Anthony Mackie may have taken a page out of Tom Holland’s playbook. TheCaptain Americaactor, who’s set to star inCaptain America: Brave New Worldnext year, got a little too candid while speaking about the film, and might have accidentally revealed the presence of one guest star.
Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titledNew World Order)marks Sam Wilson’s first MCU big-screen appearance as Steve Rogers' successor after receiving the suit and shield in Phase 4’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie returns as the titular Avenger alongside Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumby as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson as The Incredible Hulk’s former ally Samuel Sterns. Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.
While speaking with EW,Mackie hinted at the presence of the Hulk in the film. WhileHarrison Ford is playing Red Hulk, and he’s been featured in plenty of promotional material, the presence of Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk had not been known.
“The events of Hulk and his film don’t pertain to this movie at all,” Mackie said. “When and if he shows up… Not Red Hulk! The other Hulk! There are multiple Hulks! So, when he shows up… his world, his universe, his story, is completely separate from what… the way we utilize him in our story.”
Mackie’s shift from “if” to “when” seems to point to Ruffalo’s presence in the film. While it’s possible that Mackie was simply joking,there have been other hints that Hulk will appear in the movie at some point. For example, Ruffalo had previously teased an appearance inCaptain America: Brave New World, but later claimed to have misspoken.
Captain America: Brave New World’s Wider MCU Connections
Captain America: Brave New Worldappears to bebringing back multiple plot points and characters from 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk. In addition to the Red Hulk and potentially the Hulk himself,Tim Blake Nelson is set to returnas the Hulk’s arch-nemesis, Samuel Stearns (alias the Leader). For those keeping score, it’s been 16 years sinceThe Incredible Hulk’s post-credit sequence hinted at Stearns' transformation into the Leader.
Captain America: Brave New World Star Praises the MCU for ‘Keeping Cinema Alive’
The MCU star challenges those who believe Marvel movies are “not cinema.”
Brave New Worldwill also explore other facets of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Notably, the trailer featured the first confirmation that certain plot points from 2021’sThe Eternalswill finally be addressed. While it’s unclear how it will play into the plot, the giant Celestial sticking out of the Pacific Ocean was finally confirmed to make a comeback. Not only have fans been wondering when this particular plot point would be addressed, but it’s also the first time Marvel has acknowledgedThe Eternalsin another film.
Mackie’s potential slip-up is an ironic gesture;Mackie infamously teasesSpider-Manactor Tom Hollandfor his tendency to spoil movies. Holland has spoken about getting redacted scripts from the higher-ups at Marvel Studios, just in case. And there’s always that time Mark Ruffalo infamously spoiled the end ofAvengers: Infinity War(he proclaimed “everybody dies”, but no one believed him at the time).
