Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) has been promoted.
The Avenger known as the Falcon is now the new Captain America, a role that he seems mostly comfortable with, even though others may not be. While he doesn’t mind doing the day-to-day heroics, aided by his protege, former military liaison Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), he does question himself when the newly elected president, former general “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford, stepping in for the departed William Hurt) asks him to reform the Avengers. Sam soon finds himself embroiled in political intrigue following as assassination attempt on Ross, and soon the world is on the brink of war over a new metallic ore with properties that can reshape the course of nations.
Much like a couple of other recent Marvel films, Captain America: Brave New World is fairly entrenched in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a lack of familiarity with the various previous components being referenced for this new installment can hamper one’s ability to fully follow along. Elements from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and 2021’s The Eternals play important roles here. This film definitely plays as a follow-up to the Disney+ series The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, which introduced two supporting characters of Brave New World‘s cast. Sure, the film drops some exposition along the way, but it is only a bandage. A moment where Sam has some doubts of his worthiness to carry the Captain America shield and mantle doesn’t work as well here, given that was his whole character arc in the Falcon And Winter Solder series. There has been much talk about how the film was subject to reshoots that substantially restructured its story, changing some characters and possibly replacing some actors in certain roles. And if you squint somewhat you can see the seams around some of the patchwork. The story holds together, but just barely at times.
That aside, though, where the film does succeed it can be traced to Mackie’s performance. He has a natural charisma on screen, holding his own against an icon like Harrison Ford but never dominating scenes he shares with more relative newcomers. Sam is often troubled throughout this story, about his role as a public figure and should his loyalties lie to United states as a whole or to the person currently in charge of the country.He wonders about his role as a hero and whether he should have taken a serum that would have given him an enhanced strength and stamina similar to the original Captain America. The screenplay may be underwritten for some of this, but Wilson makes the most of it.
Brave New World does feature a couple of nice action pieces, ranging from something small like the White House shooting to the big showdown where Sam and Joaquin Torres try to de-escalate tensions between the United States and Japan which have the world teetering on the brink of war. The finale where a very human Sam faces off against Ross in full Red Hulk mode helps to showcase Sam’s ability to not just fight, but to strategize when faced with an opponent who clearly physically outclasses him.
The MCU brand has had its ups and downs since the finale of its first big, epic storyline Avengers: Endgame in 2019. The COVID shutdown, the twin Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America strikes, the tragic death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, the chaotic reign of Disney chief Bob Chapek and the firing of actor Jonathan Majors from his role as the current storyline’s original main villain have all led to a certain amount of creative chaos behind the scenes. Some of that has leaked out on screen as well. And it is hard not to feel some empathy for Marvel studio chief Kevin Feige as he and his crew have had to navigate these choppy waters these past five years or so. As a fan of the MCU and its unique longform storytelling, I can see how Brave New World is certainly laying the foundation for a number of specific things we have been told are on the horizon. And while those future films sound exciting, it is a bit worrisome that those movies may be building on a less than sturdy ground.
