'Captain America 4' Star Dumbfounded by Last-Minute Changes: "I Have No Idea"

Production is revving up behind the scenes of Marvel’s upcoming Captain America installment, which marks the movie debut of a brand new “star-spangled man with a plan.” But according to its star, even he admitted to being confused by some seemingly random changes made to the film and its marketing.

Captain America: Brave New World is currently slated to arrive next summer, with a brand new Cap played by Anthony Mackie at the helm. Sam Wilson, who adopted the mantle of “Falcon” in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, has been a central figure in the MCU, joining the Avengers in the fight against HYDRA, Thanos, and more recently, a radical terrorist group dubbed the Flag Smashers.

In the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which debuted on the streamer in 2021, Sam Wilson wrestled with the notion of putting on the Captain America suit after his friend and fellow Avenger, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), passed over the shield to him at the end of Avengers: Endgame (2019).

With James “Bucky” Barnes’ (Sebastian Stan) encouragement, Sam eventually accepts his role as the new Captain America at the end of the series, setting up his arc in Brave New World. But even though we’re just under a year out from its release, the fourth Captain America installment is already being met with controversy, debate, and even flat-out confusion from both fans and its all-star cast.

For one, members and supporters of the WGA traveled to Washington, D.C., to picket in front of a Brave New World shooting location near the White House amid the ongoing Hollywood writers strike. These demonstrators are protesting Disney/Marvel’s decision to continue production, encouraging crew members to not “cross the line” in solidarity with the movement. So far, Disney or Marvel has yet to make a statement about the matter, and it looks like it’s business as usual as filming continues.

On the other hand, there seems to be some confusion behind the scenes, particularly involving Brave New World‘s leading man, Anthony Mackie. In a recent interview, he admitted that he has “no idea” why Marvel Studios changed the title of his Captain America movie changed its original name—a decision that came with unexpected controversy.

The movie, originally titled Captain America: New World Order, experienced backlash for sharing the same name as a real-world antisemitic conspiracy theory, which more than constituted Marvel’s choice to shift to something else.

Still, it looks like Mackie is in the dark about the superhero studio’s sudden decision to ditch the New World Order title. Speaking with Inverse, the actor revealed that he did not know the reason for the name change in a hilariously nonchalant way, saying:

I have no idea. They were like, ‘We’re changing the title.’ I was like, ‘All right, let’s do it.’ So that was it.

While Marvel Studios has yet to give an official explanation for Captain America: New World Order becoming Captain America: Brave New World, it’s almost certainly because of the real-world connotations with the movie’s title. Still, they could at least try to keep Mackie in the loop regarding last-minute updates like these. Or maybe, Marvel just doesn’t want to admit that they didn’t do research when picking a title for the new film.

For now, story details for the upcoming Captain America installment remain scarce, but we’ll likely receive updates as production continues over the coming months. Hopefully, after one name change and a three-month release delay, it’s smooth sailing for Brave New World from here on out.

Are you excited to see Anthony Mackie take the reins as Captain America? What do you think of the movie abruptly changing its name? Let us know in the comments below.