Director: Julius Onah
Writers: Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Xosha Roquemore, Takehiro Hira, Sebastian Stan

Steve Rogers is dead.

Just kidding (or maybe not, he was pretty damn old at the end of Avengers: Endgame). He is, however, no longer Captain America. As of Marvel’s 2021 The Falcon and the Winter Solider TV show, Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, has been promoted to America’s Ass the position of Cap after initially refusing it, citing his lack of Super Soldier strength and concerns over responses to his being a Black man in the role of Captain America. But now, as the title suggest, there is a brave new world on the horizon, and Wilson is ready to take up the mantle that Steve Rogers bestowed upon him with his blessing. It doesn’t matter whether Sam Wilson lives up to the Captain America title (without a doubt, he does), what matters is if he has been given a story that allows him to shine in the role. Have Marvel successfully provided him with a plot worthy of Cap, or have they let down one of the world’s favourite heroes?

When a Celestial appears in the Indian Ocean, world leaders attempt to come to an agreement to share the adamantium metal (the same metal that Wolverine has for those that don’t know) amongst them, negotiations led mainly by the newly appointed US President Thaddeus Ross (Ford). However, villain Samuel Sterns (Nelson) has returned to cause havoc, inciting violence between the countries that threatens an out-and-out war. To thwart this, Sam Wilson (Mackie), aka Captain America, is called upon to keep the peace, along with the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres (Ramirez), as his wingman. However, things begin to heat up as it comes to light just how much control Sterns actually has over the military and the government.

It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s adaptation of Steve Rogers was a fantastic Captain America, and we all enjoyed Chris Evans’s performances, but if anyone was going to succeed him, Mackie’s Sam Wilson was a solid choice (of course it’s comic book canon, but it could have been poorly translated to screen). We learned a lot more about him in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and he well and truly earned the Cap title. But his first outing as the lead of a movie is somewhat disappointing. Wilson still grapples with a certain amount of imposter syndrome, in spite of many characters responding to him very positively, and at times it overshadows the narrative strength with unnecessary weakness. The pressure of Sam being a role model for Black people briefly comes into play and would have made a good focus for his first leading foray to give him some character depth, but it came across more like a footnote. Sam is a hero to look up to, for all colours and races, thanks to his perseverance and moral standing, but he’s not given the same breathing room that Steve was, which is unfair to the character.

The story itself is also not the strongest. The marketing was a little misleading in its usage of Red Hulk; there’s not much to be seen of him. The true villain, Stern, is repurposed for this film after his 2008 appearance in The Incredible Hulk, and although his villainy provides some shocking moments, he’s not quite as threatening as many MCU villains we’ve known in the past. The political overtones of the film attempt to give it some heft but often comes across as a desperate move to make the film relevant. The lack of Bucky Barnes (Stan) appearances also felt odd, considering the importance of his presence in The Falcon and the Winter Solider and his new position within politics. Eventually, the film ends so abruptly with little risk having happened that you may end up thinking, is that it!?

Performance-wise, Mackie gave it his all with a weakened character. Gone is some of the humour and charm of Wilson, pushed aside in favour of seriousness within his new role as Cap. Ramirez continues to have good chemistry with Mackie as Joaquin, but he is so underutilised in the film that it leaves us pondering the point of his inclusion in the film. Ford gives a good performance in the shoes of William Hurt’s original incarnation of Ross, but the character comes across as rather two-dimensional. Nelson’s Samuel Sterns is, as mentioned, not the level of threat we’re used to, and the deflated performance reflects that. Haas’s Ruth Bat-Seraph was, in a word, annoying, and lacked characterisation, with Haas’s performance being quite flat. No supporting characters or performances really stood out, but it was fun to see Sebastian Stan and one other actor make a cameo (not going to reveal who just in case it’s a spoiler, but iykyk).

Essentially, Brave New World could have fit in as a finale episode to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. There isn’t anything new to grab on to, and other than mentions of a future Avengers team, it doesn’t leave us with much to look forward to. It has its moments that are entertaining and visually engaging, but its lack of story and development is concerning for the future of the character.