Warning: This article contains spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World.
Director Julius Onah teases the real meaning behind Captain America: Brave New World and its implications for the MCU. Captain America: Brave New World revisited characters and plotlines from The Incredible Hulk, Eternals, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and it set up future storylines for characters such as Captain America and Falcon, Samuel Sterns a.k.a. The Leader, and Thaddeus Ross a.k.a. Red Hulk. After Captain America: Brave New World‘s ending, the Leader makes a final appearance imprisoned in the Raft, where he reveals to Captain America that he has predicted the arrival of “others,” who will defend their worlds soon.
Captain America: Brave New World director Julius Onah addresses the movie’s post-credits scene in an interview with Brandon Davis. Onah explains that the scene aims to “resolve” Samuel Sterns’ story and tease the plot of the MCU’s next Avengers movies. Onah denies having any Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars spoilers, but suggests the scene is “teeing up” elements from both upcoming Avengers movies. Read Julius Onah’s comments below:
“That came together when we were also just thinking through how do you wanna resolve the storyline of Samuel Sterns and how you wanna tip the hat to what’s gonna potentially be coming. I’m not gonna give any spoilers on Avengers because that’s not something that I would do and not something that, frankly, I have spoilers to give, but I will say there are things that this is teeing up that I think are going to be really exciting for audiences. And as we know, Captain America has historically been a leader of the Avengers. And in terms of the others that are coming, there’s gonna be a lot of fun possibilities that the subsequent movies can play with.
Speaking to Collider, director Julius Onah reveals that the plans for Captain America: Brave New World‘s post-credits tease always had one scene instead of two. Onah argues that adding more post-credits scenes would have been too distracting, and that the movie’s post-credits scene had to avoid becoming “too explicit” in the details it sets up, and that the focus on Sam Wilson was always the top priority. Onah says:
“It was always the case that what felt organic for this movie was just leaning into a post-credits sequence that could tease what’s coming next. We wanted to tease it in a way that didn’t become too explicit. This is about introducing Sam as our new Captain America. That was the overarching focus of this movie, so to start throwing in too many post-credit sequences just felt like it was going to stray away from that. Even the tease we have is still very Sam-centric.”
What Captain America: Brave New World Director’s Credits Scene Comments Mean
Captain America: Brave New World’s Post-Credits Scene Leads To Avengers: Doomsday
Director Julius Onah doesn’t reveal what exactly Samuel Sterns is teasing in Captain America: Brave New World‘s post-credits scene, nor does he reveal any new information about Avengers: Doomsday‘s plot. However, Onah’s direct mention of the MCU’s next Avengers movie all but confirms that Samuel Sterns’ threat involves Avengers: Doomsday‘s main conflict. Whether Onah knew any details about Avengers: Doomsday‘s story while filming the post-credits scene is unknown, but considering the Phase 6 team-up movie is scheduled for release in 2026, it’s safe to say that several major elements of its plot are already set in stone.
Julius Onah also underlines Sam Wilson’s importance in Captain America: Brave New World‘s post-credits scene and future MCU projects. There’s no better hero to search for valuable information about the MCU’s next Avengers movie than the team’s next leader. Once Avengers: Doomsday arrives, Sam Wilson’s idea to ᴀssemble Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Samuel Sterns’ ominous threat in Captain America: Brave New World may officially kick off the ticking clock for the MCU’s next Multiversal War.
Our Take On Captain America: Brave New World Director’s Credits Scene Comments
Captain America: Brave New World’s Post-Credits Scene Is Too Vague
Samuel Sterns mentions the existence of other individuals defending their own worlds, presumably from the MCU’s main timeline. Sterns’ wording places emphasis on the word “others,” which could mean anything from other timelines, to alternate versions of the MCU’s Avengers, to other multiversal characters not yet announced. But while the existence of other timelines could be a surprise to Sam Wilson, Captain America: Brave New World‘s post-credits tease does little to set up Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. Perhaps Avengers: Doomsday will give Samuel Sterns’ words a darker meaning when the Avengers’ war arrives.
Sources: Brandon Davis, Collider
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027