Captain America: Brave New World sees Sam Wilson make his return to the big screen in the newest Marvel Studios political thriller.

Marvel’s first film after the convicted felon’s return to office hits all the right political marks. Given the recent attacks on diversity and pluralism, it only feels right that a Black man is wielding the shield and carrying the Captain America mantle.

After some talk of her nationality being edited out of the film, Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) is 100% confirmed to be Israeli. Obviously, Marvel decided it was best to have the character’s having come from the Black Widow program. This makes sense in so many ways because of how it’s easier to just accept someone being a Black Widow than having to explain why there’s an Israeli superhero working as a security advisor to the President of the United States. While she doesn’t use the Sabra name, her remaining Israeli is a sigh of relief to tell you the truth.

Please stay for the end of the credits! There is a single post-credits scene rather than a mid-credit scene. Obviously, Marvel fans should know better by now to stay to the end of the film. I’ve got to hand it to Marvel as this is a great way to ensure that the crew of Captain America: Brave New World gets the respect it deserves.

As Captain America: Brave New World begins, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) has just been elected the President of the United States and estranged from daughter Betty (Liv Tyler). There are some jokes about him looking different. If you recall, Ford stepped in to replace the late William Hurt. It’s weird seeing Ford having a mustache in flashback scenes and photos for this season. The Indiana Jones star does his best to make the role his own while respecting what came before. But at the same time, I find myself asking the question: why is it okay for Ford to replace Hurt but Chadwick Boseman wasn’t replaced?

Not long after Ross enters office in Captain America: Brave New World, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is right in the middle of an international incident. Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) joins him as the new Falcon. He clearly wants to be more than just the sidekick so Sam introduces him to Korean War veteran Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly). If you missed out on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, no need to worry as they remind us about the experimentations on Bradley while imprisoned.

In what is probably no surprise by now, there’s always something else going on behind the scenes. Captain America: Brave New World is a solid return to the paranoid political thriller tone that Captain America: The Winter Soldier delivered over a decade ago. I like this approach with the post-Endgame geopolitical landscape. Against President Ross’s wishes, Sam takes matters into his own hands to get to the bottom of it. He might have taken the super soldier serum but there’s so much good in him. If someone is innocent or framed, he’s going to find out why.

As we’ve seen from the TV series, Sam Wilson approaches the mantle in Captain America: Brave New World from a different perspective than Steve Rogers. Where Steve wanted to do his part during World War II and fight the bullies, Sam is coming at this world from being both a Black man and military veteran. He’s become comfortable in knowing what it means to wield the shield although there are moments when he knows he isn’t a super soldier. At the same time, he’s proof enough that he doesn’t need to be Steve Rogers to be Captain America.

I won’t get into the how and why of President Ross transforming into Red Hulk. Harrison Ford probably won’t get an Oscar nomination for his performance but I’ll be curious as to what Marvel does with President Ross and Red Hulk going forward. Interestingly enough, before the inciting incident that puts things into motion, Ross wanted bring back the Avengers. Following the epic showdown, I’ll be curious to see what happens between now and the next Avengers movie.

SERPENT is the newest mercenary mix on screen although they’ve been around in the comics since 1985. Seth Voelker aka Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) is their leader. The actor is too talented to make a one-and-done appearance in Captain America: Brave New World. He’s another one in which I wonder if Marvel has future plans. Sidewinder is joined by Copperhead (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) and Diamondback (Rosa Salazar) in the film.

When one looks at the screenwriting credits, it’s easy to assume that there are too many cooks in the kitchen. But at the end of the day, I felt that Captain America: Brave New World is a satisfactory addition to the MCU. It’s got a few things going for it. One, it brings back characters we haven’t seen since The Incredible Hulk. Two, much like the final season of What If…?, it’s nice to know that this giant Celestial Island sitting in the Indian Ocean did not become forgotten. In fact, said Celestial is more or less the reason why the film exists. Much research has happened since Eternals…paving the way for the Celestial Island World Summit.

Because of licensing, standalone films following The Incredible Hulk are impossible. Characters can appear in other properties but no, we’ll never have a direct Hulk sequel for this reason. That’s why it was so nice to see the return of Betty Ross and Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) in Captain America: Brave New World. Dr. Sterns’ transformation into The Leader was previously teased so it’s nice that Marvel is finally paying off on it. Maybe we’ll see the return of Leonard Samson in a future film? It would be nice to see what he’s been up to since Fury’s Big Week.

Filmmaker Julius Onah–watch Luce if you’ve yet to do so–turns to a number of older political thrillers for inspiration. Among them are The Day of the Jackal, Point Blank, The Parallax View, and Le Samouraï. While those films are set in the past, this one is clearly contemporary. Of course, it also fit within the standard DNA of a Marvel movie. We know to expect action and set pieces that have us on the edge of our seats. I haven’t watched the recent TV spots so you could imagine my surprise when it came to Onah’s approach to Captain America: Brave New World. To say that the political and emotional stakes are high would not be an understatement.

Not only did the film exteriors of Captain America: Brave New World at the White House, the Capitol Building, and Pershing Park but they utilized a replica White House already built on the backlot of Tyler Perry Studios. In addition to the Oval Office, they utilize the Entrance Hall, East Room, and Blue Room.

Captain America: Brave New World is another solid political thriller in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

DIRECTOR: Julius Onah
SCREENWRITERS: Rob Edwards and Malcolm Spellman & Dalan Musson and Julius Onah & Peter Glanz
CAST: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, with Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford

Marvel Studios will release Captain America: Brave New World in theaters on February 14, 2025. Grade: 4/5

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