Captain America: Brave New World starring Anthony Mackie as Sam “Captain America” Wilson and Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross hits Disney+ today, Wednesday May 28.
So it’s time to address the 700 lb. Red Hulk in the room — should you be streaming the first MCU release of 2025.
Let’s face it, Captain America: Brave New World has an uphill battle when it comes to being “must-see.” The film was riddled with rewrites and reshoots, had characters dropped or radically altered, and the big twist was released not once (by McDonald’s) but twice (by Marvel). It wasn’t exactly a home run at the box office, and it’s one of the worst reviewed films of the MCU, ever. And of course, we can’t forget about the always present Marvel burnout.
There’s also no denying that the film does have its faults. Like Daredevil: Born Again it has a bit of a Frankenstein quality to it. However, Daredevil’s course corrections smoothed over the patchjob with greater efficacy. Here we still see the absolute mess that is Shira Haas’ Ruth Bat-Seraph as you can still see literal, physical remnants of the Sabra storyline. The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) is a bit of an undercooked villain. There’s pacing issues, and some plot holes that the new Falcon (Danny Ramirez) can fly through with the greatest ease.
While Captain America: Brave New World does have its faults, it should not be skipped because of them. Nor should the external factors of rewrites, reshoots and box office turn you off from what is an entertaining film. It has multiple strong performances from its cast, genuinely thrilling action sequences, and a strong political thriller vibe to it.
So this is why this article exists — to give you five solid reasons why you absolutely should be watching this film at some point in the near future.
1. Anthony Mackie: “You’re not Steve Rogers.” This line, uttered by President Ross, is the emotional throughline of Brave New World. Sam Wilson has accepted the shield and moral mantle of Captain America — now he just has to prove to his doubters (aka the world) that he is the man Steve once was — but without any of the super soldier strength. Anthony Mackie absolutely delivers in his first film foray as Cap. Mackie has this inherent honesty, self-awareness and vulnerability that he imbues into Sam. He’s able to portray as someone who is more than capable in battle, but also someone who is very aware of his physical limitations. He fills that void with his morality and Mackie’s performance is very convincing that this is what makes Captain America a hero than muscles and being able to wield Mjolnir. In the grander scheme, Mackie’s performance is reassurance that he can carry the weight of being a lead in the forthcoming Avengers film.
2. Harrison Ford: Harrison Ford delivers a stunning performance. He allows Thunderbolt Ross to be an exponentially more emotional and complex character than his predecessor William Hurt portrayed on screen (we can argue about Sam Elliott though). Ford could’ve easily played his greatest hits in this film — and many of them are apparent throughout the film. We see that trademark sly smile. We hear that righteous roar. We see him learn forward and deliver lines in a raspy growl. Yet, he doesn’t stop there. He allows Ross to have an unexpected vulnerability that has a tremendous impact on the film. He also dives deeper into Ross’ questionable moral compass and how he suffers from the decisions he made because of it.
3. Fantastic Action Sequences: Captain America: Brave New World sports multiple excellent action sequences. The shoot-out at the White House is a wild time thanks to frenetic cinematography and a plot twist. Sam Wilson’s numerous encounters with Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) are taught and well choreographed. The action in the climax is the stuff you love Marvel for. However, there’s an extended action sequence featuring Sam, Falcon, and fighter jets around the frozen Celestial that is a must-see. It’s such great dogfight action that has genuine stakes.
4. Marvel Continuity: Let’s get this out of the way — the end credit sequence is lame. It’s a complete waste of time. However, there’s so much good Marvel continuity and connective tissue throughout the film. There’s the aforementioned Celestial from The Eternals and the secret it stores, there’s a whole lotta Avengers and Steve Rogers talk, plenty of callbacks to the Ed Norton Hulk film as well as the inclusion of the Serpent Society (although very modified) as well as other a litany of Easter eggs.
5. Carl Lumbly as Elijah Bradley: Saved the best for last. Carl Lumbly (Doctor Sleep) was a show stealer in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier as former super soldier Elijah Bradley — who was wrongfully imprisoned by the U.S. government for decades. Lumbly returns here and once again delivers a powerful performance as Elijah. The film let’s Lumbly show off his lighter side and the chemistry he has with Mackie and Ramirez is so much fun. Without revealing too much, Lumbly is given a lot of impactful moments in the film and he maximizes every second he’s onscreen. It’s a must-watch performance.
