If you believed that the Marvel Cinematic Universe had already endured its share of drama, think again. Captain America: Brave New World has arrived in theaters not only as the fourth installment of the Captain America series but as one of the hottest-contested Marvel films of recent memory. While the on-screen action is more intense than ever, the actual drama is unfolding off-screen—in critical reviews, online commentaries, and even on protest marches outside Hollywood premieres.
A New Captain, a New Era
It’s all centered around the transition of the shield—Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, once the Falcon, formally assumes the role of Captain America. For many, this change is timely and revitalizing. As critic E. Nina Rothe wrote, Mackie imbues the character with a down-to-earth presence that seems genuine and deserved. The movie probes Sam’s inner struggle and the outside forces that come with taking over a job once filled by Steve Rogers, querying the difficulty of defining heroism in a more fractured, disillusioned world.
Producer Nate Moore put it most succinctly: Brave New World is about Sam proving he can be Captain America in a way even Steve never was.” It’s an ambitious narrative move and one that puts Mackie’s Cap in exactly the right place in a post-Blip, post-Rogers America.
Critics Are Split—Sharply
Even so, the movie hasn’t convinced everyone. Critics have been loud—and sometimes merciless. A.A. Dowd labeled it a “new low” for the franchise due to incoherent storytelling and a failure to find narrative focus. Bilge Ebiri accused Marvel of pumping out “giant slop,” while Ty Burr berated the movie for prioritizing fan gratification over substance. Even the MCU’s signature blend of heart and spectacle seems diminished here.
Screen Rant concurred, describing the movie as a grim retread of previous Captain America films. Sam’s character development, they contend, takes a back seat to a subplot that marks the President Ross of Harrison Ford, whose Red Hulk transformation does provide a few highlight sequences, but which is insufficient to prevent the overall storyline from becoming disjointed.
Sabra, Protests, and Political Firestorms
Compounding the controversy is the casting of Israeli actress Shira Haas as Ruth Bat-Seraph. In comics, the character—and perhaps more famously by her alternate name, Sabra—is a Mossad operative. For the movie, though, Marvel reworked her as an American government agent and forsook the codename altogether. This reworking was able to offend both sides of the political aisle. Israeli critics complained that the character’s identity was diluted, while pro-Palestinian activists protested her inclusion in general. Real-world protests ensued, including boycott calls from Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions-affiliated groups. Few superhero movies spark this type of politically charged blowback on both sides of a debate—Brave New World made it happen.
A Culture War Lightning Rod
The movie also became a battleground in the culture wars. Anthony Mackie’s on-the-record statements about the changing definition of Captain America set conservative commentators off, with some charging the movie with advancing a “woke” agenda. Mackie later explained himself, proudly declaring he got to play an American hero, but the conversation had already spun out of control.
Director Julius Onah tried to smooth over the controversy, explaining that Mackie’s remarks had been taken out of context, but by that point, the story surrounding the movie had shifted from plot to ideology.
Box Office Success Despite the Noise
Here’s the surprise: despite all the negative criticism, Brave New World has performed big at the box office. Opening weekend estimates from Variety and Deadline had it at $80 million to $95 million—its highest-grossing opening since Moana 2 on Thanksgiving. While critics might be splintered, audiences are decidedly still coming.
A Divided Fanbase
What’s perhaps most interesting is how the darker, more geopolitical tone of the film has divided the fanbase. Some appreciate it as a bold new direction—less CGI bombast, more thinking about what being a hero in today’s complex world means. Others lament the loss of the humor and emotional warmth that characterized earlier installments. While Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk stands out, many feel Sam Wilson should have gotten more story-heft in what’s supposed to be his flagship film.
In the end, Captain America: Brave New World is no mere Marvel addition—it’s a cultural Rorschach test. If you see it as a necessary adjustment or a misfire, that tells you as much about what you want from superhero movies as it does the film itself.
One thing is for sure: nobody’s walking away from this movie without an opinion. And perhaps, in a franchise that exists on the argument, that’s a superpower in and of itself.