Spoiler Alert: This list includes spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World.
With the release ofCaptain America: Brave New World, people are talking. It was ahighly anticipated 2025 release. Some love it and others are not fans at all. Whatever someone may feel, there are some great characters brought to life in this newMarvel Cinematic Universeentry and Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) first full outing as Captain America.Some of the best parts of each Marvel Studios film that sucks people in are the characters on screen.
Whether it’s Sam Wilson taking up the mantle of his old friend, with the shield weighing heavy on his back, or a character that’s making their first appearance sinceThe Incredible Hulk,the characters inCaptain America: Brave New Worldare some of the best parts of the movie. Here are the 10 best characters fromCaptain America: Brave New World, ranked.
Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World follows Sam Wilson as he steps into his role as the new Captain America. Navigating the complexities of geopolitics, Sam encounters an international incident involving a mysterious global plot. As tensions rise, he must uncover the mastermind behind the scheme to prevent worldwide chaos.
10Betty Ross
Played by Liv Tyler
While she’s only in one scene of the film at the very end, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) has a huge impact on the plot ofCaptain America: Brave New World. The divide between her and her father, born fromthe events ofThe Incredible Hulk, lies at the heart of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross' (Harrison Ford) personal character arc.
The effect she has on both the plot and Ross makes her one of the most important and essential characters in the entire movie.While some may complain thatCaptain America: Brave New Worldis simply a sequel toThe Incredible Hulkwith Captain America slapped into it, it’s still very nice and nostalgic to see Betty make a comeback to the MCU after 17 years.
The Incredible Hulk
9Bucky Barnes
Played by Sebastian Stan
Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan)already has the advantage of being a fan-favorite MCU character in the first place. So, when he made a short appearance at the top of the film’s third act to come support his friend, smiles lit up audiences everywhere. Seeing the two together for the first time sinceThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and witnessing how far they’ve come, is a special treat for fans of the characters.
It would’ve felt off not to see Bucky make an appearance of some sort. He also holds one of the best quotes in aCaptain Americamovie:“Steve gave people something to believe in, but you, you give them something to aspire to.”It’s moving and impactful, and who can deny they didn’t have a warm heart when he told his pal that he loved him?
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Following the events of ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities – and their patience.
8Commander Dennis Dunphy
Played by William Mark McCullough
Sam’s friendship with Commander Dennis Dunphy (William Mark McCullough) was a very unexpected highlight to come from the movie. At the top of the film,audiences were introduced to this military commander, who seemed to have quite a kinship with Captain America.While he may not have been a huge character, he was one that the titular character could trust enough with the pills he found in The Leader’s (Tim Blake Nelson) laboratory.
Dunphy was the guy the current Captain America could call in favors from…
Unfortunately, though, he met his end at the hands of the villain towards the end of the film, which was a tough loss for Sam. Dunphy was the guy the current Captain America could call in favors from, like when he needed to visit the infamous Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) while he was locked up.
7Leila Taylor
Played by Xosha Roquemore
There’s a plethora of distrust for Thunderbolt Ross as he steps into his new role as President of the United States inCaptain America: Brave New Worldand Sam Wilson is no exception. That’s exactly why he has Leila Taylor (Xosha Roquemore), someone who aids President Ross andsecretly keeps Captain America updated on whether the new head of the U.S. is spiraling out of control or not.
Leila very much serves as the connective tissue between Sam and Ross…
Leila very much serves as the connective tissue between Sam and Ross and keeps the antagonistic force in check and grounded… for the most part. She’s a pretty badass character, too. When Ross makeshis descent into the Red Hulk, she’s there on the front lines looking to solve the problem and not running away until she does so to escort the innocent away from the White House.
6The Leader (Samuel Sterns)
Played by Tim Blake Nelson
One of the most popular Hulk villains from theMarvel Comicsworld is Samuel Sterns, aka, The Leader. The character made his first appearance in the MCU inThe Incredible Hulkand his fate, as he began to become The Leader at the end of said film, was left up in the air. UntilCaptain America: Brave New World, that is.
Samuel Sterns is not thetypical type of overpowered MCU villain, taking a role more akin to Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) inCaptain America: Civil War. He’s the mastermind behind everything and while he doesn’t take a physically antagonistic role, he’s the primary villain as he pulls all the strings to ruin Thunderbolt Ross' life.He’s incredibly gross looking and serves as a villain that really keeps everyone’s minds running and thinking as the plot begins to unfold.
5Sidewinder (Seth Voelker)
Played by Giancarlo Esposito
The inclusion of Giancarlo Esposito inCaptain America: Brave New Worldwas a huge talking point surrounding the movie when his casting was announced. TheBreaking Badstar is one of the most popular actors in Hollywood at the moment and was actually a hugefan pick to potentially play Doctor DoominAvengers: Doomsday.
…Sidewinder plays a huge role in it and has been set up to return in the future as an even bigger villain for Captain America.
While he wasn’t the main villain of the film, Sidewinder plays a huge role in it and has been set up to return in the future as an even bigger villain for Captain America.In the comics, his character is a founding character of the mutated serpent gang, The Serpent Society. This could mean the world could be getting this legendary villain team in the future. Maybe even in the fifth entry in the franchise.
4The Falcon (Joaquin Torres)
Played by Danny Ramirez
After loyally being on Steve Rogers' (Chris Evans) side inCaptain America: The Winter SoldierasThe Falcon, Sam Wilson defined the mantleas an almost essential sidekick to the Captain America mantle. So, when he finally took up the shield, it was a given that he would certainly get a Falcon of his own. This came in the form of Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez).
The new Falcon is a lovable and youthful character that audiences almost immediately fell in love with.As a young man who looked up to Sam growing up, being The Falcon is Joaquin’s dream.He has a certain spirit to him that viewers connect with and his determination to be a hero and a good sidekick to Captain America is super engaging.
3Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross
Played by Harrison Ford
After the devastating passing of former Thunderbolt Ross actor,William Hurt, who was going to step in to play the character inCaptain America: Brave New World, it was a hot topic among the fans. The announcement of Harrison Ford turned a lot of heads, with how big the actor is and everyone wondering if he’d be able to pull off the iconic MCU role.
…Ford actually came in and rocked the screen as Ross.
After the wonderful performance Hurt gave throughout his MCU tenure, especially inCaptain America: Civil War, everyone was very scared; but, Ford actually came in and rocked the screen as Ross. He demanded the attention of the audience for the entire runtime andbrought out some of his best acting chops to make Ross a sympathetic character.His character arc throughout the movie was very compelling.
2Isaiah Bradley
Played by Carl Lumbly
An incredibly devastating plot point fromThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierwas the truth behind the “forgotten Captain America”, Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly).What happened to the former soldier, who gave everything for his country, is heartbreaking and was a huge point of contention about whether Sam should take up the shield inthe Disney+ Marvel series.
Isaiah’s inclusion in the plot, as the primary connection between Sam and the large conspiracy being woven by The Leader, is the heart. With his life at stake and being thrown back into prison after being there wrongfully for so many years in the past,Bradley is honestly one of the most important characters in the entire movie. But he’s also extremely lovable, just a man trying to live on after being dealt a terrible hand.
1Captain America (Sam Wilson)
Played by Anthony Mackie
Of course, Captain America would be the best part of his own film. While he may have taken up the mantle officially at the end ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier,Sam Wilson settles into his role as Captain AmericainCaptain America: Brave New World. Sam carries the nobility and honor of Steve Rogers, while bringing his own flair to the shield that sets him apart in the best ways andcarries the plot forwardin an exciting manner.
Sam carries the nobility and honor of Steve Rogers, while bringing his own flair to the shield that sets him apart in the best ways…
The style Sam has as Cap is undeniable. Whether it be him having Red Wing fly the shield like it is its own entity or surfing on a literal missile,this hero brings not only heroism to the role but also a spunk that only Sam Wilson could bring. His time in this film proves exactly why he’s the perfect choice to carry the mantle after the retirement of Steve Rogers.
