5 Movies/Series You Must Watch Before Captain America: Brave New World

Captain America: Brave New World will be out in theatres soon for worldwide fandom. Despite seeing mixed reviews, Marvel fans are excited to watch the movie on the big screens. It’s thefirst MCU title of 2025, and everyone wants to see if Sam Wilson can carry forward Steve Rogers’ legacy in his standalone movie. However, if you’re about to visit theaters to experience the movie, make sure you’re all caught up and have watched these MCU movies and web series to fully understand Brave New World.

The Incredible Hulk

Whenever someone talks about Hulk, all they remember is the name of Mark Ruffalo, and only a few remember that Edward Norton was the one to portray the character in The Incredible Hulk. Even though it has been more than a decade since the film’s release, it still remainsone of the best MCU films of all time. While The Incredible Hulk doesn’t connect directly to the storyline of Captain America: Brave New World, it’s still a must-watch before the new Marvel film. That’s because several characters from the 2008 film return to the screens in the 2025 project.

Thunderbolt Ross, the military personnel whom we met in The Incredible Hulk for the first time, will ultimately transform intoRed Hulkin Captain America: Brave New World.Harrison Ford replaces the late William Hurt as Ross. Besides him, we will also get to meetLiv Tyler’s Betty and Tim Blake Nelson’s The Leader. So, one must watch The Incredible Hulk to learn about the origin story of the characters who will appear in Captain America: Brave New World.

A still from Captain America: Brave New World

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This is the film that sees Sam Wilson as The Falcon, the most devoted ally to any superhero. Steve Rogers’ Captain America starts seeing Sam as a worthy sidekick whom he can trust with anything. Captain America: The Winter Soldier lays the foundation of their lifelong alliance and friendship. Sam plays a pivotal role in the fight against Hydra, the terrorist organization.

The film also introduced the childhood buddy of Steve Rogers named Bucky Barnes, aka. Winter soldier, who eventually gets transformed into a killing machine by the Russians. Despite being a significant character in Captain America’s story, Bucky won’t be back in Brave New World.

The Incredible Hulk

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is a part of the fourth phase of MCU, and it is one of the most important TV shows that you have to watch before heading towards Captain America: Brave New World. That’s becausethe new Marvel flick is the direct predecessor of this film. After giving up on the Captain America title, Steve Rogers passes his responsibilities and the shield to Sam Wilson. So, basically, the one who will be the titular character in Brave New World adapts to the role for the first time in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

After taking on the mantle of Captain America, Joaquin Torres joins Sam Wilson as the new Falcon. The Brave New World will delve deeper, and we will get to see their relationship evolve just like Sam and Steve.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Eternals is considered the worst and most pointless entry in the MCU. Well, that’s because it was a standalone project that revolved around the Immortal beings who arrived on Earth before the civilization. While none of the Eternals gets featured in Brave New World, we do see Tiamut’s corpse being featured in the movie’s trailer. Apparently, Tiamut was a celestial whose birth was stopped by Eternals. His massive face and hand now serve as the source of Adamantium, a new element. This element is one of the major reasons for the political conflict in Brave New World, so if you don’t want to feel lost after seeing Tiamut in the movie, do give Eternals a watch before hitting theatres.

Avengers: Endgame

The final nail in the coffin would be the Avengers Endgame movie. Also, it goes without saying that you have to watch Avengers Infinity War to understand Endgame. However, it’s the final moments of the Endgame that sets up the story for Brave New World. Sam Wilson now holds the title of Captain America; however, it was Steve Rogers who gave away that title in the Endgame movie. Sam Wilson has to carry forward a massive legacy and figure out how to live up to a title that was held by Steve for several decades.

5 Movies/Series You Must Watch Before Captain America: Brave New World