It's been a minute since the Marvel Cinematic Universe released a film that truly picked up the threads of previous films. This is technically a continuing universe, after all, and 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine felt more like a side quest in many ways. But now, finally, Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson a.k.a. Captain America is back in Captain America: Brave New World. Here are the MCU movies and TV shows you need to refresh before his story continues in Captain America: Brave New World ranked from most important to least important so that you can prioritize and maybe even treat yourself.
There's no need to feel intimidated. The film does a thorough job explaining who is who and what's going on. So if you don't have time to watch any of these movies or shows before you hit the theater – don't fret! You can always watch them after the fact for a little added context. There won't be a test, promise!
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
Importance: Required reading
The Disney+ series ushered Sam Wilson from his previous superhero identity, "Falcon," to the "Captain America" mantle. It also introduced two characters you'll see in Brave New World: Sam's sidekick Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), and forgotten super-soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly). The six-part series is a mature, nuanced look at what it means for a Black man in America to carry that star-spangled shield. While Brave New World gives you the CliffsNotes on who Joaquin and Isaiah are, FATWS further lays out why they're so important to Sam.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Importance: Required reading
The second film in the MCU is often forgotten or looked-over. Mark Ruffalo replaced Ed Norton as Bruce Banner/The Hulk in The Avengers and fans didn't really look back. But it's weirdly important to the plot of Captain America: Brave New World. The film introduces General Thaddeus Ross, who is played by Harrison Ford in Brave New World but was played by William Hurt in the MCU until the actor's death in 2022. His daughter, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) is Bruce Banner's love interest in the film. The character Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), a scientist who gets exposed to gamma radiation via Banner's blood at the end of the film, returns in Brave New World as a supervillain. And the Incredible Hulk end credits scene shows Tony Stark allying with Ross, proving that the General really has been "Team Iron Man" from the beginning.
Eternals (2021)
Importance: On the syllabus
Once or twice a quarter, so-called fans take to social media to complain that a big scary god-like giant "Celestial" named Tiamut poked his head and statuesque fingers out of the Indian Ocean at the end of The Eternals, got turned to stone, and nobody talks about it. Personally, if I lived in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I think I would be pretty unfazed by something like that. Thanos snapped away 50 percent of their population and then five years later everyone came back. How could you possibly care about anything else? They probably got a push alert about Tiamut and swiped it away without reading.
Guess what? That meme can get dusted, because Tiamut's presence in international waters is a major plot point in Captain America: Brave New World. As it turns out, the stony giant is full of a fictional metal called "adamantium" which is pretty important in Marvel comics.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Importance: On the syllabus
Of the three preceding Captain America films about Steve Rogers, this is the one you should prioritize. It introduces Mackie's Sam Wilson as a trauma counselor working at Veteran Affairs. This above anything else is what makes him a good Captain America later on. He's a good listener. He's able to empathize with his fellow heroes and his adversaries. Sam can kick and punch with the best of them too, despite not having the super-soldier serum or any kind of special powers in his veins. But his patience and leadership skills lap the more arrogant Marvel heroes like Thor, Doctor Strange, and even Spider-Man.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Importance: On the syllabus
The key thing you need to remember from this movie is that "Team Cap" a.k.a. Sam, Natasha, and Steve got thrown into and broke out of a prison called "The Raft" in the middle of the ocean. (Ant-Man and Hawkeye, who were also on Team Cap but have children, made a deal with the FBI, and served the rest of their sentence under house arrest.) This was all courtesy of Thaddeus Ross, who was Secretary of State during the events of the film, and wanted the Avengers to answer to the UN him.
Black Widow (2021)
Importance: On the syllabus
Natasha Romanov's solo outing is not super important to Captain America: Brave New World. However, it is Hurt's last appearance as Thaddeus Ross in the MCU before his death. And there's a character in Brave New World who is described as "ex-Widow" after training in the Red Room. Black Widow explains more about what that was like and why President Ross might want an ex-Widow by his side.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Importance: On the syllabus
Did you forget that Endgame ended with Steve Rogers time-traveling to some version the 40s, grew old with Peggy Carter, returned to the spot where he left and named Sam Wilson the new Captain America by handing him his shield? Yes? No? I just reminded you? Great. Now you don't need to rewatch this three-hour movie.
Unless, of course, you're a Thaddeus Ross completist for some reason. The Secretary is a thorn in the Avengers' side in this one and Infinity War.
X2 (2003)
Importance: Extra credit
Wanna learn more about adamantium? That very special metal is what makes the blades in Wolverine's claws that go "snikt snakt" and this movie, while not part of the MCU, is a decent primer on how that happened. (I'm not gonna make you watch X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Don't do that to yourself. Don't let Ryan Reynolds, whose Deadpool dream started in that movie, gaslight you into thinking it's worth watching.)
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (2022)
Importance: Extra credit
The Incredible Hulk villain called The Abomination (Tim Roth) gets a passing mention in Captain America: Brave New World. If you're curious what happened to him, check out this comedy series on Disney+. While it might be the least important piece of Marvel "homework" on this list, it is one of the most entertaining. It's the MCU equivalent of a little treat, and we deserve those!
