Anthony Mackie’s Upcoming ‘Captain America 4’ Just Changed Titles Mid-way Through Production

THE new title of Anthony Mackie’s first solo movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Captain America: Brave New World, and the name change mid-way through production might have an interesting reason.

Mackie was first teased to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next Captain America at the end of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, with an old Steve Rogers giving Sam Wilson his iconic shield. After a long road in Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam has finally embraced the title, becoming the MCU’s new Captain America and is set to star in his own movie next year.

Originally titled Captain America: New World Order, Mackie’s Captain America 4 got a new title, Captain America: Brave New World. The announcement came alongside the first photo of Mackie, in his new blue Captain America suit, alongside Harrison Ford on the movie’s set.

Ford plays Thunderbolt Ross in the film, taking over from the late William Hurt. Ross will be the President of the United States in Captain America: Brave New World and could have a direct connection to the new title. While a story reason could be the motivation behind the name change, a real-world issue might have also played a role in the decision.

Marvel Studios’ reason for changing titles from Captain America: New World Order to Captain America: Brave New World has not been disclosed. While the change could have been made for story reasons, it is also possible that the MCU did not want to be connected in any way to a real-world conspiracy.

Some believe that a totalitarian world government will soon be formed, the New World Order, with a secretive elite controlling every nation. It might sound hard to believe that Marvel would have changed Captain America 4’s title mid-way through production over a conspiracy; however, there is a precedent in the comics for such an event.

In recent years, the Punisher’s logo has been appropriated by groups that go against what the character stands for, which has led to numerous debates about Frank Castle’s role in the comics and real-world politics. To distance itself from those misusing the Punisher’s famous skull logo, Marvel reinvented the Punisher, putting him on a different path from his usual gun-toting ways and giving Castle a new logo that relates to the mythological Japanese demon known as Oni.

Marvel could be choosing to avoid any political connotations there might have been with the original Captain America 4 title, just like the Punisher’s logo change.

There are a few ways that the Captain America: Brave New World title could inform the story of the upcoming movie. One of them is through the new title’s connection to the Secret Empire comic book event, although Chris Evans, as an evil Hydra Captain America, would have no room in the already packed Captain America: Brave New World cast. The new title could be a nod to the rumored plot of the film.

Mackie’s Sam Wilson is said to try to stop Tim Blake Nelson’s Leader from creating an army of Hulks in the film. If the villain were to succeed, then it would indeed create a brave new world in the MCU. Ford’s Ross is also rumored to appear as Red Hulk in Thunderbolts, which could connect to the possible story reason behind the new Captain America: Brave New World title. (source: screenrant.com)

(ROHN ROMULO)