Captain America: Brave New World is now playing in theaters and, while critics are divided on the latest MCU movie, it does appear to be receiving a far warmer response from fans and regular moviegoers.
While the blockbuster was clearly reworked through extensive reshoots, this is still a Marvel Studios title. That means it's full of Easter Eggs, references to the comic books and wider MCU, and cameos even the most die-hard fans might have missed while watching this one.
In this feature, we're breaking those down and highlighting everything from familiar facial hair to recycled convention photos and even the MCU debuts of a few very obscure characters.
To check out Captain America: Brave New World's best Easter Eggs, click the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
10. A Familiar Photo
In Sam Wilson's new base - which is a) awesome, and b) gets nowhere near enough screentime - we see several photos. Among them is a shot of the hero's old wingman, Riley, an image we first saw in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
There's also a photo of Sam and Bucky Barnes together (they're friends now, remember). However, that's a recycled shot of Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan taken in 2019 when they were at D23 to promote The Falcon and The Winter Soldier!
9. Mr. Blue
In The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner communicates with a mysterious scientist who uses the name "Mr. Blue." We eventually learn he's Samuel Sterns...and that he and Bruce have very different ideas about how best to use Gamma Radiation.
Captain America: Brave New World sees The Leader use the 1959 song "Mr. Blue" by The Fleetwoods to trigger those he's brainwashed. Of course, the moniker goes even further back than that as "Mr. Blue" was a persona first used by Betty Ross in a 2001 comic book story arc.
8. Camp Echo-1
There are conflicting reports about whether Amadeus Cho was going to appear in Captain America: Brave New World. However, a big nod to the character comes when we visit a West Virginia-based black site named Camp Echo-1.
On the page, Cho helped S.H.I.E.L.D. build a facility capable of containing The Hulk but ultimately helped turn it into a place where the Green Goliath could find peace, only for it to eventually be used by HYDRA as a prison for Inhumans. Here, it's where President Ross locks up Sterns.
7. Copperhead
Captain America: Brave New World's reshoots toned down the Serpent Society, taking away the group's costumes and powers. The movie still features Sidewinder and Copperhead, with the latter played by Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson.
He's the huge goon Cap fights in the church and is likely the Davis Lawfers version introduced in the pages of 1987’s Captain America #387. What you might not realise is he wielded a couple of Adamantium daggers and that is how he damaged the star on Sam's suit...
6. Adamantium
In this movie, "Celestial Island" (the remains of Tiamut from 2021's Eternals) is revealed as the source of Adamantium in the MCU. Why does Captain America: Brave New World make a point of connecting the indestructible metal that coats Wolverine's bones to Japan?
Well, in the comics, Japanese scientist Kenji Oyama, a.k.a. Lord Darkwind figures out how to bond Adamantium to human bones. That process was later used by Dr. Abraham Cornelius on Logan for the Weapon X program, though a scene with Adamantium in its liquid form was cut.
5. President Ross' Mustache
The movie opens by recounting the events of The Incredible Hulk. During that, we're reminded of Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross' combative relationship with both The Hulk and the world's heroes, leading to a blink-and-you'd-miss-it shot of Harrison Ford rocking Ross' iconic 'tache.
He's also wearing full military regalia, bridging the gap between the late William Hurt and this interpretation. Ross later tells Sam that he was told to lose the facial hair or lose the election. Now, we can't but wonder whether it was The Leader who told the General that...
4. Demolition Man
In Captain America: Brave New World, Sam Wilson turns to Commander Dennis Dunphy, an old friend and member of the United States Armed Forces, for help figuring out what's in the pills Samuel Sterns has been giving President Ross.
On the page, Dunphy is better known as Demolition Man or D-Man, a character who first suited up in 1987's Captain America #328. Granted powers by the Power Broker, he teams up with Cap and later suffers a heart attack...which is how The Leader kills him in this movie.
3. Octavia Spencer
If you stuck around through the credits, you might have noticed that Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer receives a "special thanks." She starred in Captain America: Brave New World director Julius Onah's 2019 movie Luce and recommended him to Mackie for this movie.
Of course, she's no stranger to superhero movies after playing a small part in 2002's Spider-Man (she checked Peter Parker in for his wrestling match with Bone Saw McGraw). Spencer has yet to take on a noteworthy role in either the Marvel or DC Universes, though.
2. Red Hulk Heats Up
You might have noticed that, when President Ross transforms into Red Hulk, some of his clothes burn off. This is a nod to the comics where, the angrier he becomes, the more heat the villain's skin generates. Unfortunately, the movie never really explores that.
If you're at all familiar with Red Hulk's early adventures, chances are you'll remember him being surrounded by flames at points. There's a hat tip to that here amid the White House's destruction but the odds were already stacked against Sam, so perhaps this was one power too many.
1. "The Others"
The movie's post-credits scene features Sam Wilson visiting The Leader in The Raft. The villain warns Captain America that "it's coming" and tells the hero this is not the only world. "We'll see what happens when you have to protect this place...from the others," Sterns declares.
This is a very vague reference to Avengers: Doomsday and the fact Earth-616's Mightiest Heroes will soon have to do battle with their Variants, presumably as a result of an Incursion. We do wonder if Sterns was originally meant to be referencing Kang, though!