Did Captain America: Brave New World just tease Steve Rogers’ funeral?

The first teaser for Captain America: Brave New World features a surprising shot – a solemn military funeral – but is it for the former Steve Rogers?

While Deadpool & Wolverine may be the most hotly anticipated MCU film this year, Captain America: Brave New World is the turning point. As the first mainline MCU film since The Marvels, Captain America 4 is being viewed by many as the next jumping on point.

So it’s no surprise that the first Captain America: Brave New World trailer hits the ground running, with the re-introduction of “Thunderbolt” Ross (now played by Harrison Ford), the big-screen debut of the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres, and Giancarlo Esposito’s mystery character.

But blink, and you’ll miss it, and there’s another surprise in the trailer: a military funeral held in a graveyard adorned with cherry blossom trees.

Marvel Comics

The cherry blossom trees are an important distinguishing feature because we often see them during the trailer. They’re in the background as Ross approaches a podium in one scene that flashes by. We also see them in the foreground in a scene of carnage a few seconds later, with the ground wrecked and cars overturned.

This may be a funeral for Steve Rogers, which would explain a military funeral. Rogers is heavily implied to have died during the events of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier. With the film marking Sam’s first outing as Captain America, a public funeral may be something to put a definitive end to Roger’s tenure.

However, it’s also possible the funeral is for Harrison Ford’s Thunderbolt Ross. In the original Red Hulk appearance in the comics, Ross fakes his death so no one can figure out he is the Red Hulk as he goes about his plan for removing gamma-powered threats.

We do see an obscured shot of Red Hulk at the end of the trailer, and wouldn’t you know it, we see cherry blossom trees again. It certainly looks as though Red Hulk is responsible for all the carnage earlier. It’s possible Red Hulk is being framed (or framing himself) for assassinating President Ross.

Of course, we won’t know for some time what is and isn’t the case. Not only does the trailer give us no definitive answers, but Marvel also has a reputation for outright lying in its trailers so they don’t ruin surprises.

We’ll find out whose funeral it is when Captain America: Brave New World hits cinemas on February 14, 2025. In the meantime, check out our ranking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, the best superhero movies of all time, and other new movies streaming this month.