‘Captain America 4’ Characters, Spoilers Accidentally Revealed Via Happy Meal Toys
Information about key characters and plot points of the upcoming Marvel tentpole Captain America: Brave New World appears to have been accidentally leaked with the release of McDonald’s Happy Meal tie-in toys. According to Variety, fans across the globe have been treated to a sneak peek at the new Captain America movie via some unsubtle advertising.
The news broke April 17 when a Brazilian fast food fan page on Instagram posted images of Happy Meal boxes showcasing Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, and a new Falcon, alongside debuting superheroes Diamondback (Rosa Bianca Salazar), Sabra (Shira Haas), and Red Hulk (Harrison Ford). In the ensuing weeks, the toys have shown up in domestic Happy Meals.
The reveal comes as a surprise because Marvel is usually so adept at keeping the secrets of their projects, revealing them slowly in trailers and marketing materials leading up to the release.
Red Hulk’s involvement in the narrative is a particular shock. The villainous alter ego of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is similar to Bruce Banner’s Hulk (played by Mark Ruffalo), Red Hulk in that he possesses superhuman anger and strength. Unlike Banner, once Red Hulk “hulks out,” he’s unable to return to his human form.
Ford is making his debut in the role of Ross after taking inheriting the part from William Hurt, who played Ross in five MCU installments spanning The Incredible Hulk (2008) to Black Widow (2021). Hurt died in 2022 at the age of 72.
In Brave New World, Ross is the recently elected President of the United States. Captain America must step in to save the Commander in Chief when a Manchurian Candidate-like plot involving brain-washed super-soldier assassins threatens the nation. Mackie described the sequel to Entertainment Weekly as “more of a grounded espionage action movie as opposed to aliens and airplanes coming through portals.”
The other Happy Meal toys depict the equally villainous Diamondback, who’s anticipated to be one of the bad guys in Brave New World. There’s also Sabra, Captain America’s ally with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency; and the new incarnation of Falcon, Captain America’s sidekick.
The Wrap reported that the misalignment between the Happy Meal toys and the film itself could be a lingering effect of last year’s duel Hollywood strikes.
Originally, Brave New World was slated for release last Friday, May 3. It was delayed twice, and is now set to hit theaters on Valentine’s Day 2025.
It’s unclear why McDonald’s went ahead with releasing the toys, although as Variety notes, toy deals are often struck far in advance and are not always flexible to schedule changes. Marvel and McDonald’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Men’s Journal.
Captain America: Brave New World hits cinemas on February 14, 2025.
