NFL
By Keith Richards
To say that the post-Endgame commercial success for the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been underwhelming would be an understatement. The second act of the Multiverse Saga has not been a critical success, especially Phase Five. I, for one, have not been as bullish on Phase Five as others have been. My thoughts about that are here.
Still, Phase Five concludes with the release of Ironheart in June. Deadpool and Wolverine were insanely successful on the Marvel front for Phase Five. Regarding shows, Agatha All Along was the last release. It’s one of the few Phase Five releases with successful critical reviews.
Two movies and three shows will be released in 2025 to wrap up Marvel Phase Five. I’m most intrigued by the two movies and one show. I’m here to explain why Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and Ironheart are the most anticipated Marvel releases of 2025.
Captain America: Brave New World
Of all the Phase Five releases in 2025, Captain America: Brave New World faces the most pressure. It also has the most to prove. The last significant action from Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes was in Phase Four. The Falcon and the Winter Solider was one of Phase Four’s more critically successful releases. It is Certified Fresh with Rotten Tomatoes at 85% with an 81% audience approval rating.
Regarding the adventures of Falcon and the Winter Solider, Rotten Tomatoes states, “Packed with blockbuster action and deft character beats, Falcon and the Winter Soldier proves itself worthy of Captain America’s legacy with its globetrotting intrigue, mature social commentary, and the sparky rapport between stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan.” Mackie and Stan look to continue that chemistry as Wilson and Barnes in this cornerstone Phase Five release.
The last time we see Bucky Barnes, he struggles on many fronts. The Winter Soldier tries to make amends for his deeds as a brainwashed assassin. Then, he and Sam struggle with the continued advances of the new Captain America. John Walker is someone we’ll explore further with Thunderbolts. To top it all off, Bucky must struggle with losing his lifelong friend while trying to comfort the insecurities of the man Steve Rogers chose to replace him as Captain America: Sam Wilson.
Sam is also struggling. As mentioned, Sam is unsure that Captain Rogers passed the mantle to the right person. Wilson gave the vibranium shield to the government for display at a museum. Blindsiding Falcon, John Walker receives the shield instead. To make things worse, Sam and Bucky discover that more Super Soldier Serum now exists. A new terrorist group called the Flag Smashers is on the rise. This terrorist group uses this new Super Soldier Serum. Wilson and Barnes find themselves in a new battle to stop the group.
Ultimately, Bucky makes amends with all of those he hurt as the Winter Soldier. Sam embraces the role of the new Captain America (getting a sick new flight suit from the Wakandans in the process). The Flag Smashers were defeated. That brings us to a Brave New World. Trailers can be deceiving, but the trailer for Brave New World indicates that this release will help end Phase Five on a high note.
Captain America: Brave New World finds Sam Wilson, once again, facing adversaries from within and without. U.S. Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross becomes United States President Thaddeus Ross. A terrorist group attacks President Ross, and chaos ensues. Captain America (feels strange to call Sam that) feels there is a leak in the president’s inner circle. So, he trusts no one. A mystery man asks, “Captain America. You ever ask yourself who’s playing who?” Wilson is in cuffs. Then, the Red Hulk is unleashed.
Indeed, this new Captain America film is a Brave New World. Captain America: Brave New World may be the film that redeems Phase Five. However, these other two anticipated releases will also have their say.
Ironheart
As far as the MCU goes, Riri Williams is still mostly unknown. Riri enters the MCU in Phase Four’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Williams lands herself in the crosshairs of both the bad and good guys via her brilliance as a scientist. As a student at MIT, Riri Williams builds vibranium detectors, which the CIA uses to locate potential vibranium deposits in the ocean. Namor of the Kingdom of Talokan seeks the scientist responsible for the device. He gives Queen Ramonda an ultimatum: Deliver Riri or the people of Talokan will attack Wakanda.
Willaims then becomes a pawn in the pending war between Talokan and Wakanda. Shuri and Okoye go to MIT to find this mystery scientist, who they discover is just a kid: Riri Williams. Unfortunately, the FBI and the warriors of Namor find Willaims as well. Shuri, Williams, and Okoye shake the FBI but cannot shake Namor’s warriors. Even with Riri’s prototype Ironheart suit, Namor’s warriors best the trio, capturing Williams and the princess.
Nakia saves Riri and Shuri from Namor, which seals the pending battle between Talokan and Wakanda. Wakanda defeats Talokan with the help of Williams’ drastically improved Ironheart suit, and they ally. Riri Williams returns to MIT, leaving her new suit behind, promising to keep a lower profile. That brings us to Phase Five and the Ironheart release.
Releasing in June, we still have not seen much footage for Ironheart outside of the “Coming in 2025” video released by Disney+. In the video, we see Riri working on a new Ironheart suit, and she states, “I wanna build something iconic.” Someone asks her, “How far are you willing to go to get what you want?” That someone appears to be Parker Robbins. For those not familiar with the Marvel comics, Robbins is the villain known as The Hood.
So, from the little teaser available, we see the protagonist and the antagonist of Ironheart. However, that’s about all we know outside of the cast list. There are so many potential surprises that could be in store. Will we see the AI version of Tony Stark? In the comics, Pepper Potts encourages Riri to use Tony’s labs. Will we see Pepper Potts return? Riri Williams and Ironheart are the wildcards of the remaining Phase Five releases. If Dominique Thorne brings the same performance as Wakanda Forever, Ironheart will be great!
Thunderbolts
At the beginning of Phase Five, we see the conclusion of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Guardians hold a special place in the hearts of MCU fans. They are the anti-heroes. They know right and wrong but don’t always take the high ground. However, in the end, the Guardians of the Galaxy are good guys. They do what they know is right when it matters. Now, who takes up that mantle? Enter the Thunderbolts.
The Thunderbolts are more remarkable because they’re not just anti-heroes. They’re Earth’s anti-heroes. Peter Quill was born on Earth but can hardly be called an earthling. The 50% of Star-Lord that is stupid is 100% the Thunderbolts. The Phase Five film takes a collection of misfits from Phase Four. Then, it makes them a team. Finally, they give that team a movie, and I’m sure chaos is on the horizon. Let’s meet them!
First, we have Yelena Belova. Yelena makes her first appearance in Phase Four’s Black Widow. She is the adoptive sister of Nastha Romanoff. Belova is a Red Room operative who worked as a Black Widow herself. After Thanos’ Snap, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine sends Belova to kill Clint Barton. Valentina convinces Yelena that Hawkeye is the reason Natasha is dead.
Yelena almost kills Barton before he can convince her that Romanoff’s death was her choice. Yelena then abandons the attempt on Clint’s life. When she abandons her mission, we do not see Belova again until Thunderbolts. As it turns out, she and her band of antiheroes go on missions for the United States government. I’m assuming we learn more about that in the film.
Then, there is Bucky Barnes – The Winter Soldier. By now, we are all familiar with Bucky. After helping Captain America defeat the Flag Smashers, Barnes now operates as the de facto leader of the Thunderbolts. How is he the leader? Why is he the leader? We’ll soon find out.
Speaking of Captain America, we have the Russian Captain America. Alexei Shostakov is his name. Shostakov also made his first appearance in Black Widow. Alexei is the Red Guardian. He is Steve Rogers’ Russian counterpart and the father figure for Yelena. What he’s done since Black Widow is unknown. If what we know of him from Black Widow is any indicator, it’s safe to assume he has not been a knight in shining armor.
Next, we have John Walker. In Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Walker is the government’s choice for the new Captain America. However, Walker is not Captain America’s pick to carry the mantle. Naturally, this leads to friction between Walker and Sam Wilson. Initially, John Walker receives the Captain America Shield from the government. However, after seeing his friend die at the hands of the Flag Smashers, Walker brutally murders one of them. To make matters worse, a bystander films it all.
Walker then loses the shield to Bucky and Sam. He’s stripped of his Captain America title and receives an other than honorable discharge. Then, John Walker finds himself as another pawn in the clutches of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She rebrands him as U.S. Agent. As U.S. Agent, John Walker helps to defeat the Flag Smashers.
Finally, we have Antonia Dreykov and Ava Starr. Dreykov is Taskmaster. After Natasha frees her in Black Widow, Antonia is no longer under her father’s control. She now uses her photographic reflexes to help the U.S. government and Valentina. Starr is Ghost. Ghost makes her first appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp. In the film, she is one of the antagonists working against Scott and Hope. However, all she wants is to fix being in constant molecular disequilibrium. Now that she has that under control, Ava is more powerful than ever.
If the official trailer is any indication, Thunderbolts has a Guardians of the Galaxy feel. I expect this Phase Five film to be full of action, comedy, and moral dilemmas. If Thunderbolts is only half as enjoyable as Guardians, it will be a success for Marvel’s Phase Five.
Team NBS will be here with you as Marvel closes the curtain on Phase Five and gets rolling with Phase Six. Be sure to check out all of our other entertainment content!
