The slate of upcoming Marvel movies has seen some shifts since Phase 5 and Phase 6 were initially announced at 2022’s San Diego Comic-Con. From the asterisk on the Thunderbolts title to the pivot of Robert Downey Jr. playing the next big MCU villain, the past couple of years have kept us on the edge of our seats regarding the universe’s future. However, did you know that the upcoming Captain America movie was almost called something else?
As the Captain America: Brave New World release date approaches its premiere on the 2025 movie schedule, its executive producer Nate Moore shared why the film swapped titles from its original name Captain America: New World Order with Empire (via Comic Book Movie). In his words:
I think 'New World Order' was a title we thought was really interesting, and sort of moody and scary, and to be quite honest, some of the feedback we got, internally and externally, was that that phrase has, unfortunately, been co-opted in the real world in a way that made people uncomfortable.
While the original title, “New World Order” seemed to be a reference to the first episode title of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the set of words is also a term used in numerous conspiracy theories about a secretly emerging totalitarian world government. It makes complete sense that Marvel didn’t want to connect itself with the modern conspiracy theory after the title received feedback from the public and people within Marvel Studios and the production.
The new title Brave New World, which was announced in June of 2023, presents a much more hopeful image for Anthony Mackie’s debut film as Captain America.
It also separates itself from being misconstrued as an adaptation of a famous conspiracy. “New World Order” could certainly also mean a big change in the social systems and politics, but as Moore shared, it was not the right title to market the movie.
Along with Anthony Mackie leading the Captain America: Brave New World cast, Danny Ramirez will return as Joaquín Torres after his debut in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Harrison Ford is also set to debut as the Red Hulk, and even fight Mackie’s Captain America. You can check out the latest trailer for Brave New World below:
Brave New World could especially be a big movie for the MCU because Nate Moore also gave hints in the same interview that Sam Wilson’s Cap could be leading the new Avengers team.
Brave New World hits theaters on February 14, before Thunderbolts* arrives in May, effectively setting the stage for Marvel Phase 6, which will also feature Fantastic Four and two Avengers movies. We can’t wait to see what “brave new world” the upcoming 2025 movie will be referring to.
