Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Marvel’s rebuild after the iconic era of “Avengers: Endgame” (2019) had a rocky start on what direction the Marvel Cinematic Universe wants to go. 

“Captain America: Brave New World” (2025) is one of the new ways Marvel is trying to branch out into a new phase of MCU. It stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, who has become the new Captain America. 

When Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) handed Wilson the shield, this set a new tone for what Marvel would become. With Harrison Ford (“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”) taking over the role of Thaddeus Ross, the movie is setting up a new scene for Marvel. 

The movie begins fast-paced, like they were expecting fans to put the pieces together with setting up the story. When this happens, it tends to take audience members out of the story. It can feel like a very forced and cheap element of storytelling. 

Anthony Mackie has done a wonderful job in the MCU so far as “The Falcon”. His wit and quick dialogue have made him a beloved character in the fandom. With that being said, Mackie’s more serious acting felt flat during heavier emotional scenes.

It could have been the script, but the serious scenes felt too cliché. Marvel has tended to try to recreate the “glory” days of Infinity War, but Marvel would benefit from creating something fresh. 

What the movie would have benefitted from was Mackie’s comedic acting. Any time there was comedy, the writers gave the humor to someone else. 

This is a new era of Captain America, with a completely different person taking on the role. It is not Chris Evans’s Captain America, but that is not a bad thing. Making Mackie’s Cap his own would have brought a fun dynamic to the movie instead of just feeling like a filler for new movies.

The villain Samuel Sterns, played by Tim Blake Nelson, did a fantastic job of bringing an enticing villain to the MCU. Very similar to the villain from “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), Sterns is not a fighter but uses manipulation of the mind to reach his goal of destroying President Ross.

These characters are the strength of Marvel. The realness and vulnerability of the villain allow for audience members to anticipate an influential ending. 

There was some set up for Dr. Doom, a powerful villain who will be played by Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”). Finally, Marvel is making some connections to the wider cinematic universe. The other movies coming out in this new phase have felt very directionless and not connected to one another in any way. 

Another critique is Marvel’s aversion to talking about social issues. With the character Isaiah Bradley played by Carl Lumbly, Marvel hints at the racial injustices happening in America. While they touched more on the character in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” (2021), it just does not feel like Marvel’s top priority and they only touch on it to appease fans. The story could benefit from a real dive into how this affects Americans, specifically African Americans, but  Marvel has a history of tiptoeing around these topics instead of making a definite stance. 

Marvel has the fan base and the love from thousands, but their recent movies have just missed the mark. There seems to be no direction sometimes with which way this will go and Marvel needs to figure out what they are doing to keep fans happy. While some elements of “Captain America: Brave New World” were entertaining and added to the MCU, it ultimately was another miss from Marvel.

Image via Marvel Studios via comicbook.com