Captain America: Brave New World ending explained – Who dies in the Marvel movie? How does it set up the next Avengers?

Captain America: Brave New World, the highly-anticipated fourth Cap installment that sees Anthony Mackie take over for Chris Evans, has arrived. The film is an action-packed political thriller that sees Sam Wilson (Mackie) and Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) work with the ever-reluctant President Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross (Harrison Ford) to take down a mysterious villain known as The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson).

As with all Marvel movies, there's a lot of plot, and a lot of details you may have missed. You may be a little confused, have questions, or be in dire need of a recap. No worries, we got you. Below, we've answered all of the burning questions you might have after watching Captain America: Brave New World. You've been warned, though: There are massive spoilers ahead for Captain America: Brave New World. Don't scroll on down unless you've already seen the brand new Marvel movie.

Captain America: Brave New World ending recap

As we near the end of the film, we learn that Samuel Sterns aka The Leader (who we first met in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk) is behind everything – from the terrorist attack on President Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross to making it appear as though the United States stole Adamantium from Japan – and has been orchestrating these plots from a black site prison in West Virginia via mind control (flashing lights and the oldies song 'Oh Blue'). When Sam and Joaquin go to confront Sterns at Camp Echo, we learn that Sterns is being held prisoner there for a very specific reason: when his brain became infected with the Hulk’s blood, Ross realized that the gamma radiation was making him hyper-intelligent – and decided to increase the gamma instead of save him from it. Sam deduces that Ross promised to release Sterns after he became president – but it’s been nearly 100 days into Ross’s presidency and no such release has been negotiated.

While Sam and Joaquin are still at Camp Echo, Ross confronts the Prime Minister of Japan – who presents him with 'evidence' that the US stole adamantium from Japan and effectively calls off the peace treaty. Ruth (Shira Haas) is sent by Ross to apprehend Sam and Joaquin, who are off-grid after leaving their cellphones back in DC, but is quickly attacked by the federal guards who are suddenly under Sterns’ mind control. Ross returns to his presidential plane and learns that Japan has initiated unfriendly fire against the US. Sam confronts Ross while aboard the plane and learns that Ross was using Sterns to stay alive, as he was the only person with enough intelligence to figure out Ross’s heart problem. Those pills we see Ross take throughout the film were made by Sterns at Camp Echo. Sterns escapes from Camp Echo and breaks into the house of a US Admiral and is able to contact Ross while on the plane. The F-18s have been taken over via mind control and have been ordered by Sterns to attack the Japanese. Sam and Joaquin take on the F-18s, but Joaquin is hit and immediately nosedives into the Indian Ocean. During the fight however, Sterns is on the phone with Ross, trying desperately to make him angry – and while it doesn’t happen just yet, we know he’s trying to make him Hulk out.

Cap successfully diffuses the mid-air fight and prevents a World War from happening. Sam goes to visit Joaquin in the hospital while he’s in surgery – and good ol’ Bucky Barnes shows up to give Sam a vote of confidence. We cut to the Norfolk, VA army base, where Cap asks his friend Commander Dennis Dunphy to investigate the pills that Sterns has been giving Ross. Before he can do anything, however, Sterns approaches him and makes Dunphy's brain explode via mind control. Back at the White House, we see Ross address the American people in a tense press conference. As Cap is leaving the hospital, Sterns approaches and tells him that Dunphy is no longer investigating those pills – which are filled with a dosage of gamma that has been increasing over time. "Ross turned me into a monster, it’s only right that I do the same to him," Sterns says before turning himself over to the feds.

A journalist at the press conference asks Ross about Sterns turning himself in, as it now looks like they were in cahoots about the Adamantium. He then comes in through the loudspeakers at the conference, and triggers Ross into becoming Red Hulk. Ross, in his Hulked-out form, effectively destroys most of the White House, and it’s up to Cap to take him down without killing him. They take their fight over to the cherry blossoms – which they destroy during their fight. With no end to the fight in sight and Sam becoming extremely injured, he tries to talk Ross down by telling him he knows he’s trying to change and be a better person – and that he can prove it to his daughter Betty. A single cherry blossom petal falls onto Ross’s hand, and he returns to his human form.

We fast-forward to Isaiah Bradley being released from his false imprisonment for the terrorist attack against Ross, the peace treaty being underway, and Ross residing in a military prison. Sam, with his arm in a sling, visits Ross in prison and tells him that he did the right thing by giving up the office, turning himself in, and serving a prison sentence. Sam also reveals that the Celestial Island peace treaty has gone through, thanks to his work and has been named after Ross.

Finally, after many years of estrangement, Betty goes to visit her father in prison – and the two sit and talk. Sam goes to visit Joaquin in the hospital, and the two share a tender moment about what it means to be a hero and have to prove himself. The two joke about having Wakanda on speed dial, with Sam telling Joaquin that he needs to start training because the "world needs the Avengers."

In a post-credits scene, Cap visits The Leader in prison and tells him that he killed a lot of good people trying to get revenge. The Leader responds by saying that an extra-terrestrial and multiversal threat is coming soon to Earth.

Who dies in Captain America: Brave New World?

Oddly enough, there are no major character deaths in this one. The Secret Service members who attempt to assassinate Ross via mind control are killed by another prison guard who is also under the influence of The Leader's mind control. Commander Dennis Dunphy, Sam's friend in the army, is also killed by The Leader in a similar fashion after being tasked by Sam to investigate the pills that The Leader has been giving to Ross.

What happens to President Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross?

After turning into the Red Hulk and destroying the White House and damaging the Capitol, Ross turns himself in, gives up his presidential seat, and begins serving a prison sentence. We can assume that, because he is no longer on the pills, he is no longer able to transform into Red Hulk. However, the cell he's being kept in looks pretty sturdy i.e. it seems that he's being closely watched in case he does, in fact, Hulk out again.

We know that the Thunderbolts, the team of antiheroes that are assembled by the Contessa in the upcoming movie Thunderbolts*, are named after him – so it's possible that we will see him again in the upcoming film.

What happens to Joaquin Torres?

He lives! After being shot out of the sky by one of the F-18s that were being controlled by The Leader, Joaquin nosedived into the Indian Ocean – but was saved by a military medic. He undergoes a successful surgery and is visited in the hospital by Sam, who gives him a pep talk. Injured or not, Joaquin will remain the Falcon to Sam's Captain America – and we'll likely seeing the duo fighting alongside each other in an upcoming MCU film.

What happens to The Leader?

After the Leader turns himself over to the feds, he hacks the speakers during the White House press conference and triggers Ross into turning into Red Hulk. In a post-credits scene, Sam goes to visit him in prison – where he warns that an otherworldly threat is coming to Earth.

What happens to Sidewinder?

After Sidewinder tries to blow up Sam in his car, the two engage in a shootout that culminates in Sidewinder being apprehended. While in custody, he tries to bargain with Sam for a lesser prison sentence in engage for information about his buyer – who ends up being the Leader. When Sidewinder doesn't budge, Sam and Joaquin trace his phone to Camp Echo in West Virginia, where the Leader is being held. It's likely that Sidewinder remains in prison at the end of the film.

Is Sam Wilson restarting the Avengers?

At the beginning of the film, Ross tells Sam that it's time to restart the Avengers – despite Ross being the one who put laws in place that effectively dissolved the team. Towards the end, Sam tells Joaquin that he needs to heal and start training harder because the world needs the Avengers. Nothing is confirmed, though it is implied. However, the next movie on the way is Thunderbolts*, which sees the Contessa put together a supergroup consisting of MCU antiheroes (with Bucky Barnes momentarily ditching his run for congress to join the team). With two new Avengers movies on the way, Doomsday and Secret Wars, we know the team is set to return – but it may not be until sometime in 2026.

Captain America: Brave New World is in theaters now. For more, check out our Captain America: Brave New World review.