The following contains spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World.
In the years since Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has lost its way. Debates about exactly what went wrong and why have raged for years, but to me, one of the major reasons the Marvel Cinematic Universe has felt so slapdash is that it's lacking cohesiveness.
In the old days, a handful of key figureheads – Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor – held the sprawling web of movies together. You rarely went a single project without seeing these three titans, or at least hearing them mentioned. They were stalwart pillars the rest of the movies could be built around. When Endgame gave the old guard a poignant send-off, it felt like the roadmap for the future was clear: in the final moments of the film, Steve Rogers handed his shield to Sam Wilson.
- Captain America: Brave New World review: "Anthony Mackie's Cap earns his Stars and Stripes in this uneven, un-MCU thriller"
- Five years after taking the shield, Anthony Mackie says he's "excited as hell" to finally be starring in a Captain America movie: "I've been biding my time waiting for this moment"
But then, something strange happened. We saw Sam again in 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, in which he grappled with the weight of the shield, before ultimately – and triumphantly – accepting the mantle. The stage was set and the MCU was ready for the return of Captain America. That would be soon, right? Wrong. A long, long four years passed before Mackie's Cap returned to our screens.
In fact, the new Cap wasn't even mentioned once in all that time, across all those projects, almost as if the shield handover never happened. This all only contributed to that messy, disjointed feeling of the post-Endgame MCU, as no other character was given the space to step into a leadership role either. Heroes were simply getting lost in the sheer volume of new movies and shows, as more and more newcomers with unclear futures were introduced (will we ever see Clea, Moon Knight, or Harry Styles's Eros again?).
Captain America: Brave New World, however, finally begins to set things back on track. Mackie's Sam is front and center in the well-deserved solo movie we've been waiting four years for, firmly putting Cap back in the spotlight. The movie is also an excellent reminder of what Endgame already showed us: Sam Wilson deserves to be the MCU's new figurehead.
A new Captain
Sam's missing years weren't an entirely intentional absence, considering Captain America 4 was delayed three times. But even the movie's original release date still would've meant a three-year gap. And it's been even longer since he was actually handed the shield, way back in 2019. "They told me I was gonna be Captain America five years ago," Mackie shared with us ahead of the film's release. "So I've just been biding my time waiting for this moment."
The moment is finally here, but I hope it doesn't come to an end with Brave New World. While reviews have been mixed (our own Captain America: Brave New World review awarded the film three stars), it's undeniable that Mackie perfectly embodies everything Captain America – and a leader – should be. Sam Wilson is kind and compassionate, harkening back to his history as a counselor, especially when he successfully talks down a fully Hulked-out President Ross at the end of the movie.
But Sam also isn't afraid to throw the shield and get into the thick of the action, soaring through the skies to prevent all-out war between the US and Japan, bringing down a fighter jet and rerouting missiles with ease. He's a role model for Danny Ramirez's Joaquin Torres, and, perhaps most importantly, he has no aversion to defying the highest authority in the country to do what he believes to be right when he goes off the grid to prove Isaiah Bradley's innocence.
When Sam has a crisis of confidence after Joaquin is seriously injured, a surprise visit from Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes sets him back on the right path. Steve, Bucky says, gave people something to believe in – but Sam gives them something to aspire to. It's something I completely agree with: Sam has no superpowers, and that's what makes him feel more reachable. Anyone could try to live up to his courage and strength, no Serum required.
"The world needs the Avengers," Sam says near the end of the movie, and, when the Avengers return in Doomsday and Secret Wars, they'll need someone to lead them. Clearly, that should be Sam Wilson. Fortunately it looks like it will be him, too, even as other actors muddy the waters on whether they'll return or not.
But more than just leading to Sam reforming the team, I hope Brave New World – and the Avengers double bill – cements Mackie's Sam as the MCU figurehead he's deserved to be since he was given the shield back in 2019. The MCU is sorely missing a new generation of them, and there's no better candidate than the long-overdue new Cap.
The world may need the Avengers, but the Avengers need Sam Wilson – and so does the MCU.
Captain America: Brave New World is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to watching the Marvel movies in order.
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