On Feb. 14, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) premiered its brand new chapter of the following wave of Avengers — Captain America: Brave New World.
Screening on Valentine’s Day, this movie was Anthony Mackie’s debut as Captain America, laying the foundation for the modern era of Marvel, which includes The Fantastic Four, Thunderbolts, The Marvels and more.
This movie follows up the limited series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, released in March 2021 on Disney+. In the series finale, Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie, takes on the role of Captain America after war hero John Walker does the shield dirty by murdering someone in cold blood.
With the support of Bucky, played by Sebastian Stan and Isaiah Bradley, former supersoldier in the MCU, Sam Wilson steps up as the new Captain America in Phase 5.
Alongside Mackie, the movie also stars Harrison Ford, who plays the U.S. president and Danny Ramirez as the presumably next Falcon.
In a two-hour window, Director Juliuis Onahn leaves it up to Wilson to be America’s light of hope in a post-Avenger era. Even though Wilson refuses to take the supersoldier serum, the audience notices his efforts to follow Steve Rogers’ morals and his optimistic view of society.
As Captain America, Wilson embarks on a journey to discover how to partner with the government while also doing the right thing for the American people — even when their interests conflict.
One of the highlights of the film is the Red Hulk.
Ford’s performance brings back the feeling of strong MCU villains, showing the audience that anything is possible if it falls into the wrong hands. With impressive CGI, we see an aging and angry man who is the president and deals with the pain of not having a relationship with his daughter.
Though not as fictional as Marvel fans might have expected, this film establishes a relatable tone while reintroducing the maturity of previous Captain America movies.
In this movie, Mackie had the space to prove that the essence of being ‘Captain America’ is not the supersoldier serum but rather friendship, hope and legacy.
By teaming up with Danny Ramirez, Wilson demonstrates that a true Captain America should rely on others with similar values to fight for what is right, even when they are fighting against the current U.S. president. Wilson also imparts Ramirez with advice and knowledge of what the Falcon stands for, mirroring Rogers’s ability to inspire and lead the masses with his words.
It’s no secret that Mackie faced an enormous challenge in this role, as many fans expected him to fill the shoes of Steve Rogers’ Captain America. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, Mackie’s Captain America is based on being vulnerable and how to exploit your weakest point and turn it into your biggest strength.
As any ordinary soldier in this film, Mackie makes space for a promising character development in the next movies. Whether the MCU capitalizes on this or squanders it – remains to be seen.
“I will never be Steve,” said Wilson. This line is echoed a lot throughout the two hours of the film. However, it doesn’t stem from the American people but from Wilson’s own lingering doubt on Rogers’ decision of passing him the Captain America shield.
Although the film was released during Black History Month, it lacks the political discussion around Wilson becoming Captain America — a topic that was explored in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier miniseries.
Throughout Brave New World, it’s widely accepted that Wilson is Captain America and no one challenges him for being the first Black American to have the mantle. Marvel stepped aside from the complexities of Wilson’s role, dismissing potential racial struggles within the MCU.
The franchise makes it clear that it would rather avoid this discourse, delivering a more disconnected storyline that fails to reflect today’s reality.
While Brave New World doesn’t delve as deeply into systemic struggles as it should, it highlights that Captain America is, above all, about being a ‘good man.’ With Wilson’s humour and optimism, Mackie may single-handedly elevate audience expectations for this new phase of the Avengers.
