Captain America: Brave New World, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest blockbuster, hit theaters in mid February of 2025, but it recently became available on streaming services such as Prime Video and Apple TV. Brave New World is an action packed narrative that we’ve come to expect from the MCU with underlying themes connecting to the world today.
The film features Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) who has recently settled into the role of Captain America after Steve Rogers’ retirement. Mackie expertly continues Rogers’ dislike of authority, and the narrative follows Wilson’s mental battle between what is ordered of him and what he knows is right.
Brave New World introduces many new characters to the MCU, including Joaqin Torres, played by Danny Ramirez, who functions as Wilsons sidekick in training throughout the film. The two exemplify a mentor-trainee relationship while still quipping back and forth in classic Marvel fashion, and this duo will be exciting to watch in future MCU films. Other new faces include Sabra, played by Shira Haas, and Samuel Sterns, played by Tim Blake Nelson.
One of the most intriguing roles in Brave New World is Harrison Ford’s portrayal of Thaddeus Ross. Ross was previously played by William Hurt, but the role had to be recast after the legendary actor’s tragic passing in March 2022. In the film, the controversial Ross has recently been elected President. He also later transforms into Red Hulk and destroys a large portion of Washington DC, a combination dripping in symbolism that some would argue speaks to the current leadership in our country.
It’s clear the MCU is trying to increase the diversity of its heroic cast. For many years, the superheroes we saw on the big screen and who children looked up to were mostly white. If there was a hero of color, they were most likely a supporting role, a sidekick, or didn’t have as cool of powers. This began to shift with Marvel’s Black Panther in 2018, and has continued ever since. Brave New World continues this movement with Wilson as Captain America, a historically white role in the MCU, along with Torres, Sabra, and the return of Isaiah Bradley, played by Carl Lumbly.
Brave New World has excited many Marvel fans for the future of the MCU. A recent critique of the franchise was that it killed of too many of its good characters and that the series of films has “fallen off,” but with the many narrative doors that Brave New World opens, and Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) both in the works, the future is bright for Marvel.
