'Captain America: Brave New World' Strike Delays Turn McDonald’s Tie-In Into Spoilers
Toys to the world, the world is spoiled! Red Hulk beseech your king!
On April 17, a Brazilian Instagram account dedicated to toy collections from fast food chains was the harbinger revealing that McDonald’s next Happy Meal toy set would be for Marvel Studios’s Captain America Brave New World. May 3 has now long passed. But for what was the previous 46 weeks and has at 51 weeks nearly completed a year, the first installment of the series to have Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson carry the mantle would not be the next film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from where we are now. Not since what would become known as Deadpool & Wolverine would take the May 3, 2024 and the next date it would be delayed to thanks to what was ultimately dual strikes from the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. As we’ve seen with COVID-related release delays, food producers, merchandise, and fast food tie-ins don’t alter their contracts to align with whenever such delays occur. May 3 instead saw The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling kicking off the summer movie season thanks to all the shuffles, while Brave New World was preparing to head into reshoots as it swooped into McDonald’s Happy Meals despite what is now a February 14, 2025 release date.
While the film got a 9.5 month bump, there is still a more controlled method that exhibitors and the public have started seeing stills and footage from the film: CinemaCon. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige presented the footage to exhibitors, which was the first time footage of Harrison Ford’s performance of now-President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross had been shown. Ross welcomes Sam to the White House, thanking him for his history of heroics. Despite his disdain toward superheroes, he says even he can recognize Sam's goodwill and wants him to reassemble the Avengers. Soon, they realize something is off: there's a leak in Ross' inner circle. The strange sound of an old timey song interrupts Ross' presentation at a White House event, triggering sleeper super-soldiers in the room to attack him, including Carl Lumbly's Isaiah Bradley, reprising his role from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The recast from the late William Hurt is slyly alluded to, with Ross shaving the ‘stache to clinch the Presidency.
As much as Sam seeks to protect Ross, the film’s collection of Happy Meal plushes reveal that this is the endpoint (reshoots permitting) for Ross avoiding his destiny, as Red Hulk is there clear as day. His Red Hulk alter ego is probably the most known thing about him even to casuals.
Variety has brought up great examples of COVID and strike-affected films where the toys were timed to their respective film’s original release dates like The Marvels, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, DC League of Super-Pets, and most egregiously Minions: The Rise of Gru, where the toys debuted in July 2020, two years before it was finally released. They also mentioned where neither have been factors, like G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Shrek and Dick Tracy have had a central character’s secret identity revealed in advanced by tie-in toys. There was also Lego having a trash incinerator piece for Toy Story 3’s set, or the coffee mug that blew it for Oz the Great and Powerful. And of course what the toys did for Avengers: Endgame.
I put off finishing this piece off for so long that its stay has already ended. Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 has already become the resident Happy Meal toy promotion, leading up to its release next Friday, June 14. That is one day beyond a year since that strike-reactionary release shuffle that initially dislodged Brave New World. Luckily YouTube is a great archival spot for not only documenting the toy displays in-store, but the ads for each Happy Meal toy, like that of this fourth Captain America film.
Sources: Variety, Entertainment Weekly