Captain America: Brave New Worldactually cut a massive Young Avenger from an early draft, and I’m still not over it. TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas been laying the groundwork for the Young Avengers for several years now, introducing key members across multiple projects. WithCaptain America: Brave New Worldset to continueSam Wilson’s journey as the new Captain America, I hoped the movie would also further develop one of the most significant Young Avengers prospects. Despite this character appearing in early drafts, they were frustratingly cut from the movie.
Like most movies inthe MCU timeline,Captain America: Brave New Worldunderwent some changes in development. While this is common MCU practice, withBrave New World, it led to some significant line-up changes. Notably, Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder was added entirely duringCaptain America: Brave New World’sreshoots.Infuriatingly, a major member of the Young Avengers was cut from an early draft of the movie.
The MCU Has Been Increasingly Setting Up The Young Avengers
Numerous Original Young Avengers Have Been Established In The MCU
Marvel’s Young Avengers are a team of adolescent counterparts to the Avengers line-up, who form in the wake of the “Avengers Disassembled” storyline. TheMCU’sYoung Avengershas been in the making for a while now, withseveral members from the original team already introduced. Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) has taken an active role in rallying young heroes, as evidenced inThe Marvels, where she seeks out Kate Bishop (Hawkeye) to discuss forming a team.
Other key Young Avengers members have also been introduced, including Billy Kaplan (Wiccan) and Tommy Shepherd (Speed) inWandaVisionandAgatha All Along, America Chavez inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Cassie Lang (Stature) inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Meanwhile, Hulk’s son Skaar debuted briefly inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Thor adopted the young superhero Love, and Riri Williams stars in her own miniseries withthe MCU’sIronheart.However,one major member is still missing from this line-up.
Eli Bradley Was Supposed To Appear In Brave New World
With so many Young Avengers falling into place,Captain America: Brave New Worldseemed like an obvious place to reintroduce Eli Bradley, AKA Patriot. Played by Elijah Richardson, Eli Bradley was first introduced inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldieras the grandson ofIsaiah Bradley, the forgotten super soldierwho was experimented on by the U.S. government. Given his family history and comic book origins, Eli isa natural fit for a future iteration of the Young Avengersin the MCU.
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However, despite the increasing focus on assembling the next generation of heroes, Eli’s role inCaptain America: Brave New Worldwas removed. Thisleaves his MCU future uncertain. In an exclusive interview withScreen Rant’sLiam Crowley, former Marvel VP Nate Moore addressed Eli’s absence:
Liam Crowley: We get to explore a lot more of Isaiah in this film, which I love. He was one of the most rich characters we had introduced inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier.He was always paired in that show with Eli Bradley, his grandson. Why this time around just go with Isaiah solo and no Eli?
Nate Moore: There are early drafts of the script where Eli was in it, but we started to feel like there were too many characters to track and we want to make sure if a character is in the film, they have something to do. And so we had to make the tough decision to just explore Isaiah and to see how Isaiah being pulled into Sam’s world maybe affects him. We also wanted Sam and Isaiah. We wanted room to build up their relationship without a third party kind of commenting on it. And so this film is very much about establishing that Isaiah has become not only a mentor to Sam, but a training partner. He is a super soldier. I think it allows Sam to expand on his physical skills, but that relationship might not be the best thing for Isaiah in the long run.
While it’s understandable that the filmmakers would wantCaptain America: Brave New Worldto focus on Sam and Isaiah’s dynamic, removing Eli entirely feels like a missed opportunity. His brief but notable appearances inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierteased a larger role in the MCU, and this film could have been a perfect place to continue his development. Consequently, however, the path is now clearer for Eli’s return in the MCU’s future.
Why Eli Bradley Would Still Be A Perfect Pick For The MCU’s Young Avengers
Eli Bradley Was A Founding Member Of The Young Avengers
Eli Bradley is one of the founding members of the Young Avengers, first appearing inYoung Avengers#1 (2005). He initially claims to have inherited Isaiah’s super soldier abilities and becomes Patriot. Eliembodies the same sense of justice and responsibility as Captain America, serving a similar role within the team.
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In truth, Eli was using the mutant growth hormone (MGH), an illegal substance that temporarily granted him enhanced strength, speed, and endurance. Later, when critically wounded, he does receive a blood transfusion from Isaiah. This actuallydoes grant him super soldier abilities, allowing Patriot to retain his position within the Young Avengers.
Given that Isaiah Bradley was further developed inBrave New World, it makes even more sense for Eli to be introduced via him. Eli could be training with Isaiah, much like Sam has been, when he discovers his grandson’s abilities. This parallel could have beenan excellent way to establish Eli’s superhero journey. Even though he didn’t appear inCaptain America:Brave New World, Eli would have broadened the MCU’s future. Nevertheless, Eli is now perfectly primed to storm into the franchise as Patriot.
