Captain America 4 Star Tim Blake Nelson Says the Film Is Similar to Logan

Logan is still considered one of the greatest superhero movies of all time, but according to actor Tim Blake Nelson, the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World could be a close contender. Blake Nelson returns to the MCU as The Leader, the iconic Hulk villain who was teased at the end of The Incredible Hulk way back in 2008. While cinephiles, ‘film bros,’ and some audiences have turned on the MCU (especially following Martin Scorsese’s infamous comments), Tim Blake Nelson is an avid defender of Marvel movies and says fans are in for a delightful treat with Brave New World.

Tim Blake Nelson recently spoke with Variety about his MCU return, and the actor had high praise for Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) first standalone movie. Despite the movie not releasing until February 2025, some Marvel fans have prejudicially declared Captain America: Brave New World to be a failure. Blake Nelson hopes those fans will give the movie a chance when it hits theaters next year, and doesn’t think the criticism against the MCU’s “theme park” movies is justified. He said:

“Marvel is an unheard-of phenomenon in movie history. Kevin Feige and his studio created dozens of connected movies that exist in one cinematic universe, to use their term. There’s no comparable achievement. So no – I don’t think it’s over.”

Tim Blake Nelson then discussed the tone of Brave New World. Despite featuring his psychokinetic villain and Harrison Ford as Red Hulk, he called the film and the Captain America franchise “the most grounded” set of stories within the MCU. Heaping high praise on the new movie, Blake Nelson compared Brave New World‘s grounded story to that found in James Mangold’s Logan.

Tim Blake Nelson Says Marvel ‘Supports’ Indie Directors

Marvel has had a complicated relationship with “indie” directors in the past. Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz & Baby Driver) was initially set to direct Ant-Man. However, creative disputes led to Wright leaving the project. While Ant-Man is still a strong entry in the MCU, fans can’t help but wonder what the musically charged director would have brought to the franchise. Since that moment, and following the MCU’s domination of the movie industry, some fans have complained that the individual voices and styles of directors have been lost under Marvel Studios’ style. To many, Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness felt like an odd blend of the director’s signature style and Marvel trappings.

2:22

Related

Captain America 4 Introduces a Crucial Piece of X-Men Lore to the MCU

After spilling the beans about his new Marvel villain at Comic-Con, Giancarlo Esposito reveals Brave New World’s X-Men connection.

However, Tim Blake Nelson believes that Marvel Studios is a staunch supporter of independent voices and directors. The actor discussed his time working under director Julius Onah on Brave New World. Blake Nelson said that Marvel Studios wholeheartedly supported Onah’s vision for the movie. He explained:

“It was a great challenge and I was guided beautifully by Julius Onah, who’s an indie director. These are real directors who want to work with real actors and give them opportunities to play outlandish characters. Marvel supports that.”