In a year that saw the Wayans family inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame and Kendrick Lamar’s electrifying performance at Super Bowl LIX, Black excellence has been prevalent this year. The introduction of a new Captain America movie featuring Anthony Mackie as Marvel’s first Black Captain America is no different.
I hate to break it to you, but if you didn’t come out of watching “Captain America: Brave New World” overloaded with a sense of pride and satiation, perhaps you didn’t understand it.
“Captain America: Brave New World” follows Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) journey as he takes on his newfound role as Captain America following Steve Rogers’s resignation of the title in “Avengers: Endgame” several years prior.
In “Brave New World,” Wilson is tasked with resolving a global conflict by president-elect Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford)– who first made his Marvel debut in 2008 with “The Incredible Hulk,” where he served as Bruce Banner’s father-in-law. Rounding his 100th day in office, President Ross takes hold of a foreign entity that requires some assistance to obtain; enter Wilson.
With the help of Captain America and his newly appointed apprentice Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) as the “new Falcon,” Ross’s plan is underway– until an unexpected development in his plot deviates from the mission and puts everyone in danger.
The overall structure of the movie is nothing special. It resembles that of a typical Marvel movie: the hero is loved, the bad guy doesn’t like the hero, the hero overcomes a challenge, the hero wins. Predictable, yes. Will I still pay $20 to watch it? Every time.
In past years, Marvel was never typically one to confront the racial barriers of society; however, recent projects such as “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” have begun taking the initiative of tackling these issues head-on. The same can be said for “Brave New World.”
A highlight in Marvel’s most recent feature was the introduction of new characters and the development of old ones, the most notable being Carl Lumbly’s captivating portrayal of the world’s first Black super soldier, Isaiah Bradley. Bradley was first brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in March 2021 through the premiere of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” His character was an early byproduct of an initiative by the United States to create super soldiers brought forth during World War ll. For nearly three decades, Bradley was taken under observation as a test subject.
Lumbly’s painstakingly beautiful rendering of Bradley and his trauma is a standout and provides a sort of depth to the movie that I never believed Marvel was capable of. Connecting Bradley’s experiences to the Tuskegee experiments of 1932 was a small, yet monumental, addition to the story that is something that can only be provoked by true genius.
Similarly, Danny Ramirez’s portrayal of Joaquin Torres and his journey as Wilson’s newfound sidekick is a performance that is both heartwarming and humorous– an execution that mirrors that of Mackie when he served as Steve Rogers’ right-hand man as “The Falcon.” Similar to Bradley, Torres was introduced during “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” but, contrary to Bradley, Torres did not have the opportunity to develop his newfound role in the show, allowing the film to give him much-needed character development.
While “Brave New World” is the fourth in a long franchise of Captain America movies, this is the first where Mackie has taken over the role of Captain America. While I admit I was skeptical about the decision following the passing of the shield in “Avengers: Endgame,” if “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” wasn’t convincing enough, “Captain America: Brave New World” opened my eyes to a new era of Marvel that I’m more than satisfied with.
By taking on the role of Captain America, Mackie was able to elevate the role in a way Chris Evans was never able to. Not only does Mackie’s portrayal of Wilson reflect the desire for Black people to bring forth change, but it also represents Marvel’s ability to evolve and adapt to societal changes over time.
Unlike Evans’ Captain America, Wilson does not have any powers. This occurrence in his character creates space for increased pressure from Ross and his peers to take the super soldier serum so that he may resemble Roger as much as possible. Despite increased insistence from others around him, Wilson chooses to be true to himself— a commendable action that augments the narrative.
Though “Brave New World” was a film worthy of praise to the highest regard, there were portions of less than note-worthy moments. The most sizable factor that worked against the success of the movie was the rushed plot. While the movie had a dependable plotline able to captivate even the dullest of viewers, towards the end the story began to pick up quickly, causing somewhat of a perplexing and unresolved ending. Likewise, the film relied too heavily on information from previous Marvel projects such as “Eternals” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” to provide context for moments that could not be recapped in the condensed two-hour film.
Similarly, what was once viewed as a classic and dependable plotline done yet again by Marvel is now seeming safe and predictable. With the exception of “Avengers: Infinity Wars,” it seems as though Marvel has reused the same movie for over a decade. While fans were first enamored with the story of a hero overcoming challenges in a sea of doubt, the overworked thread of events is treading closer and closer towards the line of uninteresting. It seems as though Marvel took the phrase “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” and ran with it, blurring any path for originality.
Undeterred by these negatives, overall, “Captain America: Brave New World” is another example of Marvel’s prevailing dominance in the film industry. While the plotline was shaky at best, the unwavering performances of Mackie and Lumbly coupled with the film’s overarching themes of cultural empowerment makes this movie one for the ages.