Is Eli Bradley gone for good? MCU producer Nate Moore reveals why Elijah Richardson didn’t return for the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World.
One of the biggest connecting threads in recent MCU projects is the seeming build up to a Young Avengers project. One of the teams founding members is Eli Bradley, who made their debut in Falcon and The Winter Soldier played by Elijah Richardson. Given this, many fans assumed that the character would return in Captain America: Brave New World in order to officially take up the mantle as the Patriot on the silver screen.
However, with Captain America: Brave New World only a few days from release, there’s been no sign of Eli Bradley in any promotional material. This is because, despite many fans assuming he was a lock for the film considering the MCU’s fascination with the Young Avengers, Elijah Richardson is not set to return to his role in the upcoming film. This left many wondering why the Patriot was left on the cutting room floor despite being clearly set up for a larger role.
Why Eli Bradley Isn’t In Captain America: Brave New World
Eli Bradley’s absence from the film was addressed by longtime MCU producer Nate Moore. When asked why Elijah Richardson wasn’t asked to return for Captain America: Brave New World, Moore revealed that the Patriot was actually in early versions of the script. However, he was ultimately cut to keep the project from feeling too crowded.
“There are early drafts of the script where Eli was in it,” Moore told Screen Rant. “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.”
Given how many balls Captain America: Brave New World is already juggling in its current version, it makes sense that Eli Bradley would be cut from the film if he wasn’t contributing anything meaningful. This also doesn’t mean that Elijah Richardson won’t return as the Patriot in a future MCU project, with Marvel potentially saving his first time picking up the shield for when the Young Avengers film finally gets off the ground.
Captain America: Brave New World is currently slated to hit theaters on February 14, 2025. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
