Audiences will want to listen closely when watching Marvel Studios' latest, Captain America: Brave New World.
Captain America: Brave New World received mixed reviews, with some praising Anthony Mackie's take on Sam Wilson as Captain America while others feel the film struggles with its villain dynamics and pacing.
The movie brings back several characters from 2008's The Incredible Hulk, including Liv Tyler as Betty Ross and Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns, now fully transformed into The Leader.
The rest of this article contains spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World.
The Leader's Mr. Blue Song Explained
In Captain America: Brave New World, the song "Mr. Blue" by The Fleetwoods serves as a chilling callback to The Incredible Hulk and the long-dormant storyline of Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader.
In The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner (Ed Norton) and Samuel Sterns communicated using the codenames "Mr. Green" and "Mr. Blue," respectively, as they worked toward a cure for Banner's condition.
However, Sterns' fascination with Hulk's blood led to disastrous consequences, including his own transformation.
This connection resurfaces 17 years later in Brave New World, where the "Mr. Blue" song plays from walkie-talkies or other speakers during mind-control attacks puppeteered by the hyper-intelligent Sterns.
In Marvel Comics, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s "Project Mr. Blue" was a classified initiative focused on experimenting on Samuel Sterns after his mutation, as revealed in The Avengers Prelude: Fury’s Big Week.
Similarly, Brave New World reveals that Sterns has been locked away by Harrison Ford's Thadeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, amplifying his intelligence, and being used by the then-General to help keep him alive. In a twisted way, Ross was using Sterns as his own experiment in the MCU.
Midway through the film, When Sam and Joaquin infiltrate Camp Echo One, they uncover Sterns' mind control operation and its ties to Ross, exposing the truth about why Isiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) and others attempted to assassinate Ross.
By weaving in elements from The Incredible Hulk, past Marvel comics, and new developments in Brave New World, the film cements the Leader as a formidable threat, even keeping the character alive (locked up on The Raft).
Given his appearance in the film's one and only post-credit scene, foreshadowing the clashing of heroes from different Earths, only time will tell if "Mr. Blue" ever wreaks havoc again on the MCU.
Interesting in reading more about Captain America: Brave New World? Check out The Direct's full spoilers breakdown of the MCU's first 2025 release.
Captain America: Brave New World officially soars into theaters on Friday, February 14.
