Marvel boss Kevin Feige hopes Captain America: Brave New World leads to "full acceptance" of Anthony Mackie's new hero

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has revealed what he wants audiences to take away from upcoming MCU movie Captain America: Brave New World – and it's all about cementing Anthony Mackie's new iteration of Captain America.

"I think, in many ways, the victory has already happened, but it's that full acceptance of Sam Wilson as Captain America, right?" Feige said at a press conference attended by GamesRadar+. "That shield has been passed, and it feels like the audience knows it was passed to the right person, and I think this movie will solidify that more."

Sam Wilson took on the mantle of Captain America in 2021's Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but this is Mackie's first big-screen outing as Cap. He's joined by Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, who's taken over from Sam as Falcon, along with Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus Ross, AKA Red Hulk, Tim Blake Nelson who's returning as his The Incredible Hulk character The Leader, and Giancarlo Esposito as new villain Sidewinder. The Cloverfield Paradox helmer Julius Onah is in the director's chair.

"This is about cementing Sam Wilson as our new Captain America," Onah added later in the press conference. "And his superpower is his empathy, and I want the audience to walk away with that emotional, inspiring idea of that empathy. Because I think the twists and the turns, the action, surprise, the fun ride that they will absolutely go on is about taking you to that emotional destination."

Captain America: Brave New World arrives in theaters on February 14. In the meantime, get up to speed with the MCU with our guide to the story so far in Marvel Phase 5 and a look at what's to come in Marvel Phase 6.