Who is the villain in Captain America: Brave New World?

Captain America: Brave New World is set to have multiple villains including President Ross as the Red Hulk.

Captain America: Brave New World is an upcoming MCU project that marks Anthony Mackie’s first appearance as the new Captain America. This will also be the first project for that actor in the MCU where he is the lead cast member apart from his appearances as Falcon in his previous projects. Based on the Marvel Comics, the story is by Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, and Dalan Musson, and is directed by Julius Onah.

The movie is scheduled to hit the theaters on February 14, 2025. It stars Anthony Mackie working alongside other lead cast members like Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. The movie picks up after the events of the television miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).

Who is the villain in Captain America: Brave New World?

Captain America: Brave New World has many villains who have to be stopped by the new Captain America, Sam Wilson. Let's check them out below.

President Ross / The Red Hulk

One of the most notable villains - and possibly the main antagonist - is known to be President Thaddeus Ross who transforms into the Red Hulk. As confirmed by the trailer, and storyline, Ross, now the President of the United States, undergoes this transformation while secretly struggling through his health issues. It is speculated that President Ross will be turned into the Red Hulk by The Leader, expanding his influence in power, and ultimately causing him to be a huge obstacle in Wilson’s path.

Thaddeus Ross will be played by Harrison Ford, who takes over from the late William Hurt, who played the character in 5 movies from The Incredible Hulk (2008) to Black Widow (2021). Red Hulk’s abilities are similar to that of Bruce Banner's Hulk, with the key difference being that Ross’s version emits a remarkable amount of heat, which could potentially be a dangerous advantage on the field.

Samuel Sterns aka the Leader

This is a returning character in the MCU from the first Incredible Hulk movie which was released back in 2008. Then recognized as Samuel Sterns, the character was the one who helped Bruce Banner (at the time Edward Norton), to try and find a cure for the Hulk, which was unsuccessful. In the same movie, Sterns was known to be the guy who gave Tim Roth's Emil Blonsky the power to turn into the Abomination by using Bruce Banner’s blood.

In Captain America: Brave New World, Sterns will reintroduce himself as The Leader and is believed to be the mastermind behind the creation of the Red Hulk and other major threats in the movie. As per the comics, The Leader is known to be one of the greatest villains of the Incredible Hulk, but this time, Marvel has made his character go against the new Captain America.

Isaiah Bradley

Being one of the good guys in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Isaiah Bradley is set to make his appearance in Captain America: Brave New World, only this time, the character is going to take a dark turn.

According to the trailer, Bradley appears to be manipulated or controlled to attack the President of the United States. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Isaiah was revealed to be a super soldier like Bucky and Captain America who was created to fight during the Korean War. Fearing the results and backlash they had with the black super soldier, the government imprisoned him for the next 30 years.

Seth Voelker, a.k.a. Sidewinder

Sidewinder’s character in the MCU is one of the newest villain entries in the franchise. According to the movie’s plot and the comics, Seth Voelker, a.k.a. Sidewinder is known to be the King of the Serpent Society. According to the comics, Serpent Society is known to be a league of villains with a snake-themed presence and is known to be quite formidable. While currently quite little has been revealed about the character, as per the comics, Sidewinder was one of the villains who has gone against Steve Roger’s Captain America multiple times.

Also read: Cast of Captain America Brave New World