We’re just a few weeks out before the final stretch of Phase Five of the MCU kicks off with Captain America: Brave New World. While the franchise’s future hopes are riding more on Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, there’s no shortage of responsibility on Brave New World‘s shoulders, either.
Indeed, not only will it have to narratively step up where so many other Marvel films have failed (yes, even Deadpool & Wolverine), but it will have to do so while honoring the legacy of the Captain America films that came before it. According to leading man Anthony Mackie, however, we’d be wise to expect exactly those accomplishments.
In a recent BTS featurette for the incoming superhero flick, Mackie made sure to emphasize that this is a proper Captain America movie we have on our hands. He noted how he believes audiences will appreciate the film “bringing it back to old-school Marvel,” in reference to the heyday of the Infinity Saga, which houses such heavyweights as Black Panther, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Iron Man.
Mackie and producer/Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige also hyped up the franchise debut of the legendary Harrison Ford, who will take on the role of President Thaddeus Ross from the late William Hurt, who ed away in 2022. Mackie in particular felt inspired watching the former Indiana Jones star carve out a place for himself in the Marvel mythos.
Now, is it entirely within the realm of possibility that this is mostly a bunch of marketing hokum that’s more than willing to stretch the truth in order to make it seem like the MCU is back, as the kids say? Yes, absolutely. All the marketing team has to do is get butts in seats; whether or not the film itself lines up with the promises being made remains to be seen.
As such, we’d be wise to temper our expectations. Mackie’s promises about Brave New World have been frequent and intriguing, having notably told Entertainment Weekly last year that the film will be a franchise reset of sorts, ushering in new themes and trajectories and tones for the MCU canon going forward. That’s not an insignificant statement by any stretch.
Still, the amount of rewriting done on Brave New World‘s script is far from a good sign, and so even if it dips its toe into the refreshing genre pool of spy action/political thriller, there’s really no telling how severely Brave New World may have had to bend the knee to their Disney overlords or creatively-inept shareholders.
Whatever the case, this movie is going to be a whole lot of Marvel. Along with being Mackie’s first leading role in a major Marvel movie, Brave New World will also see the return of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s Isaiah Bradley, who many are expecting will pave the way for the character Eli Bradley (aka Patriot) as the MCU sets up its Young Avengers.
Red Hulk and the Serpent Society will also enter the fray, and the film will also mark the return of Tim Blake Nelson’s Leader, whose last appearance in the franchise was in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on Feb. 14.
Published: Jan 21, 2025 04:13 pm