity Saga with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, the status of the Avengers has remained unclear. Iconic Avengers departed the MCU in Endgame, seemingly dissolving the team, and new reveals from CinemaCon confirm that the team isn’t currently operating in Phase 5. However, Captain America: Brave New World will see President Ross urging Sam Wilson’s Captain America to form a new line-up of Avengers, setting the stage for Phase 6’s Avengers 5 and Secret Wars.
It’s unclear whether Sam Wilson will bring together new heroes as a fresh team of Avengers in Brave New World. However, if he does, there are several potential members that Marvel Studios has recently introduced. As well as mainstays such as Thor, Bruce Banner’s Hulk, Doctor Strange and Hawkeye, Sam Wilson’s new Avengers team could include She-Hulk, Moon Knight and Shuri’s Black Panther, among many others.
Marvel Studios’ upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine received the most attention at CinemaCon, with nine minutes of new footage being revealed to the audience in attendance. This footage revealed that Wade Wilson will be recruited by the Time Variance Authority to protect the MCU’s Sacred Timeline from a dangerous new threat, but this suggests Deadpool & Wolverine will be set prior to Loki. The Sacred Timeline was destroyed following He Who Remains’ death in Loki season 1, so Deadpool & Wolverine’s place in the MCU’s timeline remains to be seen.
After the Sacred Timeline’s destruction, Loki season 2 saw Loki and his TVA family fighting to protect the multiverse’s branching timelines. This intense storyline ended with Loki becoming the protector of the multiverse, forming a new version of Yggdrasil for the TVA to watch over. The fact that Deadpool & Wolverine is revisiting the Sacred Timeline may confuse these events, however.
In March 2024, Florence Pugh shared a video on Twitter from the set of Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts that included a glimpse at the film’s title. However, this caused confusion as Thunderbolts’ title now includes an asterisk – Thunderbolts* – which Kevin Feige confirmed was accurate at CinemaCon, but declined to explain. While some initially considered Thunderbolts* to be a meaningless project in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, each new reveal has been raising excitement, and its new title could hint at some major upcoming events.
Thunderbolts* being renamed has given birth to several theories concerning the inclusion of the asterisk. Some have speculated that the project could be renamed Dark Avengers, or something similar, particularly due to Sentry’s involvement, as he founded Marvel Comics’ Dark Avengers. Other theories suggest the title links directly to Thunderbolts*’ storyline, or was added as a placeholder for a spoiler-filled subtitle, though only time will tell.
2025’s upcoming Captain America: Brave New World also received a lot of attention at CinemaCon. While Brave New World won’t include Sam Wilson’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier partner, Bucky Barnes, new story details confirm that Isaiah Bradley, an African-American super soldier who fought in the Korean War, will attack President Ross and Sam Wilson’s Captain America after being triggered by a song. This bears huge similarities to Bucky Barnes’ career as the HYDRA-controlled Winter Soldier.
Not only will Isaiah Bradley replace Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier as a villain in Captain America: Brave New World, but another The Falcon and the Winter Soldier character will replace him as Sam Wilson’s partner. Joaquín Torres debuted in the MCU’s Phase 4 as a military ally to Sam Wilson prior to becoming Captain America. However, Brave New World will see him become the MCU’s new Falcon after being gifted Wilson’s previous wing-suit.
In many ways, Captain America: Brave New World will be inspired much more by 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier than any other MCU project. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Anthony Mackie revealed that Brave New World made more sense being a “grounded espionage action movie,” rather than including “aliens and airplanes coming through portals.” Brave New World will carry the same themes and style of The Winter Soldier, delivering a powerful big-screen debut for Sam Wilson’s Captain America.
While Chris Evans’ first stint in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger was divisive, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is regarded as one of the MCU’s strongest projects. The Russo brothers developed a down-to-Earth, intense, and realistic story, and Brave New World will benefit from copying this. Sam Wilson doesn’t have superpowers, so Brave New World must find action and tension in other areas, just as The Winter Soldier did.
Exciting additions to Deadpool’s new MCU costume in Deadpool & Wolverine were also confirmed at CinemaCon, as footage from the Phase 5 project confirmed Deadpool will be receiving adamantium swords. Swords have been a main fixture of Deadpool’s arsenal throughout his live-action career, but this is the first time he’ll be kitted out with adamantium blades. The man-made alloy is best known as the metal bonded to Wolverine’s skeleton, so Deadpool receiving adamantium swords will make him an even match for his clawed counterpart.
The fact that Deadpool will be receiving adamantium swords in Deadpool & Wolverine suggests he’ll be tasked with fighting someone incredibly powerful. Adamantium has been proven to be one of the few things that can harm Wolverine. With the exact nature of Hugh Jackman’s return in Deadpool & Wolverine remaining a mystery, the TVA may recruit Deadpool to battle the clawed mutant with his new swords.
While story details for Captain America: Brave New World reveal allies will become adversaries, Marvel Studios also revealed two first-look images promoting Brave New World at CinemaCon. One shows Harrison Ford’s newly-elected President Ross speaking to Sam Wilson, who sports a new Captain America costume, while the other shows Wilson in civilian clothing with his Captain America shield. These images hammer down on the grounded and gritty plot of Brave New World.
During his interview with Entertainment Weekly, Anthony Mackie revealed that, while Captain America: Brave New World will take inspiration from previous MCU projects, the project will establish new themes and a new status quo for the MCU. Mackie stressed that, despite so many Hulk-related characters appearing, The Incredible Hulk wouldn’t be an essential rewatch. Mackie noted that Brave New World is the beginning of a “new world” for the MCU, suggesting it’ll have a life of its own.
One of the biggest takeaways from Brave New World’s first-look images is that Thaddeus Ross has a brand-new look. Ross was played by the late William Hurt from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk until 2021’s Black Widow, but the role was recast for Harrison Ford following Hurt’s passing. Despite always being seen with his trademark mustache, Ford’s President Ross has lost his facial hair, and Comicbook.com’s Brandon Davis revealed that this loss is acknowledged in Brave New World.
After appearing in Captain America: Brave New World in February 2025, Harrison Ford’s President Ross will return in May’s Thunderbolts*. Theories suggest this could mark his transition into the Red Hulk, though he’ll at least be the driving force behind the Thunderbolts’ formation. This is especially true after the reveal that Ross wants to reform the Avengers in Brave New World, as the Thunderbolts may be his version of the premiere superhero team.
Shira Haas joined the cast of Captain America: Brave New World back in September 2022, and was quickly confirmed to be portraying the mutant Sabra. In Marvel Comics, Sabra serves as an agent in the Israeli Secret Service, the Mossad, so her casting in Captain America: Brave New World caused some controversy in the midst of current real-world events. However, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Sabra will be working for the United States government in Brave New World, perhaps bringing her closer to Valentina and the CIA.
Sabra’s origins being changed for her live-action adaptation removes any controversy, saving space for her to expand on the MCU’s mutant-centric narratives more easily. Marvel Studios has been slowly integrating mutants into the MCU, following Disney’s acquisition of Fox. Sabra is set to join the likes of Ms. Marvel’s Kamala Khan and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Namor as mutants in the MCU’s official timeline.