We will don't know much about Captain America: Brave New World's story, but what appears to be a McDonald's toy ad from Brazil may have confirmed some key plot elements, including a major comics character who is appearing for the first time.
Potential Spoilers! If you don't want to risk being spoiled on the plot of Captain America: Brave New World, consider yourself warned!
The toys featured in the ad show off several character designs from Captain America: Brave New World, including two versions of Sam Wilson, who took on the the shield following 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. But the real standout is the character that you can see below.
Yep, that's Red Hulk, which seems to suggest that Harrison Ford's Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross is indeed destined to transform into a very large, very CG monster. If that's the case, they may confirm that Captain America: Brave New World is based at least in part on the various Hulk comic storylines that ran between 2008 and 2010, several of which which prominently featured Red Hulk. Some fans have even gone so far as to speculate that this might secretly be a Hulk movie, or even Mark Ruffalo's swan song in the MCU.
Notably, Hulk actor and MCU veteran Mark Ruffalo is currently unconfirmed for the next Captain America film, with sources within Marvel Studios claiming he misspoke when he said he would be in Captain America: Brave New World and and "it's going to be great." At the time they claimed that Ruffalo was saying that, yes, Captain America is a film in the MCU, not that he was going to be in it.
Of course, Marvel Studios is well-known for its secrecy, at various points taking great pains to keep its cameos a secret. And while several of Ruffalo's co-stars have long since moved on, the Hulk is still kicking around the MCU, his most recent (canon) appearance being in three episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. It's also worth mentioning that Red Hulk is eventually defeated by Thor and Hulk, which might mean one last hurrah for the old Avengers.
In the meantime, Disney recently offered a first glimpse of Captain America 5 at CinemaCon, with Harrison Ford's Ross telling Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson to re-assemble the Avengers. As for what exactly that entails, we'll know when Captain America: Brave New World is set to release February 14, 2025. For everything else in the MCU, check out our complete guide to Marvel's upcoming release dates.
Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
