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The MCU’s honeymoon period has worn off with the American public, and the 1st trailer for Captain America: Brave New World features an assassination attempt on the President. This movie may be doomed.
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) meets with President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), to discuss Captain America once again operating in conjunction with the US government. Sam is reticent, following the events of Falcon & The Winter Soldier, knowing that organized government often has its own agenda.
Captain America: Brave New World (2025) – source: Marvel Studios
But when Ross narrowly survives an assassination attempt, it’s up to Sam to to navigate the increasingly murky world of world government, while dealing with a dangerous new renegade foe (Giancarlo Esposito) determined to wipe out the world as he knows it. With threats lurking around every corner, it’s impossible to know who to trust.
The 1st teaser for Captain America: Brave New World is working against a stacked deck. Not only has the shine rapidly worn off the MCU, but the film looks to outdo The Simpsons with its penchant for unfortunately predicting real-world politics. With plot points eerily similar to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and supposedly debuting an Israeli superhero following the invasion of Gaza, Captain America: Brave New World has a lot of political baggage to shed in order to entertain its audiences.
And unfortunately, the 1st trailer doesn’t provide the wow factor needed to do so. While continuing the MCU’s long-overdue shedding of its stale visual palette, the trailer still adheres to traditional MCU pacing and comedic beats.
In their attempt to build out the Sam Wilson character, the political corner of the MCU has accidentally become too self-serious. And while that could ordinarily win over converts that hated the quippiness of past installments, the superhero universe hasn’t proven to be able to handle the nuance needed to tackle a story in this sphere in 2024.
Directed by Julias Onah, Captain America: Brave New World will release theatrically in the US on February 14, 2025. The movie stars an ensemble cast led by Anthony Mackie.
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