Marvel Changes Captain America 4’s Title to Be Less Controversial

Marvel dropped its first-look image of Captain America: New World Order today with a behind-the-scenes shot of Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford pointing at a screen. However, the real news from the photo wasn’t our best look at Mackie’s new Captain America costume but instead the fact that the name of the film on the back of the actors’ chairs was something new. Marvel has officially changed the film title of Captain America 4 to Captain America: Brave New World.

Captain America: Brave New World

In theaters May 3, 2024 (via @anthonymackie) pic.twitter.com/u1kCgLolsL

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) June 6, 2023

There was no reason given for the name change, but it was probably an attempt to avoid controversy. While New World Order is a comic book villain organization that the Red Skull once founded to try to rule the world, it’s also an antisemitic conspiracy theory about Jews taking over the world. Unfortunately, the entirely unfounded theory has more traction than it should, and Marvel probably decided to shift away from the name to Brave New World to avoid any issues. The new title has roots in comics as well with the Secret Empire storyline that involved Hydra. It’s also the title of the classic dystopian sci-fi book by Aldous Huxley, which could give another possible hint as to where the storyline is going in a film series that seems to be pivoting to be far more topical.

The new Brave New World image, which could not look more staged, features Mackie in his new Captain America uniform, which is quite different from the one he sported in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and feels closer to Steve Rogers’ uniform as well. Ford, meanwhile, does not seem to be in costume, but since he’s taking over for the late William Hurt by playing Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, that could just be because he doesn’t have a superhero costume. We don’t know much else about the movie other than its pulling in The Incredible Hulk alums Liv Tyler and Tim Blake Nelson, who reprise their roles of Betty Ross and Samuel Sterns respectively. Julius Onah is directing the film, which is said to be a paranoid thriller.

Equipped with a name change, Captain America: Brave New World will release on May 3, 2024.