Captain America: Brave New World flew into theaters Valentine’s Day as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 35th movie.
As the second to last movie of the MCU’s Phase Five and Anthony Mackie’s first film as Captain America, the movie served as the next installation of The Multiverse Saga.
The story centers on Mackie’s character, Sam Wilson, marking his first appearance since “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” Joaquin Torres, played by Danny Ramirez, takes up the mantle of Wilson’s Falcon — following his comic counterpart.
Carl Lumbly also reprises his role as Isaiah Bradley, the “forgotten Captain,” leading to the main conflict of the film. First mentioned in TFATWS, Bradley helped Wilson realize he was a suitable carrier of the stars and stripes.
Harrison Ford entered the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross after William Hurt’s death in 2022. Ross first appeared in The Incredible Hulk, his presence often hindering the heroes.
For the first time ever, the film did not open with the Marvel comic book fanfare opening, instead opting for a quick black and white opening. This kept the story moving without letting the audience linger too long.
Set three years after the events of TFATWS, Wilson has embraced his role as Captain America, working to save the world in any way he can.
Like 2021's Eternals, CABNW did poorly with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, sitting at a 50% rating, but performed pretty well with audiences who gave it an 80%.
When watched in an IMAX theater, the aspect ratio of the film changed during action sequences, according to an article from Forbes. The change was both seamless and jarring, depending on the scene.
The title of the film served as a double entendre. The “Brave New World” references a world with the element Adamantium and Wilson’s role as Captain America.
My expectations walking into this movie were optimistic but cautious due to extensive rewrites and reshoots leading up to its release following bad reviews from test audiences.
The reshoots, rewrites and cut scenes worked in favor of the film, making action sequences bigger and changing aspects of the film for the better, like the funeral from the trailer.
Unlike Captain America: Civil War, Captain America: Brave New World was truly a Captain America movie, letting Wilson’s character shine without other heroes overshadowing him.
Reintroducing themes from TFATWS, Wilson actively struggles with the pressure and responsibility of being Captain America. Constantly compared to Steve Rogers, Wilson wonders if he is up to the task of being the man Rogers was, especially since he wasn’t a super soldier.
Early on the press tour, Mackie received backlash regarding his take on what Captain America stands for.
“Captain America represents a lot of different things, and I don’t think the term ‘America’ should be one of those representations,” he said in a panel. “It’s about a man who keeps his word and who has honor, dignity and integrity. Someone who is trustworthy and dependable. This is like an aspect of a dream coming true.”
Mackie’s statements echo Chris Evans’ response to a similar question in 2011 during an interview with CBR, stating that he didn’t want to get too lost in the ‘America’ of it all.
Being a superhero is hard but bearing the weight of the shield is harder, especially without the advantage of the super serum. Wilson holds his own, however, managing to defeat the antagonist by doing what he does best: being a kind and compassionate human being, traits of a good Captain America.
The movie cemented Wilson’s place in the MCU, proving Rogers was right to pass on the mantle of Captain America.
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It wouldn’t be a Captain America movie without fan favorite Sebastian Stan’s character James “Bucky” Barnes making an appearance.
Unlike his appearances in the previous Captain America trilogy, Stan’s character played a brief cameo, reiterating the Wilson and Barnes’ friendship from TFATWS.
Although there wasn’t a mid-credit scene, the post credit scene reiterated what was already known; this universe isn’t the only one out there.
Text saying “Captain America will return” flashed on the screen to signal Mackie will be back as the titular character in a future Marvel project.
@marupudisairam
