Captain America: Brave New World isn’t as bad as some fans might want you to believe.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been struggling lately. It has little to do with the quality of the movies and Disney+ TV shows. The problem is the fanbase. It seems fans want every movie connected and have little time for standalone features. When Marvel tried to do something unique and different, fans rebelled. When a story wasn’t exactly what fans wanted, they complained and bashed its quality.
Don’t even get me started on people who hate anything with a woman hero (The Marvels) or anything with a hero who isn’t white (Captain America: Brave New World). Marvel isn’t dropping the ball here. The fans are ruining everything with their ridiculous complaints. That isn’t to say everything is great. There are problems with the recent MCU output (and Secret Invasion is the worst culprit). Captain America: Brave New World also isn’t perfect.
But it is a solid action espionage movie that follows the same path as the previous Captain America movies with Steve Rogers.
Captain America: Brave New World Review
Captain America: Brave New World follows Sam Wilson taking over the mantle of Captain America in the Disney+ series Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Don’t think you must watch every Disney+ show to get the movies. That is simply a non-truth a lot of people online like to throw out to complain about the streaming shows. Just know this. Steve Rogers gave Sam the shield at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Sam was reluctant to accept the role until the end of Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
In Brave New World, fans meet Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), the man who is taking over as Falcon, and Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly). Both were introduced in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but all you need to know is told in this movie. Joaquin is the new Falcon (his first time taking on the wings). Isaiah is a former super-soldier serum experiment that the United States government betrayed.
Also, Harrison Ford has taken on the role of General Thunderbolt Ross (the late William Hurt from Captain America: Civil War). He is now the United States President. To understand how he got to this point, it all comes from an old movie. The Leader is a villain created in The Incredible Hulk but never seen until now. Once again, it isn’t essential to know much about him other than what is told in this movie.
The Leader is trying to manipulate things to start a war between the United States and the world for control of the adamantium found in the body of the dead Celestial (from Eternals – once again, it is not essential to know more than this movie explains). It is up to Captain America and Falcon to stop The Leader’s plans before World War II starts.
Does Captain America: Brave New World Work?
There are a few complaints about Captain America: Brave New World. Ignore the complaints about Sam Wilson being a Black Captain America and the ones from people who want Steve Rogers back. Anyone who can’t get over their own racism or move on to a new character in the role is not paying attention to the actual movie anyway.
However, there are complaints worth examining. They come primarily from this movie being savaged before it was released. The film was shot, and then Marvel decided to go in and change things. This wasn’t a minor reshoot. Instead, Marvel changed much of the story and eliminated several things from the film. This includes the Serpeant Society, of which only Giancarlo Esposito’s SIdewinder remained. Copperhead had one fight early on and never appeared again. This is also why WWE star Seth Rollins didn’t appear in the film (he played Diamondback).
That resulted in the movie feeling like a patchwork story, which it was. Things from the original film had to fit in with scenes from the new version, and it felt disjointed at points. This hurt the entire Red Hulk story, too, which was the main selling point of this film. However, as a movie, it was a good story with some excellent action set pieces.
Just like Winter Soldier, this was an espionage movie. However, it never comes close to the brilliance of that earlier movie. It follows the path of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, showing how a Black man, Sam Wilson, struggles to fit into the role of Captain America. As a man who cares about the people (he was a social worker who helped veterans before becoming a superhero), he does not blindly represent America. Instead, he represents the country’s people.
Many people also hated that, but that says more about them than it does about any movie.
What Works Best In Captain America: Brave New World?
The best part of the movie, and what works so well, is Thaddeus Ross and his rise to the presidency and eventual fate. Ross did a lot of bad things in his life. He wanted to destroy Hulk because he felt that Hulk was a threat to his daughter, Betty. He lost his relationship with Betty because of his obsession. Ross moved up the ranks in politics and became a proponent of the Sokovia Akords, which made the original Captain America a villain and sent heroes into hiding, which aided Thanos in his attack on Earth.
When he became President of the United States, it seemed he could do more harm. However, he planned to do good and eventually win back his daughter’s love. When he became Red Hulk, it was the pinnacle of his frustration with not overcoming his past. This was almost more of a story of Ross finally coming to terms with his sins and taking responsibility for his crimes over the years. That story was beautifully told.
However, the fact is that this is a Captain America movie that doesn’t focus enough on Cap’s story. I loved what they did to wrap up Isaiah Bradley’s story, and Anthony Mackie is perfect as Sam Wilson, bringing what made him such a popular Marvel Comics character to the big screen. However, when he is only another character in his own movie, it hurts the story a little bit.
If things were more tightly structured, this would have been a great movie and story to tell. As is, things are a bit disjointed, and Captain America: Brave New World is still a good movie, but one that could have been better
