Captain America: Brave New World finally brought Sam Wilson’s Cap to the big screen, but he wasn’t the only Captain America at the heart of the film. Isaiah Bradley, first introduced in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is known as “the forgotten Captain America," and is one of the more tragic figures of the MCU. Bradley was discarded, imprisoned, and experimented on, left resentful of a system that had once embraced him.

Isaiah is once again played by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Carl Lumbly in Brave New World. Lumbly brings Bradley’s backstory to bear, especially as it adds even more depth to the character’s biggest moments in the film. Part mentor, part cautionary tale, Isaiah Bradley is in many ways the perfect complement to Sam Wilson throughout Captain America: Brave New World.

ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier spoke with Lumbly about his work on the new movie while at the Hollywood bar Scum & Villainy. Lumbly spoke about the journey that Isaiah Bradley has been on, and how it colors his relationship with Sam Wilson as the latter embraces his role as Captain America. Plus, Lumbly teased his latest project, a one-man show about Civil Rights activist James Baldwin. Selections from the interview are featured here--be sure to check out the longer video, above.

Isaiah Bradley Captain America: Brave New World Role Explained By Carl Lumbly

Isaiah Bradley “Doesn’t Quite Trust The Nation”

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier gave Isaiah Bradley a happy ending and long-awaited recognition for his service to the nation, complete with a statue of the supersoldier in the Smithsonian. On the subject, Lumbly said the following: “Receiving that recognition was wonderful because, in many ways, what Sam Wilson did for Isaiah was [that] he freed him.

"Isaiah was no longer in prison, in his own heart, in his own mind. He was encouraged. He’s got a statue. People know his story.” It was needed for the character as well, as Lumbly reveals, “His heart was broken. Sam brings him back.”

Unfortunately, the country that treated Bradley so unfairly in the first place didn’t do quite as much to redeem itself in his eyes: “Even though he doesn’t quite trust the nation, he trusts Sam Wilson, and he trusts Captain America in whom these ideals live.”

Still, the movie shows that Bradley has settled into something of a normal life, “back in the world in the sort of heroic way that most people [are] when they live their lives.” What does that entail? “Having livelihood, sharing with other people, sharing his expertise, training people, going to basketball games,” and “enjoying leisure.”

Isaiah Is Proud Of, But Concerned For, Sam Wilson In Brave New World

“He Worries The Same Thing Could Happen To Sam That Happened To Him”

As much as Isaiah is able to acclimate to a more fulfilling and active lifestyle, he’s still keeping an eye on Sam Wilson. “He worries the same thing could happen to Sam that happened to him,” Lumbly reveals.

The actor continued: “Sure, everyone is striving to be the best they can, but we’re human and we fall short with those ideals.” Isaiah also “doesn’t feel the need to be as brave as Sam might feel,” according to Lumbly, “so he’s looking at Sam, and that same kind of cautionary feeling he had in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is coming back up.”

Bradley’s Past Is Not Forgotten In Captain America: Brave New World

“Isaiah Has Not Escaped That Suffering”

Ultimately, Isaiah Bradley is a character that is often defined by his past trauma. “Isaiah has not escaped that suffering,” Lumbly said, revealing that Isaiah’s past is certainly playing into his life, but “he has had to compartmentalize it, in a way, in order to move forward.” And it’s larger than Bradley himself, as Lumbly pointed out: “[It’s] not just what he went through, but what he went through as a representative of a group of people who can't seem to catch a break–who can't actually lean back and trust that all the promises that are made to the other citizens of the Republic apply to them."

Lumbly Takes On A Real-World Hero Outside Of Captain America: Brave New World

Lumbly Created On A One-Man Show About Writer & Civil Rights Activist James Baldwin That Had A Workshop In 2018

“I was a library nerd,” Lumbly stated when discussing his choice to create a one-man show about James Baldwin, “and James Baldwin was the same thing.” He continued, “[Baldwin] didn’t go to college. He read, and he read everything. He read prose and comics. He read literature from other countries. And he was a tremendous novelist, and he was an amazing, amazing essayist."

He became a spokesperson, but all of that was what he had to do. He was an artist of heart by fact that he had to apply himself to reminding his Republic that it was falling behind on the promises it had made to its people, and if it didn’t keep those promises to each and every individual, it was not keeping its promise to everyone, and it was not keeping its promise to the future because part of those ideas were about moving the country forward in this grand experiment of democracy.”

Lumbly also praised Baldwin’s bravery and resilience when dealing with his own personal struggles: “His life was not easy. Not to mention the fact that this was a man who did not see why he had to declare himself as gay, but he wrote this amazing book, Giovanni’s Room, in which he depicted a love relationship between two men.”

While that was already controversial during Baldwin’s time, the author went one step further to discuss how Baldwin was generally unfairly judged. Lumbly elaborated, saying, “As it happened, he wrote about two white men, so he was vilified on every level. Those people who were racists hated him because he was black, and black people didn’t quite understand him because he wasn’t talking about hatred of white people. He was talking about wanting them to realize that their oppression of other people was oppressing them at the same time.”

Captain America: Brave New World is in theaters now.