The new Captain America finds himself in the midst of a tense political situation in Julius Onah’s Captain America: Brave New World.

It’s a turbulent time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Once a juggernaut of interconnected storytelling, the franchise now struggles with fragmented narratives, abandoned plot threads, and a lack of clear direction. Fans have grown frustrated by the inconsistency, sensing that continuity has become more of an afterthought than a priority. Brave New World is a glaring example of this issue, highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the modern MCU in a film that struggles to find its own identity.

The film stumbles right out of the gate with a clumsy recap of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk; a film the MCU has mostly ignored until now. While characters like Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (originally played by William Hurt) and Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky aka the Abomination have reappeared over time, Brave New World bizarrely acts as something of a belated sequel without Bruce Banner. Instead of smoothly reintroducing these elements, the film bombards the audience with an inelegant info dump that breaks immersion from the start. Added to the info dump is a reminder of the stillborn Celestial seen in Eternals and that Sam Wilson is now unquestionably the current incumbent of the Captain America mantle. Context is certainly important and continuity should be important in a shared universe but the way this was delivered was inelegant.

Unfortunately, this opening sets the tone for the rest of the film, which never quite settles on a clear direction. It introduces interesting ideas but never fully develops them, resulting in a disjointed mix of concepts that don’t blend organically. It’s no surprise that Brave New World feels disjointed—five credited writers and likely endless studio notes resulted in a film that never settles on a clear vision. The script plays like a patchwork of competing ideas as if each writer worked in isolation without ever aligning their visions. This kind of chaotic storytelling has become a frustrating hallmark of modern blockbusters, and this is a prime example of why it needs to stop.

The film’s central conflict—political tensions over the stillborn Celestial in the Indian Ocean—has the potential to be a compelling geopolitical story. Nations vying for control, a president caught between diplomacy and self-interest—on paper, this should be engaging. But Brave New World barely scratches the surface. Ross (Harrison Ford), shifts wildly between ruthless authoritarian and bordering on altruistic, but the film never clarifies his motivations. There’s also a half-baked emotional throughline about being estranged from his daughter that is always clunkily deployed. In a stronger script, all of this could add intrigue. Here, it just feels like a byproduct of disjointed writing. Despite setting itself up as a politically charged film, Brave New World avoids taking a stance on anything meaningful. Instead of offering commentary on power, leadership, or global conflict, it plays it safe, reducing politics to background noise rather than a driving force in the story. One assumes out of a conscious desire to not step on any political toes.

Despite the incoherently written character, Harrison Ford consistently elevates the material. He imbues Ross with immense gravitas and expertly shifts between the various aspects of the character. When he needs to be a brutal authoritarian he nails it, when he needs to be shady he nails it and he even manages to be likeable at points, particularly in the rare moments he allows himself to be vulnerable. He’s also up there with the best of them when portraying resisting Hulking out.

The best thing that this film has to offer is Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson in the role of Captain America. Steve Rogers passed on the shield and gave his blessing in Avengers: Endgame and Brave New World picks up that thread with Sam constantly working to prove himself worthy of the mantle. Anthony Mackie plays Sam with an earnestness and decisiveness that is infectious and even inspiring at points. He has never been better as Sam Wilson and proves himself to be more than capable of being one of the anchors the floundering MCU desperately needs.

Sam Wilson’s Captain America stands apart from his predecessor. Unlike Steve Rogers, who embodied an almost untouchable ideal, Sam presents a version of Cap that people can truly relate to. He’s not a supersoldier—he’s just a man trying to do the right thing, and that’s what makes him inspiring. The film touches on how this shift in representation changes the public’s perception of Captain America, but frustratingly, it never fully explores the weight of that legacy. On a character level, Sam knows exactly what he stands for; he honours his predecessor while forging his own path. His values repeatedly clash with the president’s rigid approach, creating an antagonistic yet respectful dynamic that leads to some of the film’s best moments. Once again, it’s one of many elements vying for dominance so it never achieves its full potential but what is there is solid.

The former Falcon brings a fresh dynamic to the action, and the film’s strongest set piece—a thrilling aerial dogfight—makes great use of his flight skills.. It’s fast, well-staged, and full of tension. However, the hand-to-hand combat sequences suffer from choppy editing and a lack of visual flair, making them less impactful. The third-act showdown between Sam and Red Hulk delivers impressive spectacle and strong visuals with an impressive character-driven approach to handling the massive gulf in power level.

One of the film’s biggest weaknesses is how strangely empty its world feels. In past MCU films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, there was evidence of real people reacting to political upheaval and superhero conflicts, making the stakes feel tangible. Brave New World, by contrast, relies on news reports to fill in the gaps, reducing the world’s response to secondhand exposition rather than showing it unfold. We never see how ordinary people feel about Sam Wilson as Captain America, nor do we witness any public outcry or confusion over the president turning into a Hulk. This lack of world-building makes the events of the film feel oddly weightless. The film even ends with an assurance that things will be reset back to normal so there’s no need to worry about anything depicted here sticking or being important in the future. For those invested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe being a living breathing universe that changes and evolves this will be immensely frustrating as it appears the stewards of the franchise are uninterested in rewarding their investment.

Considerable effort has been put into making this as disposable an experience as possible; something to be consumed once, perhaps enjoyed on some level and promptly forgotten rather than something of substance worthy of conversation and analysis. Not that a film like this should be overloading itself with references and hints to future films, quite the opposite actually, but leaving the audience with the message that none of what they’ve watched really matters is likely to be infuriating to superfans and casual viewers alike. Much has been said about this being a return to the style of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and it’s certainly superficially along those lines but it lacks the density that makes Winter Soldier memorable and celebrated as one of the MCU’s triumphs. Brave New World offers fleeting entertainment but lacks the depth to leave a lasting impact. Instead of reinvigorating the MCU, it feels like another stopgap—another film that shuffles pieces around without ever giving audiences a reason to care.

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Verdict

Captain America: Brave New World is another symptom of the MCU’s identity crisis—scattered, unfocused, and frustratingly safe. Anthony Mackie shines, but the film itself is a forgettable stopgap rather than a meaningful step forward.

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