Thunderbolts May Have Already Spoiled Captain America: Brave New World

No matter how tightly run the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been for so many years, it was only a matter of time before this ship sprung a leak or two. Marvel Studios is so successful at keeping a tight lid on the plots of these movies, the phrase “Marvel snipers” entered the public lexicon years ago and has never once stopped feeling relevant. In a somewhat refreshing change of pace, however, not even the loose lips of actors Tom Holland or Mark Ruffalo can be blamed. No, this time around, Kevin Feige has only his own relentless production schedule to blame.

On Super Bowl Sunday, Marvel unleashed a brand-new “Thunderbolts*” trailer to keep the buzz, well, buzzing … but one seemingly throwaway line early in the footage might very well have given away the game when it comes to a key plot point in the upcoming “Captain America: Brave New World.” Both films serve as highly-appealing appetizers for the main course, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” later this summer, and the pressure could not be higher. Yet with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) gearing up for his first solo film on the big screen, it certainly appears that “Thunderbolts*” has stolen some of his thunder. Just how big of a spoiler is this? Well, it all depends on how fans thought the events of “Brave New World” could potentially unfold.

Of course, it all has to do with the status of everyone’s favorite superhero team that’s currently no more: the Avengers.

Where are the Avengers when the world needs them? That’s a question that both “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts*” seem to be addressing. In the aftermath of “Avengers: Endgame,” the citizens of the MCU have had to make do with a motley crew of superpowered beings to protect them, all of whom are scattered to the winds and forced to do their best without our usual roster of heavy hitters. Without Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and the rest of the A-Team around to save the day, can our remaining heroes step up the way they once did?

If the “Thunderbolts*” footage is anything to go by, the answer to that appears to be “no.” In the early seconds of the trailer, we see Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine at some sort of meeting, telling the political world that they can no longer sit around and wait for any saviors to show up like they once did. “Let’s talk facts. The Avengers are not coming. Who will keep the American people safe?” The heavy implication is that this dilemma is what spurs the creation of the Thunderbolts, but let’s unpack that statement real quick. In the marketing for “Brave New World,” we’ve seen President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) announce his intentions to “rebuild the Avengers,” much to Sam Wilson’s chagrin. The two obviously come to some philosophical differences over this at some point in the film, leading to all-out fisticuffs when President Ross (spoiler alert) transforms into the fearsome Red Hulk.

But since “Thunderbolts*” presumably takes place after the events of “Brave New World,” does this mean that Ross’ plan to get himself a whole new Avengers team failed miserably? Yeah, it sure seems like “Thunderbolts*” may have just spoiled that for fans — without even releasing in theaters just yet. But here’s why that may or may not ultimately matter.

What’s going on over at Marvel Studios? Is the mere possibility of “Thunderbolts*” spoiling aspects of “Brave New World” evidence that things have fallen apart with this once-invulnerable franchise? Is it too late for the MCU to get things back on track? Is there even any point to watching these two movies anymore?

Let’s not hit the panic button just yet, folks. “Thunderbolts*” may have put the cart before the horse, but is that such a big deal? Hopefully, no fan out there seriously thought that Thaddeus Ross, someone who’s been placed in the role of antagonist for multiple movies now, would actually succeed in his (very obviously shady) scheme to “rebuild the Avengers.” Assuming he does somehow pull this off to a certain degree in “Brave New World,” there’s almost no chance this new arrangement — whatever it may look like — could possibly last for very long before our new Captain America sets things right again. 

When it comes to “Thunderbolts*,” the absence of the Avengers is the entire reason they need to exist in the first place. That was always going to be the case, and so this trailer only ended up stating the obvious. In any case, both movies are really only stepping stones leading to the next big crossover extravaganza. The Avengers are coming, as the threat of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom will surely necessitate in “Avengers: Doomsday.” Fans will just have to wait and see how the puzzle pieces fit together when these movies finally come out.

“Captain America: Brave New World” hits theaters February 14, 2025, while “Thunderbolts*” releases on May 2, 2025.