Review
Fantastic Four: putting the magic back in the MCU
by Luca Fontana
Captain America: Brave New World: disappointment guaranteed
12/2/2025
Translation: Elicia Payne
It should be uncomfortable. It should be brave. But Captain America: Brave New World is ultimately just one thing: another chapter in the MCU that would rather please than make a statement.
First things first, this movie review doesn’t contain any spoilers. Everything mentioned here has already been revealed in trailers.
It doesn’t feel quite as magical as it used to. Back in the days of Avengers: Endgame or Iron Man, every new Marvel film was a pop culture event. And yet, as soon as the red and white logo flickers across the screen, I still catch myself leaning back in my seat with childishly exaggerated anticipation quietly whistling the slogan.
After all, Marvel is Marvel.
Now Captain America: Brave New World is set to pick up the pace again. Finally. But can a movie about patriotic ideals and broken heroes really realign the Marvel universe?
The plot of Captain America: Brave New World
He’s wearing the badge. Steve Rogers’ badge. The Captain America. But Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) isn’t Steve Rogers. He has no super serum in his veins, no mythical heroic story behind him. He’s just a man – with wings, an unshakeable will and the realisation that the fight doesn’t end just because you have a title.
But after the events of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the world has left him no choice. And in Captain America: Brave New World, Sam even faces a world that’s still reeling in the chaos of the Blip and has to confront a source of danger where the remains of a Celestial have been rising from the sea since Eternals.
This is precisely why President Thaddeus «Thunderbolt» Ross (Harrison Ford) is trying to stabilise the crumbling foundations with a firm hand. But order comes with a price. New threats grow in the shadows of power, and Sam must find out if a shield is enough to stop them – or if the real battle isn’t fought on the battlefield, but in people’s minds. Because anyone can wear a symbol. The question is: who gives it meaning?
When bravery is just a marketing promise
First of all, no, Captain America: Brave New World did not fulfil my expectations. Not even close. Before anyone thinks it’s my own fault for setting the bar too high, with respect to Marvel, I wasn’t expecting the next Citizen Kane. I just want a movie that triggers something in me. Passion. Surprise. Anything.
Instead, Brave New World left me with exactly one emotion: disappointment. Not because the movie is disastrously bad – at least that would’ve been entertaining (yes, Madame Web, I’m looking at you). But because it’s so… reserved. Average. Nothing more. Ironic, considering that the title suggests exactly the opposite.
Brave New World, on the other hand, looks like a carefully assembled jigsaw puzzle that ticks off checkboxes – except that the pieces don’t really fit together. A bit of The Incredible Hulk here, a touch of Eternals there, and, of course, a few cliches from Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Everything together results in a movie that says less than it claims to.
Perhaps this is precisely the problem – Brave New World wants to say something about identity and values, but doesn’t really know what. What remains is a story that’s ultimately much more absurd than the trailer would have me believe. As I said: sobering.
From a brave new world…
The best example of this? The title: Brave New World. This can’t be a coincidence. For me, it’s an allusion to Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel of the same name from 1932.
The story’s set in a distant future in which humanity lives in a seemingly perfect world. There are no wars, no poverty, no suffering. Society is strictly hierarchical and genetically manipulated. Emotions, individuality and critical thinking are suppressed. Instead, the happiness of the population is ensured through consumption, superficial entertainment and the drug soma.
In the book, society sacrifices individuality and freedom for stability and happiness. In the movie, President Thaddeus Ross could’ve embodied this conflict to a tee. The trailer even suggests that he’s trying to create a perfect world order after the chaos of the blip – in other words, a «brave new world». Whatever the cost.
Without spoiling anything, we’re a long way from that.
… to the flat new story
Shame. Sam Wilson as the new Captain America would’ve been perfect to speak uncomfortable truths as Ross’ adversary. A black man who embodies the symbol of American ideals? This could directly address issues such as structural racism, nationalism or colonial power structures.
Even «Falcon and the Winter Soldier» managed to do the preparatory work for this. There, it was the Flag Smashers who questioned national borders and power structures. President Ross, who’d embody an authoritarian America, could’ve continued in the same vein. Quite literally as the Red Hulk.
Plus, the return of Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), a forgotten super-soldier who was mistreated and locked away by the US government, could’ve stirred up even more conflict in Sam. How can a country expect him to be the new symbol of heroism when its history excluded people like Sam and Isaiah for decades?
But nah. Zilch. Nothing. In the end, the movie’s about as substantial as the weather report. Or a children’s birthday party – lots of noise, colourful pictures, but nobody can really take it seriously.
Yeah, sure, I get it. Marvel has to serve a global audience – from the USA to Europe and China. Any political aspect could cause offence somewhere. Especially when it comes to sensitive topics such as racism, abuse of power and surveillance. So they go with consent over consequence. The result? A movie that wants to do everything right, but doesn’t really dare to do anything – and that’s not enough for me.
In a nutshell
Brave New World – or: when a movie’s afraid of its own potential
Captain America: Brave New World promises paranoia, political explosiveness and moral grey areas – but in the end only delivers a film that doesn’t want to hurt anyone too much. Sure, there are a few strong action sequences, especially when Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk finally gets going. But up to that point, the movie drags on. And when it finally gets exciting, it’s almost over again.
The biggest issue? Marvel’s fear of controversy. Brave New World just pretends to talk about power, identity and national values. In truth, the movie only scratches the surface. At best.
Header image: Disney / Marvel Studios
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.
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