The MCU's Phase Five is slowly starting to take form and a new interview makes it clear that Harrison Ford's General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross has it in for Sam Wilson in Marvel Studios' Captain America: New World Order.
Captain America: New World Order won’t be coming out until the tail end of Marvel Studios' Phase Five, right before another film that says a lot about Kevin Feige's plans for Ford in his new role, Thunderbolts. Ford was recently cast for the part after fellow actor William Hurt passed away this year, with his last appearance in a Marvel Studios movie being Black Widow, although Avengers: Endgame represents his most recent one in the MCU's timeline.
However, as producer Nate Moore told Collider, Ross' previous run-in with Sam Wilson was not in amicable terms, as he’s the man who put the then Falcon behind bars at The Raft facility towards the end of Captain America: Civil War. Moore said Captain America 4 will start shooting next spring once pre-production duties are done for a plot that will have Wilson and Ross clashing when they meet. "There's going to be some natural sparks there, which I think are going to be really fun," Moore said.
Before becoming Captain America, Wilson was arrested for breaking the now-repealed Sokovia Accords. However, it seems despite becoming a free man, he and his Air Force friend Joaquin Torres, a.k.a. the new Falcon, won’t be seeing eye to eye with the General. Captain America: New World Order is also bringing back Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns, who’s all but guaranteed to assume the identity of The Leader and possibly play a part in Ford's character transforming into the fearsome Red Hulk.
General Ross has always been a thorn in the Avengers' side and Ford's casting opens up the possibility that Marvel Studios' will get to explore storylines that were once outlined for Ross before Hurt's untimely passing. It bears saying that the title New World Order hints that maybe Captain America and his friends won’t be getting their way in the film, much like Scott Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Marvel Studios movies are at their finest when their heroes have something to lose, and these two titles and some others in Phase Five could be setting up the bigger confrontation with Jonathan Majors' Kang for the big crossover events in Phase Six. After, keep in mind that Ford could also be a key player in plans for a World War Hulk story in the future.
Captain America: New World Order is scheduled for release on May 3, 2024.
Source: Collider