Captain America: Brave New World ends a surprising 17-year Marvel streak with its no-nonsense opening

Harrison Ford as Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Captain America: Brave New World, as the title might suggest, isn't content with sticking to the tried-and-tested Marvel traditions.

Case in point: the fourth Captain America movie has become the first MCU entry to not use the iconic Marvel Studios page-flipping logo that has accompanied every project in the series since 2008's Iron Man.

Instead, audiences are treated to a no-nonsense black-and-white logo that really sets the tone for what's to come. Gone is the loud fanfare and, in its place, a back-to-basics approach that runs throughout the rest of the Julius Onah-directed movie's two-hour runtime.

While Marvel Studios features have previously done away with the music – including Iron Man, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home – this is the first time it's gone without both the logo and the music. A Brave New World, indeed.

Starring Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, and Tim Blake Nelson, Captain America: Brave New World carries on from the events of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and sees Mackie's Sam Wilson grappling with an international incident. The Marvel Phase 5 movie is also set to introduce the alter-ego of Ford's Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross: Red Hulk.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ at least year's San Diego Comic-Con, Ford said of his character's CGI transformation, "It was based on what I had done and it's animated so it looked familiar." Ford added, "I think my wife thinks I look like that all the time, so it was not that big a deal."

Beyond Brave New World, Daredevil is Born Again on Disney Plus this March. Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four are also heading to cinemas, with the latter potentially hiding Reed Richards' stretching powers in its first trailer.

For more, check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Read more
Danny Ramirez and Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World review: "Anthony Mackie's Cap earns his Stars and Stripes in this uneven, un-MCU thriller"
Captain America: Brave New World trailer
New Captain America: Brave New World teaser gives us our best look yet at Danny Ramirez's Falcon and has everyone making the same joke
Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World release date, cast, trailer, and more Marvel news
Captain America: Brave New World
First reactions to Captain America: Brave New World compare the Marvel movie to Winter Soldier, but point out some major issues
Harrison Ford as Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World
Despite one of the MCU's lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores, Captain America: Brave New World has a massive opening weekend, already making back its reported production budget
Anthony Mackie as Captain America in Brave New World
Anthony Mackie says Captain America: Brave New World is a building block to the next Avengers: Endgame-style "massive moment" in the MCU
Latest in Marvel Movies
Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again star Vincent D'Onofrio swiftly shoots down reports of his involvement in Spider-Man 4
Robert Downey Jr announces his Doctor Doom casting at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
The Russo brothers finally debunk that Avengers: Doomsday concept art leak: "Nothing spoiling in there"
Gemma Chan in Eternals
Eternals star Gemma Chan is hopeful she'll return to the MCU someday: "There's unfinished business there"
Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things 4
Stranger Things star Sadie Sink joins Spider-Man 4 and fans are already theorizing she might be X-Men’s Jean Grey
Doctor Doom in Marvel Comics
The Russo brothers say Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars will draw inspiration from multiple comics – which explains how Doctor Doom might fit into the story
The cast of Thunderbolts
Marvel fans are revealing who they'd like to see added to the Thunderbolts lineup, from Moon Knight to a major Hulk villain
Latest in News
Matt Mercer (left) and Brennan Lee Mulligan (right)
Matt Mercer thanks "lifelong threat of imposter syndrome" for keeping him and Brennan Lee Mulligan grounded, despite still thinking "People like it, what the hell?"
Super Mario World, our number one best retro games
Super Nintendo consoles have been quietly overclocking themselves for 35 years, but it took until 2025 for the SNES fandom to notice
Monster Hunter Wilds trailer screenshot showing a young woman with long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail smiling slightly, pumping her left fist in the air
Capcom promises "lots in store" for Monster Hunter Wilds beyond just "the planned title updates," not to mention the "series as a whole"
Mio and Zoe talking by a big bubble in a city setting in Split Fiction
It Takes Two sold over 20 million copies and won GOTY, but Hazelight's Josef Fares says "all the numbers looked really, really bad" before the co-op studio became "this really big developer"
Splatoon
New Nintendo patent implies veteran Splatoon developers are behind that mystery Minecraft-like game playtested last year
Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again star Vincent D'Onofrio swiftly shoots down reports of his involvement in Spider-Man 4