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Wait, so is [SPOILER] dead? Or am I watching Captain America: Brave New World wrong?

Am I going crazy? Because I think I just watched [SPOILER] die at the end of Captain America: Brave New World and absolutely no one in the movie mentions it

Major spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World follow.

Who dies in Captain America: Brave New World?

That's, like, the spoileriest thing you can ask about a movie, right? True story: at an improv show I went to in 2015, one comic thought it would be funny to spoil Han Solo's death in Force Awakens (he got booed off the stage). A decade later, I just watched another big death in a Harrison Ford vehicle, and you'd think it would be a pretty emotional moment. But the Captain America: Brave New World character I'm talking about was not mentioned in the least between their apparent demise and the rolling of the credits, and for the absolute life of me, I cannot figure out why.

Let me back this up. First of all, in case you haven't already caught on, I'm just going to be spoiling the latest MCU movie outright. You know that, yes? So you know this is your last chance to turn ack before getting the ending spoiled for you? OK great, as long as we're on the same page, read on.

Captain America: Brave New World gives new shield-wielder Sam Wilson a host of allies to fight the good fight, one of them being Commander Dennis Dunphy. Dunphy, a fellow soldier of Sam's, is tasked at one point with learning the truth behind the mysterious white pills Thaddeus Ross has been taking. As you might be able to guess, these pills are key to Ross's transformation into the Red Hulk, and though Dunphy discovers their gamma radiation, he's never able to tell his friend Captain America. The true mastermind of the film's evil scheme. Dr. Samuel Sterns, kills him before he can.

But here's the thing: Dunphy's death is very clear. Dramatic music plays, actor William Mark McCullough goes limp, and Sterns, AKA The Leader, even tells Dunphy (and the audience) that the soldier's heart has stopped. Commander Dunphy sacrifices himself for the cause, and the movie gives him a hero's death, proving that it knows how to handle a major demise.

So how the hell did they forget about Redwing??

Yes, Redwing, the adorable birdlike robot that's capable of pretty much anything and has been with Sam Wilson ever since Captain America: Civil War is, in fact, no more. After spending almost the entire movie deploying trick after trick to save Sam's ass, Redwing went into battle alongside Sam against the Red Hulk in the film's climax. Splitting itself into two pieces, Redwing staved off Thunderbolt Ross's rampaging alter-ego as much as, if not more than, Cap's wings and shield, but the beast proved to be too much. Before Cap could take him down, Red Hulk demolished both halves of poor little Redwing.

And then that simply was not mentioned again.

If that feels absolutely bonkers to you, welcome to the club. No, Redwing was not a living human being, but it was an adorable robot sidekick, and countless movies and TV shows have proved that their departures can hit even harder than some actual people's (I mean, did you watch episode 3 of Creature Commandos?). Combine that with the fact that Artificial Intelligence in the MCU has proven at least once to be capable of having a soul, and it seems that Redwing's loss should be a much bigger deal.

I don't know, maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe the next Captain America movie will feature a brand new Redwing, and the movie will explain that its little robot brain had been saved in a file somewhere, able to just plug into a new body. Even still, hearing that in this movie would have been nice. Because as I see it right now, an MCU hero with 1 TV show and 4 movies under its belt (5 if you count footage from Deadpool & Wolverine) just died, and nobody seemed to have noticed.

Well, except for me. I'll remember you, Redwing, even if the MCU doesn't.

Captain America: Brave New World (maybe Redwing's last movie??) is in theaters now.


Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

 

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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