Captain America: Brave New World isn’t the espionage thriller the trailers might have lead you to believe. While there are lingering themes of The Winter Soldier and The Manchurian Candidate, the latest entry in the MCU isn’t a retread; it’s a reinvention. A Promethean metaphor for the passing of the torch from Steve Rogers to Sam Wilson as the iconic Captain America.
“You’re not Steve Rogers!” a belligerent President Ross (Harrison Ford, taking over from the late William Hurt) tells Sam Willson (Anthony Mackie), and he’s right. This isn’t the Captain America that helped launch the origins of the MCU. Mackie’s Cap is still affable, noble and aspirational but his promotion from Falcon to America’s number-one hero forges a new identity for the character.
The plot follows a newly-elected President Thaddeus Ross (the controversial general and superhero-hater) as he tries to broker a treaty between all nations of the world to try and control the emergence of a new technological discovery (courtesy of the Fox/Disney merger). Realising the far-reaching impact such new technology could bring, Ross asks Wilson to start to reform The Avengers.
Uncertain of Ross’ motives, Wilson’s new task must wait as a botched assassination attempt alludes to greater instability in the world than first thought. With the deal on a knife edge and personal stakes in the balance, Captain America goes rogue in an effort to uncover the truth and, of course, save the world.
Like all Marvel movies, there are references for the dedicated fans of the extended universe; this time pulling from The Eternals and Edward Norton’s The Incredible Hulk. Perhaps not the strongest entries in the catalogue, but Marvel does love a retcon, and with the retrospective insertion of key characters and plot points you may have long since forgotten about, the material arrives feeling new and intriguing.
Ford’s appearance as Ross is a brilliantly nuanced perforrmance. Yes, there’s still the usual low gruff growling murmuring delivery of the lines, but Ford feels fully engaged with the character; a father who has lost connection with his only surviving relative and seemingly trying to make amends for the hubris of his previous actions.
Mackie is the standout here. A leading-man in waiting, Mackie finally gets his billing as Captain America in a feature film and he doesn’t disappoint for a second. He does an incredible job of separating the character of Sam Willson from his alter ego and the internal struggles he faces taking on the mantle are reflected in an intelligent performance.
Once you get over the fact that the marketing campaign has promised a different film and you start to settle into accepting the film for what it is, Captain America: Brave New World feels like the start of something new for the MCU. After the misfires of a few recent releases, there is a glimmer of hope that Marvel finally has a solid foundation for whatever the new phase will bring.
Captain America: Brave New World is out in cinemas now