New information surfaced showing that another Avenger was cut from Captain America: Brave New World's final battle. A lot happened in Anthony Mackie's first big-screen outing as Marvel's star-spangled man with a plan, but one key moment came towards the end of the film. After Harrison Ford's Red Hulk had been defeated and Mackie's Sam Wilson had brought the world back from the brink of disaster, Sam gave his trust sidekick, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), a super-powered promotion, officially dubbing him an Avenger despite him not being there for the movie's epic final battle.
Joaquin's absence during the last stand-off with the Hulked-out Thunderbolt Ross was not always the case, though, as Captain America 4 seems to have originally included Ramirez's winged Avenger fighting alongside Sam Wilson/Captain America instead of Cap doing it alone. This would have been a marked change from what fans ultimately got in the 2025 MCU blockbuster, keeping Falcon on the board rather than putting him on the sidelines.
New concept art, debuted as part of the official Captain America: Brave New World—The Art of the Movie book, revealed that Falcon was originally supposed to join Captain America in Cap 4's final fight against Red Hulk (via The Artbook Collector).
The newly surfaced concept pieces see Harrison Ford's Red Hulk ripping the wing from Falcon's suit and using it to beat down on Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson.
This confirms that, at some point in development, the newly dubbed Avenger was supposed to join forces with Cap one last time in the Marvel Studios epic rather than get injured and kept off the battlefield like he did in the final movie.
Falcon's inclusion in the Red Hulk fight is not the only change fans can spot via these new images.
The art also shows the movie's climactic battle in a snowy environment, instead of the cherry blossom-laden streets of Washington, D.C.
Danny Ramirez's Falcon made his MCU movie debut in Captain America: Brave New World, coming to the big screen after first appearing in the Disney+ streaming series Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Brave New World follows Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson as he reckons once again with being given the Captain America mantle from Chris Evans' Steve Rogers at the end of the Infinity Saga.
Captain America 4 debuted in theaters in February to middling reviews from The Cloverfield Paradox director Julius Onah. Since then, the film has found massive success on streaming, becoming one of the biggest Disney+ hits of the year.
Why Was Falcon Sidelined in Captain America 4?
Seeing such concept art pieces is always a two-sided coin for fans. On one hand, it is exciting to see the vision for a movie long before it ever gets in front of the camera. On the other hand, it can leave audiences wishing they had gotten what was presented in the concept art rather than what was included in the final cut. And, for many, this will be a case of the latter.
In Captain America 4, Danny Ramirez's Falcon is ultimately shot down and suffers significant injuries during the Battle of Celestial Island right before the final Red Hulk fight depicted in the new concept art.
This leaves the winged character (and new Avenger) ailing away in a hospital bed rather than out on the battlefield with Sam Wilson, depriving audiences of another Avengers team-up moment in the latest MCU blockbuster.
Ultimately, this decision was likely made to focus more on Sam than on Sam and Joaquin. Brave New World, at its core, is about Sam reckoning with just being a man and not having the super soldier serum-induced powerset of his Captain America predecessor.
By making the final battle a 1v1 battle between Sam and Red Hulk, the character proves he can take down these otherworldly threats without the help of some special serum.
Had Falcon been present as well, it would have deemphasized this thematic thesis and perhaps lessened the movie's overall impact.
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