Captain America: Brave New World finally hit theaters a little over a month ago, and I have some thoughts. Actually, a lot of thoughts.
This movie was supposed to represent a fresh chapter for the MCU — a shift in direction, tone, and leadership. Instead, it kind of feels like someone handed Sam Wilson the shield and immediately shoved him into a narrative cul-de-sac.
I walked into the theater with cautious optimism. Sam Wilson’s arc in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had some solid moments, even if the series overall felt like it was trying to say something profound but didn’t quite finish the sentence.
Still, Anthony Mackie has the chops. He’s charismatic, relatable, and the kind of actor who could absolutely redefine what Captain America stands for in 2025. Unfortunately, Brave New World doesn’t seem to know what it wants Sam Wilson’s Captain America to be.
Plot
The core of the plot revolves around a geopolitical crisis involving a rogue faction attempting to weaponize super-soldier serum (again). That’s not inherently a bad idea — after all, the Captain America franchise has always flirted with themes of global power imbalance, surveillance, and the military-industrial complex.
But here’s the issue: everything feels like reheated leftovers from The Winter Soldier and Civil War, except this time, the stakes feel lower, even when the movie insists they’re higher.
There’s a recurring theme of identity — Sam grappling with the burden of the shield, the government trying to reshape him into their version of Cap, the return of old threats with new faces — but nothing lands with the emotional impact it’s clearly aiming for.
The pacing doesn’t help, either. It’s choppy. There are long stretches where nothing of significance happens, followed by action scenes that feel more obligatory than exciting. And some sequences feel like they were stitched together with duct tape in a rush to meet a release date.
Sam Deserved Better
I wanted to root for Sam Wilson. He’s a great character with a strong moral compass, a compelling backstory, and a chance to redefine American heroism in a fractured, post-Blip world.
But Brave New World doesn’t give him the space to be Captain America. Instead, it drowns him in exposition, sidelines his personal growth, and overcomplicates his role in the wider MCU. The movie broadly gestures at the themes of justice, leadership, and sacrifice but backs away just when things are about to get interesting.
Maybe I wouldn’t mind so much if the supporting characters brought some heat. But they don’t.
The Villains Are… Fine?
The antagonists in Brave New World are, for lack of a better word, undercooked. They have motivations, sure. But they don’t have presence. They don’t make you lean forward in your seat or keep you up at night thinking, “Damn, that was actually a good point.”
You know how Killmonger had that magnetic energy that made you question everything, even while he was clearly the villain? Or how Zemo was unsettlingly calm and methodical in Civil War? We don’t get that here. The bad guys in this movie feel like checklist items. “We need someone to threaten democracy.” Check. “We need a showdown in the third act.” Check.
There’s one returning character whose presence was heavily teased, and while it was cool to see them again, the movie doesn’t do much with them either. Just another icon plugged in without the narrative weight they deserve.
Where Does This Leave the MCU?
Now for the bigger question: What does Captain America: Brave New World mean for the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward?
That’s complicated. The movie seems to want to set up future storylines, with hints about
Thunderbolts, secret government programs, and the growing divide between superheroes and state control. But at this point, the connective tissue of the MCU is fraying.
Remember how the early phases of this universe felt like a carefully planned domino setup? Each movie nudged the next piece into place, leading to a giant, satisfying cascade of interconnected stories.
We’re no longer in that era. We’re in the “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” phase, and Brave New World feels like one more thing bouncing off that wall.
To be fair, some fans might enjoy the smaller scale. Not every Marvel movie needs to be an interdimensional, multiverse-breaking explosion. But even on a human scale, Brave New World feels unfocused.
The Reception — Not Great, Bob
I wasn’t alone in feeling underwhelmed. The critical reception has been lukewarm at best and downright brutal at worst. Rotten Tomatoes has it floating in the low 50s for critics, with audience scores not faring much better.
And this time, it’s not just “the haters.” I’ve talked to longtime Marvel fans, people who defend Eternals and Quantumania of all things, and even they’re shrugging at this one. Some of the common criticisms I’ve seen (and agree with):
- The tone is all over the place. Is it a political thriller? A character study? A launchpad for Phase 5.5?
- Sam feels more like a sidekick in his own movie.
- The emotional beats don’t hit.
- Too many threads and not enough payoff.
That said, there are bright spots. The cinematography is solid in places. The score has a few standout moments.
And there’s a scene in the second act — you’ll know it when you see it — that actually made me sit up and think, “Okay, this is what the movie could’ve been.” But those moments are rare.
So… Now What?
At this point, I don’t think Marvel needs another hero. I think it needs a story editor.
There’s so much potential in Sam Wilson’s Captain America. He represents an America that’s reckoning with its past and trying to figure out what kind of future it wants. But the movie doesn’t commit to that vision. It backs away in favor of safe plotlines and CGI-heavy action sequences.
And maybe that’s the biggest disappointment of all — not that the movie was bad, but that it wasn’t bold. It didn’t take risks. It didn’t shake up the formula. It just coasted, and that’s just not enough anymore.
Will Brave New World age better with time? Maybe. Marvel movies have a way of looking better in hindsight once we know what they were setting up. But as a standalone film — as Sam’s big coming-out party as the new Captain America — it’s a miss.
I still have hope, though. Anthony Mackie deserves another shot. The character deserves better writing. And we fans deserve a Marvel that’s willing to take a few creative risks again.
