Marvel’s President Kevin Feige made a lot of interesting announcements at the Marvel Studios segment of the Studio Showcase at D23, including con-exclusive trailers and first glimpses at the casts making up the next films and series in Phase 5. Anthony Mackie’s solo outing as Captain America, following The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, is one of those movies that audiences can’t wait to see. Captain America: New World Order, which will be directed by Julius Onah, has had a relatively little level of information released to the public so far, but we now know who will be playing the film’s antagonist.
To be specific, Tim Blake Nelson. Sure enough, it’s Samuel Sterns from the practically forgotten 2003 The Incredible Hulk. It’s not entirely surprising that the MCU is dipping into the basket of characters and dropping them into other upcoming projects, especially considering that Tim Roth reprises his role as Abomination in She-Hulk (which features Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner), reviving discussion of The Incredible Hulk (starring Edward Norton as Banner). Nelson’s role as the show’s supposed antagonist, though, has caused some viewers to be wary.
Given that the phrase “New World Order” has been used by antisemitic conspiracy theorists throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, casting Nelson, who is Jewish, as the villain in a film with that title is an odd decision. Since Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson have been cast in roles that are inextricably linked to their Jewish and Romani comic book beginnings, respectively, the MCU has not had the finest track record when it comes to Jewish representation.
Even within the past year, Moon Knight has been criticised for its portrayal of Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac), who is the son of a Jewish Rabbi in the comics and whose descent into Khonshu’s thrall is central to the plot. All of this is intriguing considering that Stan Lee, Marvel’s architect, grew up in a Jewish family, a fact that shows up consistently in the decisions he made when creating his characters. Despite the widespread and perhaps dangerous rhetoric associated with the title, Captain America: New World Order may still have a place in the market.
If a Marvel villain turned out to be good in the end, it wouldn’t be the first time. Most importantly, I hope that Mackie’s portrayal of Sam Wilson’s first flight as Captain America will be given due weight regardless of the film’s eventual trajectory. The release date for Captain America: New World Order is set for May 3, 2024.