Little Reac' : Captain America Brave New World final Trailer

Of course I had to talk about that final trailer.

Quickly reminder: when I talk about Sam I talk about Samuel Sterns, the Leader. When I talk about Sam Wilson I'll either say Sam Wilson or Cap, Captain, Captain America, you get it.

First thing first, it's probably the last big Brave New World thing I'll react to here 'til the movie comes out. Maybe I'll make one final post prior to it and that will be pretty much it. I don't want to spoil myself too much, nor to get my hope too high.

Final trailer doesn't mean there won't be anything anymore, we will be flooded by a lot of tv spots, social media spots, more trailers. But I'm satisfied with what Marvel gave us, I really don't want to get more. Like I often said, one of Marvel Studios' most annoying mistake is showing too much because they don't have faith in their own projects anymore.

I have a lot of people joking about Sam not showing up in this final trailer and you'll see that it was quite the other way around and how this trailer highly focused on him (also we got a new shot at him but apparently nobody noticed LOL).

I don't know much about Captain America outside of the MCU so as always I'm only gonna talk about the gamma part.

First of all, I loved this trailer. It feels like it's been a long time since Marvel tried to pull something original with them, I don't remember having something this interesting in its editing since Endgame, maybe Wakanda Forever, otherwise it's was a pretty common (but effective, I'm not saying it was shit) work.

Obviously I'm not gonna give an opinion on the movie itself through a 2min trailer, it would very unfair, even if I saw things that hypes me up a lot and other that are a bit questionning but I'll see how it works out in the whole movie first.

I know the movie is highly hated 'cause bigots don't like black men, 'cause the production was chaotic, 'cause somehow having normal blockbuster reshot is a problem unless you're Deadpool, 'cause hating the MCU is trendy and because there's a racist Israeli character. And while I understand why people feel uncomfortable given the current genocide, boycotting a movie with a highly black and jewish casting for a decision Disney took before the 7th of October even happened won't make Disney go "woooooops people boycotted our movie because of Israel, let's not accept their money anymore" but rather "ah minorities don't sell, go woke go broke, let's focus on Deadpool 13 and Thor 71 instead", I respect your need to act and your sense of justice but let's be real, you're only serving an alt Right agenda here. And she was already censored, Disney wasn't making a statement about the current genocide through her, they were pleasing some investors, they wouldn't censor her otherwise.

I'm only mentionning this because I know some of you are kinda sad there's so many bashing on this movie, so many fake news daily to try to destroy its reputation. But you gotta remember there's a whole life outside on X and really, people aren't this hateful outside social medias. I'm not saying stop caring about negativity, you can't when it's slapped in your face daily. But rather stay away from negativity, take time to sit with your own thoughts, your OWN thoughts, it's important. We're used to read everyone else's online and we give little to no importance to our own thoughts, needs, taste. Take time to yourself, alone, and listen to what you have to say and what you like.

That being said, let's go back to that trailer.

I LOVE Sam's vibe in this trailer, he's not directly here and yet the trailer highly (mostly even) focus on him and gives him that very creepy menacing aura.

It starts with Isaiah being obviously scared and traumatized about something and it's not a coincidence if the first thing you see after Sam Wilson asked him "do you remember anything?" is Sam's green hand, 'cause that's the threat Isaiah is so afraid of.

I already mentionned this shot in this post so I'm not gonna go back to it.

After that you have a very quick blue flash in Sam's lab

It's obviously Sam's lab, I still believe the blue light is a callback to his alias M. Blue, so I guess this alias is playing a role here (I kinda hope so, at least). It's pretty clear Sam mind control Isaiah,like I previous said. Lights seems important in that mind control mecanism. You see equipement but what I notice here are the pictures of two guys (can't see who they are, probably people he studied/stalked/mind controlled) and what seems to be a certificate? Most likely Sam's. MCU Sam was a teacher and a biologist before he turned into the Leader so it could very well be part of his previous life, which would be a lovely little detail as comics Sam kinda also clings to his humanity so I would SO FUCKING LOVE the idea of him keeping artefacts from his past, I would love if that's what it is about.

But it gives a kinda "home" vibe, like it's not just a lab but also the place Sam might have lived. So maybe unlike his comics self he actually has regrets, even if he smiled in Incredible Hulk when he mutated, maybe he regrets his past life. But maybe I'm also looking too deep again and it's just a decoration LOL.

Then you see Isaiah's face right after that flash, to make it even more obvious that it is what he's fearing.

You'll notice that this shot and this whole sequence is all in a cold blue-ish light, like the lab. I don't think it's a stretch, I think it's a way to show Sam's menacing aura.

Then it teases the chaos with the lack of sounds (except for the bip), the attack itself, Isaiah being arrested under the desperate eyes of Sam Wilson. Worth noticing he seems to be arrested where him and Steve met, so heavy symbolic place for Sam Wilson.

Then the trailer cut in half, really nice btw, I love how it looks. Often opposing two ambiances or two characters (like Ross and Sam Wilson) and I don't know if it's meant as a parallel or to oppose both moment but the trailer was certainly edited in a way to make you feel paranoid and not trust anything you see. Which is what Sam enjoys playing with.

Everything in this trailer is made to make you feel the heavy anxious and paranoid ambiance of the movie and it feels very like it is meant to make you feel like how it feels like to oppose Sam.

Ross is standing in front of a grave with the name "Moore" on it, a little homage to Nate Moore (producer of the movie) I assume. But my guess is it's not the final name, it was touched up and he's probably standing in front of the grave of his wife. I thought the person near him could be Betty but given the very "soldier-ish" pose I think it's rather someone working for him.

After that you have a shot of Sam Wilson among other people in black. I strongly believe this is Ross' funeral. I think his presence in the cemetary will happen near the begining, I think it's a chekhov's gun and he will end up burried in that cemetary as well. In this shot, Sam Wilson has a strap on his arm, this is how he can tell it happens during the funerals, because on the set pictures of that mysterious funeral he had a broken arm with this strap. The broken arm makes me think it happens very near the end, either right before the final fight with Red Hulk or at the very end of the movie. I have two theories, either Ross "dies" before Red Hulk and rises up as Red Hulk (would be an insanely sick shot to see him rising up from his grave with his Red Hulked arm percing through the dirt) OR it happens at the very end, Ross dies and he's teased alive in the post credit scene so they can use him again if they feel like him but don't necessarly have to.

After this, they tease a war, saying that Ross' circle is compromised, easy to guess by Sam? He's very good at manipulating people and that's what he did in the Peter David era, which is most likely the main inspo for him in this movie, mind controlling people in the President's circle. Thus the random pictures we saw above.

Unrelated to anything gamma but then you have Sam Wilson admitting he's not Steve Rogers and how the fuck did bigot saw this and thought "he's saying he's not Captain America" when the whole point is showing that you don't need to be Steve Rogers to wear the mantle? But then again if bigots could think they wouldn't be bigoted.

More actions teased with a better view at Captain's old suit from the Falcon and Winter Soldier show with his helmet on (and please Marvel, PLEASE, I'm on my knees, STOP making helmet CGI with a nanotech excuse, it looks ugly and fake, it's lazy and it's not nearly as badass as a hero removing their mask themself).

Back to Sam with that little moment of his lab, lights are both blue and red this time, red for danger of course as he said himself in Immortal Hulk 37 (it's not an homage btw it's a basic color code that Sam used and it's conveniant for our post lol). There's still a strong focus on that torture chair so it's either the one used to make Red Hulk or to torture Sam ('cause he apparently keeps everything relevant from his past so if he was tortured I guess he would keep that to remember where his hatred is from) but it's clearly an important element of the story.

More action and more hint at a shadow "inside" threat, so Sam.

Sam starts talking, through a phone. A HD version of that shot we noticed in the US d23 leaked trailer with "Reset Ross Reset America", nice callback to Sam's Fall of the Hulks plot and goal in which he wanted Ross to be president btw, to reset the US gov, making me think that Sam helped him be and Ross might have betrayed him in a way or another. You can see the red lab on the right and one of the blue light from the flash in the beginning on the left (it's the same kind of light behind the huge one during the flash).

There's also a brain anatomy statue pointing that it's either what Sam studied here, how the brain works, how to manipulate it or a callback to his own gamma brain mutation. Can't properly see the pictures on the wall nor the computer screen though I assume it's a surveillance camera as it is a Sam thing to sit his lazy ass all day and just stalks people.

You have a quick glance at Ross, seemingly in danger. My theory on that is it happens during the "flight attack" near the Celestial Island so I guess the place he's in is attacked. He seems to be hanging to something. And if you look closely his eyes are red. Probably like how Bruce's eyes turn green when he's near his Hulk transformation.

This moment is right before Sam saying "who's playing who's?" and I LOVE THE WAY SAM IS SAYING THIS IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY. But I think what Sam is implying here is "who's in control of who?" is Ross in control of Red Hulk or is Red Hulk controlling him, is it Ross controlling Sam or Sam controlling Ross you get the idea. The red light on his face also reinforce the idea that he's near turning Red Hulk and losing it.

Then you have Sam with his hat. It was already shown in the first trailer but we're gonna go back to it. It kinda reminds me of the page of his mutation in Immortal Hulk 34 when he sees his green face for the first time ever in front of a fireplace with a mirror in top of it, I think it's a coincidence but it strongly reminds me of that Tales to Astonish moment he looks in a mirror and calls himself the Leader. It makes my feeling that he turning Leader in this movie and not before. I don't think it's his home (even if it would be cute to have him go back to it), it's too "wealthy", I mean, there's a freakin' swimming pool in front of him. Could be Betty's however. I think Sam is on the phone with Ross and not Captain America like the trailer had us think and my theory is he's using Betty to threaten and manipulate Ross, so my guess would be Betty's home.

I already mentionned it but this is also an homage to Peter David's Sam when he was also hidding himself, his new mutation form also, while manipulating people in the Gov.

Incredible Hulk 338 (1987) writing by Peter David, art by Todd McFarlane

It's pretty clear this run is one of the main inspiration for Sam's writing in this movie, I said it several time, I'll stick to my words. So maybe we can expect a design similar to the bald horror freak he was in the 80s/90s at some point, who knows haha, I'm truly looking forward to it no matter what they'll do.

Like I said, I also love, love, LOVE the way Tim Blake Nelson says "who's playing who?" in a very playful provocative manner, mimiquing a child when they tease people, that's typical Sam, playing with his prey and having fun over brain games. That's when his writing is at his peak. I want to see him having fun with his evil schemes.

What I also notice in this shot is how dark it is. For the mystery, of course. But I'm wondering if Sam hidding himself like that and hidding from the light too could also be because he's ashamed of his look. In comics he loves how he looks as the Leader while deeply hating his human appearance because he loves his mutation and it gives him a very egocentric vibe but maybe the MCU will take a different path, similar to the Phantom of the Opera with a Sam hidding himself in fear of people's rejection and disgust and hidding from his own disgust? It could be a nice way to explore Sam's insecurities and self-hatred.

Then Sam is mentionned again here:

This sentence is said when Sam Wilson is arrested, teasing some drama and tension, especially with the shield being taken away from him. But also that Sam is the reason he got arrested, as it seems to happen near his lab 'cause they're dressed the same way. It's either him manipulating these soldier to protect himself or Ross trying to hide his existence.

A little focus on Harrison Ford 'cause he's here to sell after all.

Let's not forget Ross is an antagonist willing to sacrifice everything for control, even turning into what he hated the most for that in comics. That's the control part I was talking about earlier.

I think he might be talking about Sam here actually, maybe he took Sam after Incredible Hulk's event and thought he could control him and so the variable here might refer to him and Ross wanting to get rid of him now that he realize Sam is out of control.

And this feeling is reinforced by the French version of this sentence "je ne veux pas d'un élément incontrolable dans la nature", understand by this "I don't want an incontrolable element freely wandering outside". To me it's the moment before Sam "attacks". Ross is dressed like he is in that shot with the red eyes and I wouldn't be surprised if the intend of these red lights is to kinda "tease" something related to Red Hulk will happen the same way the blue light is here to tease Sam is about to do something.

More action with tension rising through the music and rythme

Then Sam is talking again.

This is the first time you hear him not talking through a phone but directly in person, even if you don't see him, Tim Blake Nelson's voice is very recognizable here, pretty close to his natural voice, emotionless but, idk, it feels like he's angry 'cause he no longer lower his voice to give himself a more menacing aura. The way he sounds very normal has me think that he broke his mask in a way or another. Sam is a very insecured guy with a lot of rage (and emotion as a whole) issues, he tries to look and sounds cold and threatening but he often loses his temper and I'm wondering if that's what is happening here, Sam losing his shit. Again it's just me being used to Sam having certain mimiques, it doesn't mean they will put it in the MCU so it could very well be Sam being Sam but it would make sense to me. If we don't see Sam losing his shit at least once in the movie I'm rioting lol (I won't).

Then you have this shot.

It's easy to tell it's Sam's introduction. That's why you don't see him and why he's so "slow". That's why it's full blue. Seems like it's his signature color in the MCU (unlike orange in comics).

The shape of his visible ear is clearly Tim Blake Nelson's. I can easily recognize his silhouette because I'm a freak, don't ask.

In this shot his head seems diformed. Some people argued it was his hair but to me the "bump" looks more like "brainish". He seems bald from that behind shot too. But we also had leaks with hair. Idk maybe it's fake, maybe his look could change as the movie goes on, evolving kinda but I wouldn't be surprised if he looks like the Peter David horror freak we had in the 90s as it would match the whole ambiance better. His right ear isn't appearant so it has me wonder if he's, like, disfigured or something, you can't see his right ear in that behind shot either 'cause he's on the phone (how conveniant) so I think the right part of his head is difformed. The lack of absolutly sexy green eyes glowing in the dark have me VERY disappointed. It won't make me dislike the movie but I so wanted to see this, JEEZ.

Then Ruth kinda finish the sentence with "don't say I didn't warn you" and it has you wonder if she's working for Sam and is the "compromised" person but idk 'cause she's standing with Sam Wilson on what seems to be a final shot against Red Hulk so I don't think she's a traitor. I think it's the trailer playing with your logic again.

Speaking of Red Hulk:

Sam talks again, he's back with his deeper voice though he's not on a phone either here and it's probably the continuation to what he was saying above. And I can totally imagine him smirking when he says "you don't even know what this is" 'cause his mask is back on. If he doesn't smirk at least once like he did in the end of Incredible Hulk I'm rioting (I still won't).

It's Sam who's introducing Red Hulk in that trailer, proving to the 2 persons who were still doubting it that he is, indeed, the reason Ross turns into Red Hulkand unleashing it.

If you weren't aware of it yet, the main difference between Hulk and Red Hulk is how Red Hulk has two different power. He can project and absord radiation but he can also burn everything he touch, as shown here. In fact that's the main "big thing" this trailer is about, his heat power.

Red Hulk is also known for being in control, unlike Bruce's Hulk. Similar to She-Hulk. So my guess is Sam is mind controlling him.

Then the trailer will only focus on that final fight of course to properly close, Captain's wing spreading and it has me wonder if it will be adamantium powered.

That's it for this trailer. It keeps talking about Sam, about the consequences of his actions but never directly showing him. So a lot of people are "weird he's barely present if he's the main villain", but that's the thing actually, Cap 4 was presented as a thriller and teasing a threat without showing it is the base of a thriller code. That's how you keep people under tension, by not letting them properly identify the threat their hero is facing. Getting them lost. And I think the trailer did a good job playing with editing and presentation to bring that tension actually. To me they shouldn't even show Red Hulk at all, it's already too much. But I liked it a lot. Sam isn't really physicall here but his aura is and it feels like he's playing us already, leading us to think this and that. This whole trailer is about him and his manipulative side.

It's also a very comics accurate Sam thing to do things in the shadow without revealing himself and coming after 30 issues like "hahaha it was ME all along!!" so I don't expect to see him that much.

So, to answer a few comments I got, no, I don't feel disappointed.

I'm really looking forward to MCU Sam, to what they'll do with him. I know they won't properly develop and explore him 'cause it's not a movie about him and you can't do in like two hours what you did in 60 years of Hulk history, especially without Hulk and I don't care, I want to see something new, analyze something new and have fun with a new interpretation of my boy and I really can't wait to do that in 3 months. I want to see how he will turn into the nefarious Leader before he sees Hulk again. I'll be UNSUFFERABLE once the movie is out, you have no idea lol.

Until next time, enjoy~