Marvel Studios officially enters a new era with Captain America: Brave New World, the first film where a legacy mantle is passed down to a new lead character.
Although we saw Wilson’s transformation in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, this is the first film with Sam fully embracing the role of Captain America. Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson takes the shield and headlines a film that has incredible action sequences and some of the best fight scenes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Mackie and co-star Danny Ramirez are as delightful together as they are dynamic, and their partnership forms the heart of this story.
Steve Rogers may be gone, but Sam Wilson is the Captain America that the current MCU needs.
Captain America: Brave New World premieres February 14, 2025 in theaters.
Official Synopsis
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Brave New World” stars Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, with Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford.
The film is directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore. Louis D’Esposito and Charles Newirth serve as executive producers. The screenplay is by Rob Edwards and Malcolm Spellman & Dalan Musson and Julius Onah & Peter Glanz with story by Rob Edwards and Malcolm Spellman & Dalan Musson.
The Good
It’s been almost 6 years since the decade-long Infinity War Saga concluded with Avengers: Endgame. While Marvel Studios had its grand plans after that saga derailed by numerous outside circumstances (and some self-inflicted wounds), the MCU projects since then have never felt like a fresh restart; that changes with Captain America: Brave New World.
With Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) embracing the shield, Brave New World feels like a genuinely new beginning to the path that will lead to the Avengers films Doomsday and Secret Wars. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean that this film is full of unnecessary cameos or side stories. Instead, it is a tightly focused Captain America story that also establishes a baseline for the MCU to build on over the next few years.
Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford in a role previously played by William Hurt, who passed away in 2022) is a newly minted President of the United States, who surprisingly invites Wilson and his partners, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), to the White House. There, Ross asks Sam to help him rebuild the Avengers. It’s a stunning turn for Ross, who previously championed the divisive Sokovia Accords and helped tear apart the Avengers. Before Sam can make a decision, Bradley suddenly attacks Ross, setting in motion a sequence of events where the President’s dark history threatens Sam, his friends and the rest of the world.
Ford and Mackie play excellent opposites, with Ford’s Ross representing a past generation, and Mackie’s Wilson trying to bridge the generational divide. Their dynamic is symbolic of the larger MCU, as this film seeks to balance the past era of the MCU with the current one. Mackie’s Captain America is ever the mediator, trying to find peace where one seems impossible. If the defining characteristic of Steve Rogers was that he would never give up a fight, Wilson’s is that he will never give up trying to avoid one.
Adding to the fresh new feel of the film is Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, the new Falcon. Ramirez is sure to be an instant fan favorite. While we saw some of him in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, Ramirez is given far greater opportunities to shine here, and he doesn’t waste a moment. With a lovable zeal and undeniable charisma, Ramirez is one of the best new additions to the MCU.
The dynamic between Wilson and Torres is an interesting departure from the Captain America and Falcon of the past. While Rogers was the straight-laced, serious hero to Wilson’s sarcastic and wise-cracking sidekick, both Sam and Joaquin are a lot more comedic. At times, it feels like they might step on each other‘s toes, but the two manage to find that tough balance and ultimately bring the best out of each other. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable partnership that is unlike any we have seen thus far in the MCU.
This film highlights Mackie’s ability to fit well with various on screen partners, be it Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, or Danny Ramirez. Mackie’s impressive flexibility allows him to consistently excel in sharing the spotlight with his costars, like a talented basketball point guard who knows when to set up his teammates and when to score for himself.
Beyond the character dynamics, Captain America: Brave New World has some of the best action one could ask for. Aerial dogfights, innovative use of both the shield and wings in combat, and Hulk-smashing action; this film has it all for action lovers. There are several ambitious fight scenes that must be watched in IMAX or the biggest screen possible. In particular, the second act culminates in a dogfight with Cap, Falcon, and multiple fighter jets that offers a Top Gun worthy spectacle.
Director Julius Onah Deftly manages the epic scale of the action with the intimate character dynamics. While the action is framed by healthy doses of wide-angle shots to capture the grandeur, the conversations between characters like Sam, Ross, and others are captured up close and personal. The approach reflects the film’s desire to tell a global story with very human consequences.
Brave New World also serves as a pleasant follow up to 2008 film The Incredible Hulk, bringing back several characters and picking up some of its loose ends. It’s certainly worth re-watching that film as a primer for this one.
Most notably returning is Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns, also known as the Leader. The Leader, a character known for his heightened intellect due to a Gamma infused mutation in his brain, is a mysterious villain is intent on revenge from the shadows. His role here is similar to that of Baron Zemo in Captain America: Civil War, although not as effective or crowd-pleasing. Nevertheless, it’s a nice redemption for Nelson, who delivered a strong performance in the original Hulk film, which clearly intended to bring him back in a sequel that never happened. Nelson‘s Leader is creepy and unsettling, adding to the espionage thriller tone of the film.
The Bad
As exciting as the action is in Brave New World, the emotional character moments do not quite measure up. There are several messages that the film is trying to convey, including the importance of global collaboration, the struggle to leave a legacy beyond your darkest moments, and the unique burden that a black superhero carries. However, there isn’t enough time or commitment given to any one of those ideas. Instead, they are primarily shoehorned into the story through various instances of overlong exposition that dramatically slow down the film. Most stories, particularly action focused ones like Marvel, benefit from following the idea of “show, don’t tell.” Unfortunately, in this case, the audience is told too much and too many times.
With any Marvel film, the delicate dance is managing various characters. While Brave New World doesn’t suffer from having characters that don’t fit this particular story in favor of setting up some future unrelated project, it still struggles at times with properly showcasing the supporting characters; particularly, Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) and Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito). Both of these characters have tremendous presence and deserve more screen time. Instead, Bradley is sidelined for most of the film, used primarily as a plot point, and Sidewinder seems to be set up for a future Captain America story. Lumbly and Esposito each have one particularly memorable scene, but both deserve much more.
Another frustrating character choice is new addition Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas). Although the character was reportedly intended to be inspired by Sabra, an Israeli character from the comics, she was quickly repackaged following objections from fans, rightfully raising concerns about introducing a character like this during the crisis in Gaza. In a recent interview, producer Nate Moore clarified that the character is Israeli, but not a member of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence organization.
Even putting aside any elements of the controversy, Ruth, who is described to be a former member of the Red Room, simply does not fit in the film. She serves very little purpose in the story, and sadly, Haas has no chemistry with Mackie and Ramirez. Presumably, Ruth’s role was cut down substantially in the third act during reshoots, but it’s hard to imagine that she would have made much of an impact regardless.
Considering the fact that Brave New World has a noticeable dearth of female characters, it’s understandable that Marvel sought to include Ruth into the story. But as much as Natasha Romanoff was a well executed addition to the earlier Captain America films, Ruth Bat-Seraph is not.
The POC-Y
Brave New World is directed by Julius Onah, a Nigerian-American filmmaker born in Makurdi, Benue State in Nigeria. This makes Onah only the third African-American filmmaker to direct a Marvel feature film (along with Ryan Coogler and Nia DaCosta). Onah lived all over the world, including the Philippines and the United Kingdom, before moving to the United States. His international perspective is apparent throughout this film, which includes Sam Wilson speaking Spanish and Japanese at different points. The screenplay credits include African-American writers Onah, Rob Edwards (The Princess and the Frog) and Malcolm Spellman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), and the film’s producers include Anthony Mackie and Nate Moore, who served as a producer on Black Panther and Wakanda Forever.
This is the first major superhero film where the two lead heroes are Black and Latino in Wilson and Torres, and the rest of the cast and crew list is full of diverse creatives. During a time when DEI issues of all kinds are under attack, it’s an important moment that this restart to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is being spearheaded by such a diverse team. One can only hope that such efforts aren’t scaled back in the near future.
The Rating – 3.5/5
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
