Summary
With just over a couple of months to go for the upcomingCaptain America: Brave New World, things don’t seem too bright or optimistic for the MCU’s 35th film. If the pressure of being the firstCaptain Americamovie in the post-Steve Rogers era wasn’t enough, the film has been plagued with a number of problems throughout its production.
Captain America: Brave New Worlddoes come with its fair share of things to be excited about. While it continues Sam Wilson’s arc fromThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it features a new story and introduces new characters. The film revolves around Wilson as he finds himself in the midst of an international incident followingThaddeus Ross’s electionas President of the United States. But if it’s valid to judge a film prematurely, simply based on the pre-release buzz or reports circulating around, it looks like the upcomingCaptain Americafilm is going to be, bluntly put, bad.
Captain America: Brave New WorldMight Flop
Too Many Production Issues?
The negative discourse surroundingCaptain America: Brave New Worldmight seem overwhelming, but it’s not without cause.The Falcon and the Winter Soldierwasn’t a bad show by any means, but its reception wasn’t great either. Despite Anthony Mackie doing a good job as Sam Wilson, who has taken over the reins fromChris Evans as the new Captain America, the film faces a series of hurdles it must overcome to be successful. But it isn’t just these factors. Over the course of production, several reports have suggested that the film underwent multiple reshoots and rewrites, which doesn’t exactly spark hope.
Reshoots & Rewrites Keep On Coming
The reshoot nightmare might continue to haunt the movie, according to industry insider Daniel Richtman, better known to Marvel fans as DanielRPK. Arecent unconfirmed reportsuggests that the feedback forCaptain America: Brave New Worldis still mostly negative, despite going through three rounds of test screenings. While this calls for more changes in the film, any additional reshoots may have already been wrapped up, and only minor corrections could be in order. And considering how close the release date is, it seems unlikely to go for anotherrewrite or reshoot session. But most importantly, all of this clearly doesn’t work in the film’s favor.
Multiple Release Date Pushes
Brave New World, originally slated for release in mid-2024, had its release date pushed around many times before landing on its current July 11, 2025, slot. While the SAG-AFTRA and Writer’s Guild strikes did not impact the production process much, the film was pushed due to reportedly negative early test screenings. In November 2023,industry insider Jeff Sneider revealedthat three main sequences were being cut, and reshoots were planned from January until May or June of 2024, which was the original release date.
WhyBrave New WorldMight Be In Trouble
Lack Of Clear Vision
While reshoots and rewrites exist to make a movie better, they also indicate a lack of clear vision for the story. If there’sno definite idea forBrave New World, then there’s no clear reason to even make it in the first place. So it’s a question of how much Marvel Studios can change the film without starting over from scratch. Combine that with the already tough sell of aCaptain Americamovie without Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, as well as Marvel’s general inconsistency in the post-Endgame era, and the bleakness cannot be dismissed without reason.
Director Doesn’t Spark Confidence
MaybeCaptain America: Brave New Worldcould have even benefited from the Russo brothers returning to direct it, or at least from better hands to take it forward thandirector Julius Onah. While theCloverfield Paradoxfilmmaker does deserve a chance to showcase his skills, a film likeBrave New Worldneeds proven Marvel talent at the helm to inspire confidence. Compare this creative decision to something like hiringMatt Shakman to directFantastic Four: First Steps, who previously produced and directedWandaVision, as well as episodes ofGame of ThronesandFargo. It clearly highlights the reason for apprehension among Marvel fans.
Marvel Can Still Turn Things Around
Faith In Newcomers
But the MCU is known for taking risks with relatively unknown directors and turning them into big names. This includes James Gunn, Jon Watts, Destin Daniel Cretton, and even the Russo brothers, who were primarily known for directingCommunitybefore their work in the MCU. Moreover, if there’s any bright side to the whole rewrite/reshoot fiasco, perhaps the revisions would have improved the overall quality of the film. Screenwriter Matthew Orton, who previouslyworked onMoon Knight, was hired to write the additional material for the reshoots.
Improvements From Revisions
Furthermore, it was only during this time thatGiancarlo Espositoand Rosa Salazar were added to the cast, which suggests that their characters may have been introduced as a way to improve the film. The trailer also appears promising, thanks to its relatively groundedpolitical action-thriller tone. Despite all this,Captain America: Brave New Worldseems like it’s heading toward a disappointing result. But there’s still hope it can defy expectations and prove critics wrong.
Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titledNew World Order)marks Sam Wilson’s first MCU big-screen appearance as Steve Rogers' successor after receiving the suit and shield in Phase 4’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie returns as the titular Avenger alongside Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumby as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson as The Incredible Hulk’s former ally Samuel Sterns. Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.
