Marvel Studios has built a legacy on mixing superhero spectacle with reflections of the real modern world, often drawing from actual current events and anxieties to fuel its narratives. Captain America: Brave New World had the potential, if not the responsibility, to continue this tradition, especially as the first big screen solo outing for Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) as Captain America. However, while the film attempts to explore timely themes, it ultimately stumbles under the weight of its convoluted franchise storytelling, inconsistent execution, and questionable focus.
From the very beginning, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has woven politics into its stories, sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly. Iron Man was a direct product of post-9/11 American militarism. Captain America: The Winter Soldier revealed deep-seated governmental corruption inspired by real-world surveillance scandals. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier tackled systemic racism and the consequences of American interventionism. The expectation, then, was that Brave New World would continue this legacy, particularly given its timely release amid a politically fraught era in the United States. Instead, the film muddles its own messaging, failing to engage meaningfully with the weighty ideas it introduces.
The plot follows Sam Wilson navigating his new role as Captain America, dealing with global instability and a fractured political landscape. When the newly elected President of the United States, Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), takes office, the two find themselves butting heads in more ways than one. The film leans heavily into political thriller elements, aided by a wonderfully inspired score from Laura Karpman (American Fiction) that captures the paranoia and distrust inherent to the genre. Yet, for all its ambitions, the movie’s narrative choices often feel misguided. Much of the film’s energy is spent revisiting loose threads from The Incredible Hulk (2008) and Eternals (2021) - two of the MCU’s least popular entries - rather than expanding upon Sam’s story in a meaningful way. General audiences are unlikely to have the investment or knowledge necessary to care about these connections, making these choices feel alienating rather than enriching.
This leads to one of the film’s biggest issues: its audience targeting. In its prime, the MCU successfully balanced mass appeal with geeky comic book lore, creating films that felt accessible yet rewarding for longtime fans of the source material. Lately, however, the franchise has pivoted too often toward a niche, insular audience, requiring viewers to keep up with obscure continuity to fully grasp each new installment. The decision to center the 2020s reboot of Captain America around Hulk characters like Thaddeus Ross (Ford replaces the late William Hurt) and Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) rather than further developing Sam Wilson’s personal and ideological struggles exemplifies this disconnect.
Performances remain one of the film’s few bright spots. Mackie brings a distinct energy to Sam, portraying a Captain America who is looser, more expressive, and more prone to anger than his predecessor. Carl Lumbly, the surprise emotional and thematic anchor of the film, delivers a stunning performance as Isaiah Bradley, a super-soldier who was unjustly imprisoned for decades, and Ford brings gravitas to Ross, portraying a powerful man in the midst of a personal struggle for both change and control. The late addition of Giancarlo Esposito as an additional villain in reshoots injects some much-needed propulsion into the film as well, making every scene he’s in more compelling. It's strange to try and picture the original version of this movie without him in it.
Unfortunately, the film’s dialogue can sometimes undercut these performances. Characters repeatedly state the obvious, over-explaining motivations and plot points in a way that feels reminiscent of a low-tier Netflix, or in this case Disney+ series. This heavy-handed exposition detracts from the intended political intrigue, making grander complex ideas feel surface-level rather than thought-provoking. The visual presentation also leaves much to be desired. Like other recent Marvel productions, despite its massive budget, Brave New World features one too many inconsistent CGI effects and awkwardly staged action sequences. A particular foot chase through Washington D.C., for example, feels more cartoonish than thrilling, highlighting the film’s uneven execution.
The film’s biggest thematic misstep comes in its resolution. The climactic battle between Sam Wilson and Red Hulk (Ross’s monstrous alter ego) is a bit visually underwhelming, but more egregious is just how hollow and obligatory it feels by its end. It certainly doesn’t help matters that this final showdown has been the centerpiece of all of this movie’s marketing - so much for any of it being an actual reveal. The central conflict is also wrapped up far too neatly, reinforcing naive notions that ignore the deeper structural issues at play in a manner that’s reminiscent of the frustrating ending of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The film’s ultimate message - "we have to see the good in each other" - is a nice sentiment but feels painfully out of touch given the stakes it sets up.
Despite its flaws, the film does have moments of genuine promise. The final scene between Sam and his young protégé Joaquin Torres (a charming Danny Ramirez) offers a glimpse of the focused, character-driven story that Brave New World could have been. It’s frustrating, then, that the film spends so much time relying on the leftovers of other MCU projects instead of fully committing to Sam’s personal journey. The film’s marketing emphasized the expected superhero battle, but in reality, Brave New World is at its best when it hones in on Sam’s evolving identity as Captain America and what it means to him.
Ultimately, Captain America: Brave New World is a frustrating experience - not outright terrible, but undeniably messy. Some of the classic Marvel charisma is there, and it does attempt to engage with meaningful themes but fumbles the execution, leaning too heavily on convoluted continuity at the expense of a strong, standalone narrative. This is a film that should have been much more, no matter what the current political moment looked like, but instead it’s left scrambling for purpose, unsure of what to stand for if anything at all.
'Captain America: Brave New World' is now playing in theaters.
