the Super-Soldier Serum. This led many to question why Cap didn't choose Bucky as his successor as his oldest friend whose powers match his own, but I honestly think that Steve made the right choice.

As one of the MCU's most powerful non-superpowered characters, I think Sam Wilson deserves immense respect. Soaring headlong into vastly more powerful threats like Thanos and his army is proof enough that he boasts the bravery necessary to carry the Captain America mantle. Compared to his predecessor and many of the adversaries he faces, Wilson is an underdog - which Captain America: Brave New World appears poised to capitalize on.

Anthony Mackie Explained Why Sam Wilson Not Having Super-Soldier Serum Is Interesting

Anthony Mackie Revealed How Sam Compensates For Lacking The Serum

Anthony Mackie has opened up in an interview with Deadline about Sam Wilson's lack of Super-Soldier Serum, seemingly confirming that Wilson has not received any in the years preceding Brave New World. He elaborates on how Wilson navigates his superpower shortcomings and confirms that Sam Wilson is much more of a strategic fighter than someone who overwhelms his enemies with force. This, I think, is what makes him so interesting. His full statement is as follows:

“It’s very different with the serum — you can fight anybody. When you don’t have the serum, you have to be smart and engineer different ways of defeating [enemies]. With Sam, him being a counselor, he uses more of his brains than brawn. He uses more of his wit than his fist. He’s more of a friend to everyone.”

Sam Wilson using brains over brawn puts him on a similar footing and likens him to more tactical MCU heroes like Iron Man, though he is still subjected to a significant downgrade in firepower. Iron Man's equal footing with Hulk was only made possible through his Hulkbuster armor, arguably his most powerful suit before harnessing nanotech. Sam Wilson, it seems, has no such access to a Hulkbuster equivalent, which means he'll need to strategize to such a degree that will only make his fight with Red Hulk that much more entertaining.

I'm Convinced Brave New World Will Be A Different Kind Of Captain America Movie

This Is Necessitated By Sam's Unique Approach To Fights

While there have been allusions to the idea that Captain America: Brave New World will strike the same tone as Captain America: The Winter Soldier I find this relatively hard to believe when a Red Hulk is involved. Trailers for Captain America: Brave New World instead promise spectacles that are more on a par with Captain America: Civil War - which I am certainly on board with. Still, the movie will be decidedly off-piste in one very evident way that Anthony Mackie already itted: "It's very different with the serum."

The MCU's Hulk was created out of an attempt to recreate the Super-Soldier Serum that Steve Rogers received using gamma radiation under the direction of Thunderbolt Ross.

Sam's approach to challenges will always be affected by this fact. Throughout Steve Rogers' MCU career, he is painted as a tour de force whose super strength, speed, and durability make him an intimidating adversary to the movie's villains. It is hard to imagine, for example, Sam Wilson coming out as unscathed as Steve Rogers when trapped in an elevator with several HYDRA agents. Nor is Sam likely to ground a helicopter by seizing a landing skid and holding onto a rail.

At the same time, it is easy to imagine Sam pulling off these feats in a different manner. I'm convinced, therefore, that the movie will hone in on the fact that Sam Wilson has to work much harder to achieve the same results as his predecessor. This is, after all, foreshadowed by the interaction between President Ross and Captain America in the trailer, where Ross states "You're not Steve Rogers," to which Sam defiantly replies, "You're right. I'm not."

Captain America: Brave New World Can Recreate What Made Steve Rogers' Best Fights So Good

Some Of Steve Rogers' Best Moments Involved Him Using Brilliant Strategies

Sam's physical shortcomings when compared to Steve can also be where Captain America: Brave New World evokes some of Steve Rogers' best moments. While Sam Wilson needs to rely on lightning-quick thinking to gain the upper hand out of necessity, it isn't as if this ability eluded Rogers. Aside from his indomitable will, one of the best abilities in Rogers' arsenal not overtly empowered by the Super-Soldier Serum was his quickness of mind.

I'm reminded again of the iconic elevator scene in which Steve swiftly discerned the situation he was faced with before tackling it head-on. In yet another moment of brilliance in an elevator, he peacefully acquired Loki's Scepter during the time heist in Avengers: Endgame by deceiving Jasper Sitwell into thinking he was also a HYDRA agent. He was able to pull his punches in his fight with Bucky to sufficiently keep him from grave danger. Then there are the countless moments in which Steve reads the battlefield and strategizes accordingly, constantly proving his aptitude to lead the Avengers.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier revealed that Steve divulged his plan to Bucky before traveling back to the 1940s and growing old with Peggy Carter.

This, I think, is where Sam Wilson will also be in his element. As I said before, Steve's decision to bequeath Sam with the shield certainly had more to do with their non-superpowered similarities, including their astute minds. This highlights how these factors were always more important to the role of Captain America than any physical ability. It also hints that Captain America: Brave New World will replicate these moments of brilliance to show how Sam is also worthy of carrying the shield.

I'm Even More Excited For The Fight Scenes In Captain America: Brave New World Now

Captain America's Shortcomings Will Raise The Stakes Of His Fights

With all that in mind, I think Captain America: Brave New World has the potential to deliver some of the MCU's best fight scenes. While watching the likes of Thor and Hulk whale on each other has its merits, I'm more compelled by the prospect of seeing an underdog strategize their way out of almost impossible odds. The question in everybody's mind when watching the trailer is how exactly Sam Wilson will fare against a bona fide Hulk - and I imagine the answer will be incredibly satisfying.

It's apparent in this scene that while Sam does not boast superpowers, his access to vibranium equipment will be a significant boon.

While Sam Wilson vs. Red Hulk is ostensibly the movie's main event when it comes to fight scenes, the trailer also promises plenty more action. Another sequence that struck me is the one in which Cap goes up against a barrage of missiles, using his vibranium shield and wings to detonate them before they can hit their target. It's apparent in this scene that while Sam does not boast superpowers, his access to vibranium equipment will be a significant boon.

It also appears that this vibranium is also what shields him from the impact of a supersonic landing which he uses to dispatch a contingent of gun-toting enemies in one fell swoop. He can also be seen cutting a vehicle in two with his wings, using the tools at his disposal where Steve Rogers might have otherwise endured the hit. These scenes in the Captain America: Brave New World trailer already look incredible and now I'm even more hopeful that Sam will prove himself as a worthy successor with many more moments like these.

MCU Movies

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  Captain America: Brave New World

  Release Date

  February 14, 2025

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  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  May 2, 2025

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  July 25, 2025

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  Release Date

  July 31, 2026

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  December 17, 2027

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Source: Deadline