Captain America: New World Order gave us a big surprise over the weekend at the D23 Expo with the reveal that Tim Blake Nelson will be returning to the MCU after a 14-year absence to play the villainous Leader.
Blake Nelson last appeared in 2008's The Incredible Hulk when he played a cellular biologist named Samuel Stern who was helping to develop an antidote for Bruce Banner. By the end of the movie, however, Sterns is exposed to a substance that hints he will be transformed into the Leader, an iconic Marvel Comics villain with supreme intellect.
We haven't had a hint of this character's return ever since, but now we'll be getting him back in a surprise reveal. And it's not just the fans who are excited to finally see the Leader on screen.
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In an interview with Phase Zero at the D23 Expo, Julius Onah, the director of Captain America: New World Order, was talking up the villain's return and his conflict with Sam Wilson's Captain America.
"Let's just say, one of the few things that really drew me to this project is the Leader is a man who operates from intellect. And it's so great to have an adversary who is working with this incredible intellect to really put Sam through the wringer in this story," Onah said.
"It's a paranoid thriller, it's this grounded adventure where I think everything that happens in this film feels so real and intense because of who this adversary is."
Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson became the new Captain America in last year's Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Solider. It was then announced that he will be heading up a fourth Captain America movie. Onah says this movie is going to truly put Wilson to the test.
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"What he's going to have to go through in this film is because he's got an adversary who is so terrifyingly intelligent," Onah said.
Captain America: New World Order will release in 2024 as part of Phase Five of the MCU. It will be the second Marvel movie of that year, following Blade's 2023 release and preceding the late 2024 release of Thunderbolts.
Captain America: New World Order has been officially confirmed. Meanwhile, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is streaming exclusively on Disney+.
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Jacob is a freelance writer who specialises in narrative TV and film.
He graduated from the University of Roehampton with an MA in Journalism and has written for several publications since, including Gold Derby, Insider, and Screen Daily.
Jacob has covered major events in the world of film and TV, including numerous BAFTA ceremonies and the Cannes Film Festival, while he's also been an awards expert for several publications, including Korea's Arirang. His particular areas of interest include Star Wars, the MCU, the Oscars, and Hugh Grant.
