Summary

Veteran Marvel producer Nate Moore explains why action scenes are easier to set up than building character moments.

Moore dives into the differences between Steve Rodgers and Sam Wilson.

The Winter Soldier producer also talks Armor Wars and Black Panther 3.

After coming into the MCU fold with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, veteran Marvel producer Nate Moore has spent the better part of the last decade working on some of the most well-received and grounded stories in the franchise. From the deeply personal Black Panther to the wildly expansive Eternals, Moore’s fingerprints are felt across a wide array of genres, which makes him uniquely suited for a project as important as Captain America: Brave New World.
As this entry marks Anthony Mackie’s official tenure in the mantle of Captain America, in addition to introducing Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and incorporating elements from the MCU’s official first outing, The Incredible Hulk, a lot is riding on the success of this entry. That’s not even considering the relatively stagnant phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has found fans and critics less satisfied than previous eras. To Moore, however, everything remains “business as usual” as he continues to tell stories with uniquely grounded and personal stakes.
Collider spoke with Moore leading up to the film’s release, where he went into detail about how they managed to differentiate Brave New World from The Winter Soldier, touched on Denzel Washington’s recent comments about Ryan Coogler writing a role for him in Black Panther 3, and more. You can watch the full conversation in the video above or read on for the full interview.
Anthony Mackie Changed The Falcon’s Trajectory in the MCU

“He wore a tiara… He talked to birds.”

COLLIDER: Nate, it’s a pleasure to talk to you, I’m such a fan of your MCU projects, and congratulations on another fantastic outing.
NATE MOORE: Oh, thanks, man. Thank you.
Frankly, there’s a lot riding on Captain America: Brave New World. It’s an important installment with heavy implications, so how is the creative process going into that?
MOORE: You know, our process kind of doesn’t change movie to movie.
Business as usual?
MOORE: Yeah, and not because we don’t care, but because we care about everything equally. But this one was special. Look, coming out of both [Avengers] Endgame when Steve handed Sam the shield and then Falcon and the Winter Soldier show, where we kind of got to follow Sam’s decision to take the mantle, we knew then we had built an opportunity to bring Captain America back to the big screen. And we wanted to make sure we did right by the character. I know there’s a ton of love for Steve Rogers, and I love that character as well, but Sam Wilson is a different kind of Captain America, so we wanted to make sure the film felt like his film and not like he was occupying someone else’s stakes.
I love that. A lot of your projects contain some of the most personal stakes in the MCU. How is it that they feel so deeply personal when there’s so much otherworldly chaos and madness happening, and where does that sense of groundedness come from?
MOORE: I think the best Marvel films are the ones where you do understand the personal journey of the characters.
Same.
MOORE: This is going to sound weird—it’s actually easier to build action sequences than it is to find really dramatic human moments, and so those are the things I want to focus on first, both with the writers and the filmmakers. It’s always about, “What’s the story for the character?” And even the secondary characters. You can’t leave them behind either, right? Everybody has to be speaking to the same theme.
Sure.
MOORE: And then you can put all the bells and whistles on top of that. But I don’t think any action is meaningful unless you care about the character. So, again, we try to build it inside out. We’re not always successful, but that’s our intent. Hopefully, that’s why people keep coming back to these movies—to go to the characters.
Absolutely.

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Something I really appreciate about the projects you work on is that they’re so coherent in the creators’ visions. Why is that important to you, especially in a franchise where there’s so much planning and oversight involved?
MOORE: I don’t think the films are going to be any good unless the filmmakers have ownership, right? So you have to make sure that, even though it is built into the larger tapestry of the MCU, the filmmakers really believe in the films that they’re making and that the films that they’re making are contained, and they feel like a complete story even if you never see another MCU movie. Again, then the connective tissue can be a fun thing for super fans to follow, but a casual fan can still understand and appreciate the movie on its own.
You’ve been with the franchise since Captain America: The Winter Soldier. How exciting is it for you to see it evolve to the point where Sam is now Captain America?
MOORE: It’s super exciting! And if you think about it, when we were making Captain America: The Winter Soldier, [Marvel] publishing hadn’t given Sam the shield yet—that wasn’t until 2014.

Image via Marvel Studios

Right.
MOORE: So it wasn’t even something that was on our minds until we saw what [Marvel] publishing had done with the character. And I don’t think we would have made it to this point besides the fact that Anthony Mackie is so talented. In that first film, I think he surprised a lot of people. I remember this: The first time I pitched having Sam Wilson in the movie [Christopher] Markus and [Stephen] McFeely, the writers of that movie were like, “Why would you want The Falcon?” Because he was sort of a little bit of a secondary character even in publishing—he wore a tiara, he talked to birds. But I think Anthony Mackie really grounded the character in reality and he’s so charismatic, and I think people want to follow him. So, it does feel kind of like a full-circle moment that now we’re here, and now he’s carrying the shield of the man that he once partnered with. It’s really fun.
It’s incredible.
What Does Nate Moore Want To See From Anthony Mackie During His Captain America Tenure?

“The way that Sam Wilson walks through the world is just necessarily different than Steve Rogers.”

I’m so excited for Anthony Mackie’s tenure as Captain America because it feels like one of the most earned arcs throughout the entire franchise. So, what are you most excited to see from him?
MOORE: I’m always excited to see him perform, but I think people are going to be surprised at the range of his performance. He can be funny, he can be dramatic, he can be emotional, he’s great at stunts. It’s fun to build action around him because he can do a lot of it himself. I think the character has grown into a leadership capacity that maybe surprised some people—and he’s human. There’s something a little bit more relatable about this Captain America, who’s not a super soldier, nor is he a man out of time. So the way that Sam Wilson walks through the world is just necessarily different than Steve Rogers, and I think that’s gonna, hopefully, make people fall for him even more.
Really quickly, back to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it’s one of the most distinct entries in the MCU. Brave New World is kind of similar in its grounded and grittiness. How do you work around such a massive success, and how do you replicate what worked without feeling like a retread?
MOORE: To your point, we always want our movies to feel distinct. But I do think Captain America lends itself as a franchise to sort of the political thriller genre. But even in the genre, there’s a wide sort of gamut of ways to express that. Joe and Anthony Russo—I love them so much—they love handheld cameras, they love quick cutting, they love this propulsive kind of filmmaking. I think Julius [Onah]’s approach to this film was to be a little bit more considered, for it to feel a little bit more like a throwback like The Parallax View or Day of the Jackal, so the camera is going to move a bit differently. The music, I think, is really steeped in the ‘70s sound in a way that I think is really interesting. And I think grounding everything allows the special things to be more special. Because Sam is human, his world is human. But when you start talking about Tiamut or a Red Hulk, those things can become more special because everything else isn’t as hyped.

Image via Marvel Studios

Sam’s not a super soldier, he’s not a Norse God. What is about him that thinks that he can take on a Red Hulk?
MOORE: That’s a great question! I’m not sure he has a decision, to be quite honest. Sometimes, trouble finds you. I think Sam Wilson, if he could, would try to solve every problem with his mind. He’s a counselor first. He doesn’t prefer to throw a punch, but when push comes to shove, and it’s about defending others, I think that’s when Sam really kicks it into high gear. I think that’s why it makes him a special Captain America.
Marvel Producer Nate Moore Gives Updates on ‘Armor Wars’ and ‘Black Panther 3’

“We should be so lucky.”

Image via Marvel Studios

Yeah, I agree. What’s going on with Armor Wars? Can you give us any information about that?
MOORE: You know, that’s not my project, to be honest. But I do know, as Marvel [Studios] continues to go through this phase, we want to make sure whatever we’re making is awesome. So that means we had to slow down some things that were on the front burner. It doesn’t mean we’ll never make it, but it does mean we just have to be a little bit more considered so that every time out, audiences are guaranteed quality.
Regarding Black Panther 3. What was it like for you recently when Denzel Washington came out and spoke about Ryan Coogler writing a role for him? And have you guys figured out what that role is going to be yet?
MOORE: We haven’t, and that’s what’s so funny about his comments. I do believe he actually called Ryan to apologize because, look, we should be so lucky. But, yeah, that’s super early days. Ryan is finishing his film Sinners, which is going to be amazing.

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I’m excited for that.
MOORE: We haven’t started really cracking story, so I know there’s a lot of speculation and casting rumors online. None of it’s true, which is fine. I think it speaks to people’s passion for the property, which is great. But look, if and when we can figure out how to get Denzel in the MCU, that’s going to be an amazing day. And I couldn’t be more excited for what Panther 3 could be.
I’m incredibly excited for that as well. At the end of 2024, we learned that you were becoming an independent producer. Can you tell us anything about your next non-MCU movie?
MOORE: I’m sort of building out what those things are going to be, but, as you said, I’m not leaving completely because I love these films, and I’ve grown up on comics, and I’ve grown up with this team here at Marvel. But I am excited to make other kinds of films, other sizes of films. Hopefully, I can make things that are as impactful as the things I’ve worked on so far.
Captain America: Brave New World releases in theaters on February 14.