Captain America: New World Order was among the biggest MCU noisemakers at D23 Expo 2022. Director Julius Onah was officially introduced alongside star Anthony Mackie, whose journey in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier ended with him taking on the mantle of Captain America. Mackie was joined on stage by fellow The Falcon and The Winter Soldier cast members Danny Ramirez, who is returning as Joaquin Torres, and Carl Lumbly, who stole the show as Isaiah Bradley, newcomer Shira Haas, who will play Sabra, and D23’s biggest surprise, Tim Blake Nelson, who is returning as Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader, after a 14-year hiatus.
While the direction of the film is still unknown, the return of Samuel Sterns certainly threatens to throw a major curveball at Sam Wilson just as he begins to spread his wings as Captain America. In an interview with Phase Zero, Onah talked about how Sam’s new title will also come with a change in responsibilities.
He is in a new position. Stepping up to be the leader as Captain America is going to be a new set of challenges for him. And in this story, a big part of his journey is how do you define that leadership? That’s the thing that he hasn’t had to deal with just yet. As the Falcon, he was always there supporting the rest of the team, but now he’s the man leading the team and I think that’s going to be a really exciting journey to go on with him.
Julius Onah
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier saw Sam come to terms with what picking up the shield and becoming Captain America would mean after initially struggling with the legacy of not only his friend, Steve Rogers but the hidden history of the Super Soldier program. Interestingly enough, Sterns represents another branch of that same legacy with his connections to Bruce Banner and Emil Blonsky, both of whom were dosed with Super Soldier Serum. Whether or not that connection is drawn on remains to be seen, but Sterns’ superior intellect is sure to provide its own set of challenges either way. How Sam will choose to handle them as the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan that everyone looks to will ultimately begin to define his time as Captain America.
Captain America: New World Order will hit theaters May 3rd, 2024.
Source: Phase Zero
