CAPTAIN AMERICA – BRAVE NEW WORLD: Sequel to Incredible Hulk
by Harrison J. Bahe
Anthony Mackie returns as the high-flying hero Sam Wilson, who’s officially taken up the mantle of Captain America. 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.
Captain America – Brave New World is the 35th film and 5th entry of Phase 5 of the long running Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unless you’ve been watching the Disney+ TV shows, you’re going to be very confused about the presence of certain characters; especially the character of Joaquin Torres who took over the moniker of Falcon in the show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, the most important character who was introduced in the show is that of Isaiah Bradley, a black super soldier who was created, experimented on, and imprisoned by the U.S. government. Each of those new characters has their part to play but I fear that if you knew nothing about them from the show then their presence in this film would have been confusing. No, you didn’t miss a secret mid credit sequence that introduced them, you just may have missed an 6-hour Marvel movie in the form of a TV show. So, if you had no idea who those two characters were, I’d highly suggest logging into Disney+ and watching The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to fill in some gaps.
William Hurt recently passed away, so Harrison Ford takes over as Thaddeus Ross. I was surprised to learn that Ford took on the role of Ross as he is notoriously (and hilariously) grumpy when it comes to popular culture. I can only imagine his sarcastic responses to Marvel fans who will inevitably ask him questions about his place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Be that as it may, Ford is one of the better strengths of Captain America – Brave New World. You can tell that the director and Ford were trying to bring some emotional depth to his character as he deals with the strained relationship with his daughter Betty Ross. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Ross must choose between keeping earth-shattering dirty secrets of the U.S. government under wraps or risk an all-out war with Japan as they vie for control over the frozen Celestial rising out of the Indian Ocean (an event which occurred in Eternals).
Returning after a 17-year absence is the character of Dr. Samuel Sterns who gained advanced intelligence after being exposed to Bruce Banner’s blood in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. While he’s not outright called the Leader, comic books fans will no doubt know who he is portraying. Unfortunately, his villainous ploys are wasted and he’s even given an underwhelming post credit sequence where he states the obvious. He warns Captain America about other worlds he may have to defend Earth from but unless Sterns has been living under a rock, this version of Earth has had multiple encounters with beings from other worlds already. Knowing that this Phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is leaning heavily into the multiverse, perhaps he’s slyly referencing Robert Downey Jr.’s return as the villainous Doctor Doom. I suppose we’ll find out as more of these films and TV shows are released.
Taking over the mantle of Captain America is Sam Wilson. I really, really like Sam as Captain America. Steve Rogers was right with choosing a regular guy as the new Captain, but I feel he’s getting a lot of unwarranted hate from fans. It’s not like it isn’t comic book accurate as Sam Wilson in the comics has become Captain America before. The only issue I have is that he hasn’t taken any kind of super soldier serum which adds more to his humanity. We’ve all seen the negative side effects the super soldier serum has on someone who isn’t worthy of the Shield. Oh, yes, if you haven’t, go back and watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to learn about that whole story. A lot of what made Steve Rogers a good man is present in Sam, even going so far as upholding his personal beliefs on leadership when it comes to times of war. Sam fights tooth and nail to uphold an already shaky alliance between the United States and Japan thus solidifying Rogers’ choice for the new Captain America. Sam had some big shoes to fill, and he does the best he can with his limited abilities.
Captain America – Brave New World is the unexpected sequel to The Incredibly Hulk. It’s not as bad as people are saying it is. It’s the weakest of all the Captain America movies but it’s the first outing that needs to stand on its own post Chris Evans. While it stumbles across the finish line, it gets by with its strengths found in Harrison Ford’s performance as Thaddeus Ross. With the precious metal adamantium being introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and with far fetched hints of a multiversal incursion, the film is yet another steppingstone to something greater coming in future installments, which is why I give Captain America – Brave New World:
3.5 Pills out of 5
Captain America – Brave New World has been RATED PG-13 by the MPAA for intense sequences of violence and action, and some strong language.