With Marvel Studios latest entry in the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, Captain America: Brave New World fast
approaching, I thought it would be fun to take a quick break from my usual
content and make guide for anyone wanting to catch up or refresh before it hits
theatres. Here’s What to Watch Before Captain America Brave New World.
It’s a good place to start off with 2008’s The
Incredible Hulk, only the second ever entry in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe and one film that gets too often dismissed or forgotten. The MCU’s
introduction to Bruce Banner’s (here played by Edward Norton) incarnation
of the Hulk. Important characters also include Liv Tyler as Betty
Ross, Bruce’s former lover and confidant, as well as her father military
man Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, played by the late William Hurt.
Thunderbolt Ross uses a version of the Super Soldier Serum on Emil
Blonsky in an effort to counter the Hulk, with disastrous results. Notably,
Bruce has a secret contact which turns out to be Samuel Stern, a
scientist who makes use of Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood to further
transform Blonsky in The Abomination and is also himself inadvertently
infected…a plot thread which hasn’t been touched upon on-screen until now.
Skipping past 2011’s Captain America: The First
Avenger as it doesn’t feature any of the current film’s major players, we jump
straight to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). This movie
introduces the audience to Anthony Mackie in the role of Sam Wilson
and marks his first appearance as the winged hero The Falcon. Sam
aids Steve Rogers aka Captain America and Natasha Romanoff
aka The Black Widow against Steve’s brainwashed friend Bucky
now known as the titular Winter Soldier in a global conspiracy that goes
all the way to the top of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Optional: 2015 saw Avengers: Age of Ultron in
which Sam Wilson briefly meets up with Steve, only reappearing at the
film’s end where he is recruited to the new Avengers roster. Also
in 2015, the first Ant-Man movie features Scott Lang as the
fledgling Ant-Man sneaking into the Avengers Compound to steal a MacGuffin
onto to be confronted by The Falcon. The two briefly battle but
ultimately Scott gets away. This does however set up…
Captain America: Civil War (2016) pits Steve Roger’s
Captain America against Tony Stark’s Iron Man when the Avengers
are forced to choose sides following the implementation of the Sokovia
Accords. The movie also saw the return of William Hurt as Thunderbolt
Ross after 8 years, now promoted to the Secretary of State. With Bucky
framed for a bombing, Sam helps Steve to recruit like-minded
allies (including Ant-Man) to hold off Tony’s own team. Sam’s
pick proves extremely helpful in the conflict but ultimately, they are all
arrested. Fortunately, the film ends with Steve breaking them out,
leading them to go on the run as fugitives…
Released in 2018, Avengers: Infinity War was
the culmination of ten years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Thanos’
forces on Earth seeking the Infinity Stones, Sam and the rest of
the fugitive team reform the Avengers to defend The Vision in the
Battle of Wakanda. Despite their best efforts, Thanos arrives and
claims the last of the Infinity Stones before using them to erase half
of the population of the Universe including Sam Wilson…
While the majority of Avengers: Endgame (2019) doesn’t
feature The Falcon, it does have one of his most memorable scenes. After
the erased population is restored 5 years later, a weary Steve Rogers
stands alone against Thanos and his assembled army but just when all
seems lost he hears Sam say ‘on your left’ as the returned heroes
emerge from various portals and assemble for the Battle of Earth. Afterwards,
a now aged Rogers passes on the shield to Sam.
Optional: The events of the Black Widow movie
released in 2021 take place between Captain America: Civil War and
Avengers: Infinity War, revealing more details on Natasha Romanoff’s
early life and her surrogate family. William Hurt makes his last performance
as Thaddeus Ross prior to his passing, pursuing Romanoff before
she successfully dismantles the illusive Red Room’s Black Widow Program,
apparently prompting him to give her a chance to escape. Reports indicate that
actress Shira Haas will portray Ruth Bat-Seraph - known in the
comics as Sabra – in Captain America: Brave New World, but to
avoid controversy she will be established as a former Black Widow rather
than an Israeli superhero.
As only the second Disney+ live-action Marvel
Cinematic Universe series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier covers
a lot of ground in it’s six episodes. We learn more about Sam’s family
life and his conflicted feelings about taking up the mantle of Captain
America. He and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky have to put their differences
aside to stop the Flag Smashers, while working to stop the new
government-sponsored Captain America, John Walker (Wyatt
Russell) when he goes too far. The series also introduces Joaquin Torres,
a member of the Air Force who relishes working alongside The Falcon
and is gifted a set of his old wings. When Bucky and Sam free Zemo
from prison to aid them, the also wind up on the wrong side of Wakanda’s special
forces, the Dora Milaje. After some soul-searching and a meeting with Isaiah
Bradley, a tortured escapee of a Super Soldier Serum test who became
Captain America during the Korean War only to be locked away for
his service, Sam accepts the Captain America title and saves the
day.
Optional: Strictly speaking, I don’t believe there
will be any returning characters from the 2021 movie The Eternals
featuring in Captain America: Brave New World. However, that film’s
climax does centre around a gigantic Celestial emerging from the planet
only to be transmuted, effectively becoming a massive ‘Celestial Island’.
This new island will play a major role in the upcoming film.
That should be all the essential viewing you need to fully
enjoy Captain America: Brave New World next month. I’m looking forward
to seeing Harrison Ford take up William Hurt’s role as Thaddeus
‘Thunderbolt’ Ross and seeing how this mosaic of Marvel Cinematic
Universe plot-threads will be woven together.
Until I get to tell Tom Holland I have my own movie, I
remain
frogoat