Sam Wilson may be the new Cap, but one of the earliest characters to bear the title is set to have a wild turn in Captain America: Brave New World. The MCU’s Multiverse Saga is well under way, but since Steve Rogers left at the end of Avengers: Endgame, the Avengers team has been largely dismantled. Fortunately, with Sam Wilson picking up the shield and accepting the mantle at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it appears that the stage is being set for the team to assemble once more.

However, in Wilson’s first solo outing as Captain America, the hero will have several new villains to test his mettle against, and a few surprising friends turned foes. In addition to Thaddeus Ross, who is now being played by Harrison Ford after William Hurt passed away in 2022, the trailer for Brave New World reveals Isaiah Bradley, one of the first Captain America super soldiers, in a less heroic role as he attacks President Ross. Isaiah was first seen in TFatWS, but the sudden shift in the character’s behavior will clearly play into the plot of Brave New World in a big way.

Isaiah Bradley’s Captain America Conditioning Is Activated To Kill The President

He Is Not In Control

While Bradley attacking the president seems to come as a complete surprise in the trailer, some early footage of Captain America: Brave New World was released as part of CinemaCon. This footage adds essential context to the scene where Bradley attacks the president, and hints that his villainous turn is not what it seems. In the footage which was seen at CinemaCon, it is revealed that immediately preceding Bradley standing up and attacking people in the room and firing a weapon at the president, music plays to trigger Bradley.

This is similar to the activation that would happen to Bucky Barnes, who received experimental versions of the super soldier serum from HYDRA, and was then used as a weapon by the evil organization. It appears that someone has been able to commandeer Bradley’s mind, using him in an attempt to kill the president, while remaining anonymous and blameless. But that means there is another mastermind behind the operation.

Why Isaiah Bradley Is Forced To Try To Kill The President

Someone Else Is Behind The Attack

At present, it is unclear why and who Bradley is being controlled and used to kill the president. Red Hulk is seen at a later point in the trailer, and the character is generally associated with Ross, so it is expected that he will be the one hulking out in Brave New World. If that remains true in the MCU, then it is likely that someone who knows about Ross’ transformative powers could be behind the assassination attempt, perhaps hoping to trigger Ross to hulk out.

If this is the case, it is possible that someone like The Leader, a character who has been confirmed to return in Brave New World, is the one pulling the strings here. However, any theory at present is purely speculative, and there could be several other characters or organizations who hoped to target the president in order to fulfill their own agendas. Regardless, the attempt will likely cause problems for Bradley.

What Happens To Isaiah Bradley After He Tries To Kill The President

Does Isaiah Bradley Survive?

Despite the fact that Bradley is being brainwashed, and it is out of character to commit such an attack on the president, it is likely that he will now have a huge target on his back. This echoes the story in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when Bucky attacks the United Nations in Vienna. Just as Bucky did in that film, Bradley is able to make an escape from the scene initially, and the trailer shows him jumping out of a window to avoid being captured.

However, it is likely that’s Bradley will be picked up by the people who activated him, possibly to reprogram him, or put him to sleep until they need him again. Otherwise, it is possible that the president’s security will be able to corner Bradley, especially considering Wilson is in attendance, and can likely catch up to the elderly super soldier. If Wilson gets there first, he could help Bradley to break out of the brainwashing, but whether he succeeds remains to be seen in Captain America: Brave New World.