Captain America: Brave New World plays like a high-stakes '90s conspiracy thriller: the puppet master pulling the strings, the shifting camera angles, President Harrison Ford on Air Force One. However, unlike those blockbusters, this one takes place in a reality where a Celestial has emerged from the Indian Ocean and half the world’s population once disappeared.
By the end of Brave New World, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a few more problems to deal with. But before going into the specifics, here’s your spoiler warning. The following deep dives into the Captain America: Brave New World ending, so make sure you’ve seen Marvel’s latest before reading on.
Still here? Then you have witnessed Ford’s Red Hulk tear apart the White House following the manipulations of Dr. Samuel Sterns. Once Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross’ tantrum comes to an end, he’s locked away on The Raft – the high-security facility where he once imprisoned half of the Avengers – and is visited by Sam Wilson.
The pair share a quick conversation and it becomes apparent that Ross has stepped away from his presidential role. It's not confirmed who, exactly, has taken over as Commander-in-chief in the meantime, which leaves a very powerful position in the MCU very open – and I have an idea of who could fill it.
Reign of the devil
Arch-nemesis to Daredevil, wannabe adoptive father to Echo, and lover of very blank paintings, Wilson Fisk happens to be in a prime position to run for President. As revealed in the latest Daredevil: Born Again trailer, Kingpin has been elected Mayor of New York, making him a certified politician. We can also infer that, though Fisk's done more than a few shady things, his public persona continues to be relatively clean and his hunger for power remains insatiable. In other words, there’s a perfect storm brewing for Fisk to make a play to become the most powerful person in the world.
There's some fairly substantial evidence to back up this idea, too. First, the comic books. In 'Devil's Reign', the comic book event that started in late 2021, Kingpin happens to be New York's mayor. At one point, he tells the mind-controlling Purple Man that someone else deserves his powers and could create "a better world" with them – all while staring at a poster that reads "Fisk For President".
Second, when I spoke to the creatives behind Daredevil: Born Again for SFX Magazine’s cover feature, there was some clear signalling that Fisk could be making moves beyond mayor. When I asked showrunner Dario Scardapane about Fisk’s role in the series, he had this to say: "Fisk’s going to make a very bold move for power. The hints are there, but I want to be cautious about exactly what form that power takes… Weirdly, we're not ripped from the headlines. But you know, the zeitgeist being what it is, New York and power and politics is a fun floor to dance on."
This could have simply been Scardapane talking about Fisk becoming mayor, but then Vincent D'Onofrio told me something that further perked up my ears. I asked the actor behind Kingpin whether his character’s at his most dangerous this coming season.
"He is becoming increasingly dangerous," D'Onofrio said. "He is flexing his darkness and his power, and he's trying to basically gaslight a city, and then eventually a country, and then eventually a world. That's the way he thinks and there's no stopping him."
Gaslighting the world? That sure sounds like Kingpin’s making moves beyond just New York, and though neither showrunner nor actor would go into specifics, it certainly wouldn't feel out of place for the villain to make a play for the newly vacant President spot.
Power plays
A few things are going against this theory. Scardapane has called Daredevil: Born Again a street-level story that’s "very New York". If Fisk makes a play for President – or indeed becomes President – it would inevitably take him out of Hell's Kitchen and onto the world stage.
There's a solution to this in Devil's Reign: Kingpin's ambitions to run for President do not come to fruition as he is stopped by Daredevil. Should the MCU’s Kingpin threaten the same as his comic counterpart, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Daredevil did everything in his power to stop Fisk before he leaves New York (which would make a nice season-long story).
If Kingpin was stopped, that would leave the POTUS spot vacant. Marvel seems to be pushing the position as more important within the MCU than ever before as recent Presidents have played key roles on screen: President James Ritson was a part of Secret Invasion, while Brave New World established how Captain America is now working directly with the President.
(Lest we forget, Donald Trump was president in the MCU for an unknown amount of time, as confirmed when Luke Cage mentions him in his now-canon series. Before Trump, the fictional Matthew Ellis was President, as seen in Iron Man 3.)
With that in mind, it would make sense for an established character to take over, but who else is on the cards? Brave New World teases future Congressman Bucky, who will next appear in Thunderbolts*, though he seems like a distant choice considering he killed John F. Kennedy (under the control of HYDRA, but still…).
If we look to the comics for clues, both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers have been President, though they are dead in the MCU. An alternative variant of Victor Von Doom, Doom 2099, was President in his universe, which could be a fun plot device to play around with in the upcoming Avengers movies. And on Earth-183, Norman Osbourne was once President, which could be a great introduction to a new version of the character.
There is no knowing exactly who will take over the reins from Ross – but don’t be surprised if Kingpin, at the very least, makes a play for the position.
Captain America: Brave New World is out in theaters now and Daredevil: Born Again begins on Disney Plus on March 4. For more on the MCU, check out our Captain America: Brave New World review and our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
