Highlights
- Sam Wilson finally gets his moment as Captain America in Brave New World, following in Steve Rogers’ footsteps with a proper storyline.
- The film’s trailer suggests a return to the political thriller vibe of The Winter Soldier, with action scenes in line with what fans have been hoping for.
- Despite production challenges, Marvel Studios fixed early problems with rewrites and reshoots, and the trailer hints at a promising return to form.
Leading up to the release of Avengers: Endgame, there were plenty of rumors surrounding which character would take over the mantle of Captain America. Most expected it to be Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier. However, Marvel Studios instead opted to give Sam Wilson the shield at the end of the film. While the character was less than sure he could follow in the footsteps of Steve Rogers, Wilson promised to do his best as the star-spangled hero.
Unfortunately, as excited as fans were to see Anthony Mackie’s Wilson take over as Captain America, many were left underwhelmed with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The Disney+ series, which starred Mackie and Sebastian Stan, followed Wilson as he struggled with what it would mean to become Captain America and wield the shield. Many found the action to be stagnant, and the plot to be thin, unlike the Captain America films. Now, with Captain America: Brave New World, it looks like Sam Wilson will finally get a proper storyline as the new Captain America – one that seems to take cues from The Winter Soldier and even Civil War.
Why Brave New World Feels Like Winter Soldier
Despite releasing over thirty films, Captain America: The Winter Soldier remains one of Marvel Studios’ biggest achievements in storytelling to date. The film is very much a political thriller that is full of well-constructed action scenes and tight storytelling. It also serves as the introduction to Sam Wilson within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film, which was released in 2014, earned a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and went on to earn $714 million at the worldwide box office. It was an impressive feat for a franchise that had mixed reactions to its first film, which only pulled in $370.5 million worldwide.
Yet, despite the success of The Winter Soldier and its sequel, Captain America: Civil War, Marvel Studios seemed to forget what made the franchise so special when it sought to bring Falcon and the Winter Soldier to the small screen in 2021. The series was admittedly a victim of COVID-19 and had to undergo extensive rewrites and reshoots after rumors suggested the series had a pandemic storyline of its own. It’s unclear exactly what the original storyline was and exactly how much was altered in the end. However, the series left fans wanting more following lackluster action scenes and an uneven storyline that never quite seemed to pull together in the end. Which is why fans were hopeful that Captain America: Brave New World, formerly named Captain America: New World Order, could course correct the problems with the series.
Thankfully, judging by the first trailer for the film, it appears the film did just that. The first teaser for Brave New World opens with Wilson walking into a meeting with President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford, who wants to bring in Captain America to work with the military. Wilson, of course, seems reluctant, but appears ready to see what Ross has to offer. And then, everything erupts in chaos. The trailer offers a quick glance at Giancarlo Esposito’s mysterious character, alongside images of explosions, before seeing Issiah Bradley mysteriously attack a guard and go after Ross. The trailer feels very reminiscent of The Winter Soldier, with Bradley’s motives being unclear, and political corruption. More importantly, though, the action scenes feel inline with what the Russo brothers achieved on The Winter Soldier.
Why Captain America 4’s Vibe is a Good Thing for Marvel Studios
For most superhero films, being compared to something that came before it probably wouldn’t be a compliment. In fact, most of the time, both the actors and directors are eager to try to build something new. In the case of Captain America: Brave New World, though, the fact that it feels very much like The Winter Soldier is a very, very good thing. The tone is what fans have been begging for, it’s what they wanted The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to be. While not every Captain America film – or project – needs to be a political thriller, per se, it’s very in line with the character. Captain America is a character who wants to do good, not just for himself, but for the people. He is willing to stand up against what’s wrong, no matter the cost. We’ve seen Steve stand up for what’s right, even in the face of S.H.I.E.L.D., knowing the consequences of his actions. Now, we get to see Sam take his first official stance as Captain America as the military seeks to use him.
Captain America: Brave New World, like Falcon and the Winter Soldier, hasn’t had the easiest time behind-the-scenes. The film wrapped production last year before the strikes. However, rumors suggested the initial cut hadn’t tested well. This led Marvel Studios to bring in a new writer to work on rewrites for extensive reshoots, which only just finished in Georgia within the past month or so. Despite good word of mouth coming out of Cinema Con earlier this year, many were still doubtful when it came to the film. Luckily, the trailer suggests that Marvel Studios understood the problems early on and sought to fix them before it was too late. With the trailer taking cues from The Winter Soldier, it looks like Captain America: Brave New World might just continue to push the Marvel Cinematic Universe back to the top following Deadpool & Wolverine’s projected success.
Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on Febraury 14th, 2025
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