“Captain America: Brave New World” marks Sam Wilson’s first solo outing as the new Captain America and the fifth installment in the franchise. Tasked with handling an international crisis while unraveling a far-reaching conspiracy, the film attempts to establish a fresh legacy. But does it match the impact of its widely celebrated predecessor, “The Winter Soldier?”
The answer depends on who you ask. While the film is a solid entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), many feel it doesn’t quite rise to the high standards set by its predecessors. My opinion is that despite Anthony Mackie’s strong performance, the overall product feels like a “Diet Pepsi” version of Marvel’s usual formula.
Luis Kira is a longtime Marvel fan and student at MC College in Maryland and weighed in on the movie’s lackluster delivery.
“The movie felt more like a sequel than a solo Captain America movie. The final version of the movie turned out ‘aggressively fine’—not great but not bad,” Kira said.
“Brave New World” features Red Hulk, Thunderbolt Ross, The Leader, and the return of Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, aiming to bridge narrative gaps from “The Incredible Hulk.” However, reactions to their execution are mixed. Longstanding legal complications with Universal Pictures, who hold distribution rights to Hulk characters, have historically limited Marvel’s independent use of them. These constraints directly shaped how “Brave New World” handled these characters, though some critics argue the result lacks emotional and narrative depth.
“Every time Red Hulk gets angry, he’s supposed to get hotter or burn more, but they had to nerf him so ‘Black’ Captain America can win,” Michael Joshua, a 21-year-old student, said.
Emphasizing the word “black,” he criticized the film for focusing more on diversity optics than storytelling substance. Joshua’s critique highlights one of the more polarizing discussions around the film’s representation versus narrative depth. Though “Brave New World” strives to continue Captain America’s legacy, many viewers felt the emotional beats didn’t land with the same power.
In comparison to “The Winter Soldier,” a gritty spy thriller praised for its choreography, political depth, and character arcs, “Brave New World” lacks the same narrative cohesion. The climactic emotional punch of “The Winter Soldier,” where Bucky pulls Steve from the water, is unmatched. “Brave New World” attempts a similar moment between General Ross and Betty Ross, but her limited screen time renders it ineffective.
“The Sakura tree aesthetic was just there to make the final battle look different when it really wasn’t,” Kira said.
He criticized the lack of emotional payoff and the underdeveloped portrayal of characters like the new Falcon and President Ross.
Still, not all reception was negative. Many appreciated the grounded tone and absence of multiverse distractions, instead focusing on real-world issues like race, legacy, and the burden of representation.
Tanisha Sanders, a viewer in her fifties who initially wasn’t interested in the film, found herself captivated.
“It’s not like an exact copy of Captain America, but it works like its own Netflix-style thing, like Miles Morales and Spider-Man. I didn’t feel like getting out of my chair. I wasn’t getting restless, so that was a positive sign,” Sanders said.
Sanders also praised the film’s depth and social commentary.
“You have to think. I need to see that movie more than once to fully grasp its deep themes about racism and other issues… It’s about people being able to see themselves in superheroes,” Sanders said.
Also included in “Brave New World” was character Isaiah Bradley, a Black super-soldier in the Marvel universe. Reflecting the actual Tuskegee Syphilis Study, he was one of several African American troops unintentionally exposed to secret super-soldier trials during World War II.
Though he acquired abilities like those of Captain America, his narrative is one of racial injustice; he was imprisoned and removed from history after donning the Captain America outfit without authorization. His character symbolizes America’s historical maltreatment of Black troops and systematic racism, therefore reflecting stolen legacy and buried sacrifice in the MCU.
With a budget of $200 million, the film underwent multiple reshoots and rewrites, which contributed to its disjointed feel and unresolved subplots. Yet despite these challenges, Mackie’s performance offers a strong anchor, bringing a rebellious yet heroic energy to the role.
In the end, “Captain America: Brave New World” is a respectable but uneven chapter in the MCU. It struggles to step out of the shadow of “The Winter Soldier” but succeeds in forging new ground thematically. While some saw it as an underwhelming patchwork of past films, others embraced it as a bold step forward in representation and emotional complexity.
